Art Ciccotti grew up in Southern California, married, and moved to Ames, Iowa. He attended Iowa State University and graduated as an Art and Design major with an emphasis in Art Education. While attending Iowa State, he became part of the glassblowing club, “The Gaffers’ Guild.” There he learned the basics of glassblowing. After graduating in 1987, Ciccotti built his first studio. Over the years, he attended workshops around the U.S. to learn different techniques and hone his skills as a glassblower. As years passed, Ciccotti moved to a smaller town outside of Ames and rebuilt his studio, which is now known throughout the Midwest as Ciccotti Art Glass.

I am mostly self-taught as a glassblower. Over the years I have attended workshops around the U.S., learning techniques and honing the skills that fuel my passion for this ancient craft. My current designs have roots in Venetian glass working techniques. The use of a roll up of glass (tocar pierre) allows me to put together designs that can vary from the random composition of a Garden Walk Platter to a very controlled design using cane and murrine. Bright colors and curvilinear forms are the design elements I prefer to work with. I enjoy exploring new color combinations, shapes, and functionality. As my skill level increases so does the complexity of the designs and techniques. I am not sure I can say that I have a favorite thing to make. Usually whatever I am making at the time is my favorite thing.