Fantasy and glass breathe life into art

By Iacopo Luzi

Riverside is a small Cook County village where time seems to have stopped. Street lights powered by gas still line the sidewalks. A small business, that’s been around since 1948, still produces glass art. The studio’s brochure calls it a place where “miracles are done with everyday glass.”

Higgins Glass celebrates it’s 68th birthday this year. Michael Higgins and his wife Frances started the company to make art. Today, their works are sold around the world. Some Higgins pieces are even on display in famous museums around the United States and Europe. But the glass is still sold for every price range.

“Because art must be for everyone”, says Jonathan Wimmer, an artist who works at the studio.

Michael and Frances Higgins passed away years ago, but their legacy is carried on by the Wimmer family. The Wimmers  worked with the Higgins for decades. The original style and glass making technique hasn’t changed.

Some of the Higgins glass artworks at their studio, in Riverside (Iacopo Luzi/MEDILL)