Glass sculpture of a delicate Saint John's Wort yellow flower with a green stem.
Glass sculpture of a delicate Saint John's Wort yellow flower with a green stem.

Fragile Connections

Fragile Connections
Hampden Gallery

By Sally Prasch
January 29 – May 8
Reception: April 23

Register for reception

In Fragile Connections, artist and master glassblower Sally Prasch transforms blown and recycled glass into intricate sculptures that address the climate crisis. Both visually striking and intellectually engaging, her pieces range from vivid, neon-lit forms that underscore the urgency of environmental issues to works delicately engraved with thought-provoking texts about climate change.

Internationally recognized for her blend of technical skill and intuitive creativity, Prasch is Hampden Gallery’s artist-in-residence for the Fine Arts Center’s fiftieth anniversary celebration. During her residency, she will engage with the academic community, study works from the University Museum of Contemporary Art’s permanent collection, and research with faculty in the environmental studies department. These collaborations provide a rich, interdisciplinary foundation for her creations, ensuring that her artwork resonates as both a visual statement and a meaningful contribution to climate discourse.

Prasch will also lead four hands-on glassblowing workshops at the UMass Glass Laboratory — one exclusively for fellow residency artists to foster peer exchange of knowledge, and three open to UMass students and local community members. Footage from her glass laboratory will also be on display on the gallery’s window projections from April 20 until May 8, offering passersby in UMass’s most populated residential area a peek into the glassblowing process.

Studio Visit with Sally Prasch

As UMass's scientific glassblower, Sally Prasch is the woman behind many of the glass apparatus that scientists on campus use to conduct their research. We visited Prasch's studio on campus last spring to learn more about her practice.

Image of artist Sally Prasch blowing glass on a flame.
Sally Prasch

Sally Prasch holds a BFA in Glass and Ceramics from University of Kansas and a certificate in Scientific Glass Technology and associate degree in Applied Science from Salem College. She has taught scientific glassblowing as an instructor at UMass Amherst for fifteen years, and she is a member of the American Scientific Glassblowers Society. She has taught glassblowing at schools and universities across the country and around the world. Her work has been shown at venues including the Fire Arts Vermont, Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, Urban Class, The Corning Museum of Art, and the Cape Cod Museum of Art. Awards include Award of Excellence For Extraordinary Contributions in Scientific and Artistic Glass (International Flameworking Conference), Helmut E. Drechsel Achievement Award (The American Scientific Glassblowers Society), Kimble Award for Excellence in Glassblowing (Salem Community College).