Toots Zynsky

Mary Ann Zynsky, better known as Toots Zynsky, (born 1951) is an American glass artist.

Toots Zynsky
Born	Mary Ann Zynsky 1951 (age 69–70)
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Rhode Island School of Design
Style	glass art

Bird of Paradise, 1987, in the Speed Art Museum

Early life

A native of Boston, Zynsky was known as "Toots" almost from the time she was born. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, receiving her BFA before traveling to Seattle to work at the Pilchuck Glass School under Dale Chihuly; she has continued to return there as an instructor. She spent six months in the 1980s in Ghana researching the local music.

Career

Her work is known for featuring the filet-de-verre technique, in which fine threads are pulled from glass canes. Zynsky has shown her work at exhibitions worldwide. She designed the torch, in the shape of a prosthetic limb, for the 2002 Paralympic Winter Games.[1] She was a resident artist at the Corning Museum of Glass in 2016.[2] In 2008 she was named to the American Craft Council College of Fellows.[3]

Her work is included in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum[4] and the Seattle Art Museum.[5]

References

1. "Toots Zynsky". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
2. "Residencies | Corning Museum of Glass". www.cmog.org. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
3. "Toots Zynsky". American Craft Council. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
4. "Hot Chaos IV". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
5. "Mary Ann "Toots" Zynsky – Artists – eMuseum".