Ed Pennebaker

Bio:
Red Fern Glass is an individual art glass studio where all the glass is made by Ed Pennebaker. One of Ed's chandeliers was installed in the Fred W. Smith Conference center on the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences campus in Little Rock, Arkansas. Glass made by Ed has been shown at SOFA Chicago by Function Art Gallery. He was awarded the "Excellence in LIghting" award at the Philadelphia Furniture and Furnishings Show and had a chandelier chosen to exhibit in the 2001 Hsinchu International Glass Art Festival in Hsinchu, Taiwan. His work was chosen in 1993 for the White House Crafts Collection. He has sold glass in major museum shops and galleries nationwide including The Smithsonian Institution, The Edison Institute, Greenfield Village and The Museum of American Folk Art.

Statement:
At a time when many designers/artists leave the crafting of their designs to apprentices, fellow craftsmen, or even a factory style setting, it is rare for the designer to continue as the maker. I see my work belonging to a contemporary line of the "decorative arts" that developed from the arts and crafts movement where craftsmanship is of the utmost importance. Striving for the "perfect object" is the goal of the individual craftsman/designer and working directly with the materials at hand provides the greatest satisfaction for me.