Artist in Residence

The Henry Ford invites internationally renowned artists to spend a week in the Greenfield Village Glass Shop during the summer. The Artist in Residence collaborates with our glassblowers, creating unique objects that demonstrate their distinctive approach to glassmaking for our visitors. Each artist creates one work of art destined for The Henry Ford’s collection.

In 2022, we are proud to welcome three new artists in the months of June and July. All three focus on styles firmly rooted in the traditional furnace work of Murano, Italy. Benjamin Cobb’s primary focus is sculptural objects and Michael Schunke and Josie Gluck both focus on functional wares.

2022 Guest Artists

June 9-13, 2022 Benjamin Cobb has 25 years of work in glassblowing during which he honed his mastery of the medium, traveled the globe and worked with hundreds of artists. Cobb holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology and has been a demonstrating artist at glass studios in Sweden, the Czech Republic, Italy and France. He has taught at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State and many other glass programs in the United States. He is a recognized leader and voice in the glass community and has contributed to the success of countless works of art. In his own work, Cobb draws inspiration from the natural world as well as scientific process. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Glass and the Museum of Northwest Art, both in Washington State, and in galleries across the country.

July 20-24, 2022 Michael Schunke studied at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University and the Rhode Island School of Design before founding his first company, Nine Iron Studios, in 1998. He has taught at many institutions, including the Toyama Institute of Glass Art in Japan, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine, Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina and Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State. His work has been represented by many prominent galleries and is in the permanent collections of the Glassmuseet Ebeltoft in Denmark, Toyama Glass Art Museum in Japan, Museum of American Glass in New Jersey and Toledo Museum of Glass. Josie Gluck attended the Appalachian Center for Craft in Tennessee and was a member of Dale Chihuly’s and Lino Tagliapietra’s glassblowing teams before receiving a master of fine arts in designed objects degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has been a Craftsperson in Residence (“Gaffer”) at Pilchuck Glass School and has taught design and glassblowing at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Cam Ocagi in Turkey, Pratt Fine Arts Center in Washington Stateand others. Gluck is currently an adjunct faculty member at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.