Alison Berger Glassworks at The Bright Group

As Alison says of her work, “light is my medium, glass is my material, and memory, elusive as it is, is my theme. My work is based on the visual vocabulary that societies create to manifest their beliefs, desires and rituals. Victorian fly traps, fireflies, apothecary jars and devices of measure are examples of the objects that have inspired this work. I am drawn to these pieces because they are simultaneously enigmatic and revealing in what they say about the cultures that invented and utilized them. Rendered in glass, altered in scale and stripped of decoration, their essence is exposed.”

Modern Magazine once said of her work, “The objects she creates are the result of a thoughtful examination of the play of form, density, and light, and also her emotional connection with the piece.” Throughout her four-decade-long career, Alison has designed sconces, chandeliers, lamps, and even furniture.

Glassblowing is a difficult and highly physical art form and Alison is one of very few women using this medium. The production of her pieces requires heavy steel tools and a furnace heated to over 2,000 degrees to produce molten glass, yet Alison’s completed pieces have an essential and radiant beauty that belies the process that creates them.

With her first new collection in two years, The Offering, she features an ensemble of carved pendants, sconces, vases, and crystals that can be arranged into endlessly individualized compositions. The collection is inspired by the ancient practice of creating altars, and it represents Alison’s own offering of gratitude for the life and career she has built.

Alison received her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and continued her studies at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture. She was the first American artist commissioned by Hermès to design a line of objects, and was one of a select group of artists commissioned by Comme des Garçons to create an architectural installation in the flagship store in Tokyo.