William T. Glass

    Sculptor/Painter

Glass, who grew up in Harbor Beach, Michigan, had the rare good fortune to be the first student selected to study with Ivan Mestrovic when he arrived on the Notre Dame campus in 1955. Mestrovic, the Croatian sculptor acclaimed by the art world of both Europe and America, was hailed by Rodin as "a phenomenon among sculptors" and became the first living artist to have an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1947). Under Mestrovic's tutelage, Glass found his own voice and deepest expression in religious subjects. The bronze crucifix (below) is perhaps the finest example of this genre.

Besides sculpture, Glass has a well-rounded background in painting, ceramics and design. He studied and painted fresco murals throughout the Midwest with Jean Charlot in the classic buon fresco technique and studied Interior Design at Parson's School of Design in New York. What's more, he mastered the potter's tooling craft, an essential skill for his role as designer and production manager at Rookwood Pottery before its demise. Rookwood is well-known as America's most famous art pottery. Fans of The Antiques Road Show or collectors may be interested to note that Glass has the distinction of being the last Rookwood artist.

In his diverse professional career, Glass, who has a BFA '55 and an MFA '57 from Notre Dame University,has:

*   Taught Art (sculpture, painting, drawing, interior design, art history) at the university and college level.

*   Executed commissions for churches and other institutions and is represented in both public and private collections

*   Created numerous bas-relief portraits cast in bronze, e.g. Cincinnati Red Legs for Hall of Fame, Oscar Robertson (basketball) University of Cincinnati.

*   Designed, patented and distributed proprietary products under the Safti-plus™ trademark for 25 years.