"Nature in Bloom" - Rick Ayotte and his daughter Melissa Ayotte - Master Paperweight Artists

The Sandwich Glass Museum is proud and privileged to exhibit the glass art of Rick Ayotte, a nationally and internationally known artist. We are helping Rick celebrate 30 years of creativity and exquisite artistry! In addition, we are thrilled and equally privileged to exhibit his daughter Melissa's paperweight art as well. Born and raised in New Hampshire, where he now resides and has his studio, Rick Ayotte began creating wildlife art with glass in 1978. Today, his work is renowned throughout the world. To quote Rick, his most simply defined artistic goal is "to create a little world in a sea of color." And he has indeed done just that!

You will find Rick's magnificent work at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., The Corning Museum of Glass, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, in Neenah, Wisconsin, The Currier Gallery of Art in Manchester, NH and The Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada as well as the White House. He was invited to teach glassblowing at Saint-Louis Glass in Alsace-Lorraine in France, and one of his famous traveling retrospectives, "Songs Without Words," opened in San Francisco and the exhibit traveled the world! The accolades are many; the list of publications is long and the future endless.

Melissa Ayotte grew up in a world of glass but her interest for many years was psychology. Eventually, she found herself more and more interested in the Arts. She began taking photography and sculpture at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. She delved into her own self-study of painting, poetry and the creative process. She, like her father, aims to push the limits of the paperweight, creating novel pieces which reflect her sense of Nature - earthly, human and divine.

While finishing her Masters program she apprenticed in the studio with her father and it was then that her interest and curiosity in glass began to take hold. After pursuing other interests she eventually found her true interest. In 2000 she spent time assisting at Stankard Studio and began full-time at Ayotte Glass Studio where she continues to create. It is easy to see that the acorn does not fall far from the tree!

Her work is exhibited in collections at the Mariposa Museum in Peterborough, NH and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada.