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Fritz Dreisbach, always a significant presence on the Seattle glass scene,  is living on Whidbey Island – working in his new glass studio in Freeland, Washington. The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass recognized Dreisbach in 2017 for his life-long achievement in artistic glass.

Pilchuck Glass School presented their 2015 Brychtová/Libenský Award to Fritz, “acknowledging his extraordinary talent and high achievement in the world of contemporary glass. The selection jury considers an artist’s standing in the field of contemporary glass, artistic achievement, educational leadership, as well as the teaching and ambassadorial contributions made to Pilchuck.” Fritz celebrates both his artistic and his pedagogic career.

Dreisbach has been invited by numerous schools to be an artist-in-residence: including  Tacoma Glass Museum, Neusole Glass-Works, West Texas A & M, Pratt Fine Arts in Seattle, Nuremberg, Germany and Pilchuck Glass School. Notably, the Toledo Museum of Art chose him to help celebrate the opening of their new Glass Pavilion in August 2006, and also awarding him their first “Guest Artist Pavilion Project” residency. He returned to Toledo in 2015 for his second GAPP position.

In 2002, Amsterdam, the Glass Art Society presented Fritz Dreisbach its highest honor – the Lifetime Achievement Award, for his “unique and significant contributions to the world of glass.” Earlier, he was awarded The Corning Museum of Glass Rakow Commission and he was elected a Fellow of the American Crafts Council.

Crowned the “Johnny Appleseed of Glass” by his peers, Fritz has presented hundreds of lectures and demonstrations in over 175 distinct institutions in over 56 years throughout North America, Europe and Asia. 

As an independent artist, Dreisbach is developing a series of wheel-carved and cameo-cut glasses. These in addition to his familiar show pieces: playful goblets, trick and joke glasses, toy vehicles, and his iconic “Mongos.” Combining his two loves of glass and travel, Fritz continues to make art, consult for glass factories, teach workshops and lectures around the world.

His glass is represented in over 56 global public and private collections including Corning, Hsinchu, Kamenicky Senov, Frauenau, Rotterdam, Smithsonian, Toledo, “…all the usual suspects!”