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We’re so glad you asked! You might not have known it, but UW–Madison is home to the nation’s first studio art-glass program. The glass program launched in 1962, quickly establishing the UW’s Art Department as a leader in the art world. The department was founded by Harvey Littleton, who was a titan in the art-glass world. Though he passed away in 2013, his groundbreaking work lives on in museums from Wausau to Rotterdam, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. You may know some of Littleton’s protégés: Audrey Handler MA’67, MFA’79, one of the first women to study studio glass; and Dale Chihuly MFA’67, whose sculptural works can be seen across the world. The first courses in the UW’s burgeoning program set up shop in Littleton’s garage, but in 1964, the glass lab had its first home: a Quonset hut on N. Randall Street. Today you can find the UW Glass Lab in the Art Lofts building, which, although tucked in the shadow of the Kohl Center, is full of light and color.

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