Copyright © 2017-2020 Ciccotti Art Glass. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2017-2020 Ciccotti Art Glass. All Rights Reserved.
Ciccotti Art Glass is located just outside of Ames, Iowa in a small town called Napier. Our gift shop/gallery is open to the public during our regular hours or by appointment. In the gallery you will find a wide range of work such as vases, platters, wall installations, paperweights, perfume bottles, fish, pigs, flowers, bulbs, and more. Prices range from $20 to $500. We do custom orders and market both wholesale and retail. You can see us at art shows around the Midwest. See our event schedule for those dates.
The studio is in operation year round with an occasional shutdown for maintenance. Our regular hours are Monday-Saturday 10 am - 4 pm. Summer hours will vary due to shows, so call ahead before coming out.
In addition to producing fine glassware, we also offer demonstrations during our open houses to the public. Larger pieces are usually produced on Saturdays.
Are you interested in trying glassblowing? Ciccotti Art Glass offers opportunities to blow your own glass ball or make a flower or paperweight from glass. No experience is necessary. We provide materials and our instruction is personalized for all skill levels. Further classes can be taken to develop skills if you are interested. See our schedule of events for details about these opportunities.
For videos and more, visit us on Facebook, YouTube, or in person at 2306 258th Street, Ames, Iowa, 50014. (VIEW MAP).
Ciccotti Art Glass produces glass wedding ceremony pieces.
Our basic line of items are vases, sculptures, and hearts. We also make wedding party gifts such as flowers, paperweights, and bulbs.
To order custom wedding piece(s):
Turn around time within 1 to 2 months depending on how busy the glass
blower is at the time. Pricing is as follows (tax included) with a minimum order of $150:
Prices subject to change.
| Piece Type | Price |
| Sculpture 12” – 14” Tall | $321 |
| Large Vase 10” – 11” Tall | $290 |
| Medium Vase 8” – 9” Tall | $161 |
| Small Vase 6” – 7” Tall | $70 |
| Table Decoration vase 4” Tall | $38 |
| Paperweights 3.5” diameter. Flattened and polished on the bottom, signed by the artist. | $85 |
| Blown Hearts ~3.5” w/stand | $65 |
| Flowers ~10” length | $35 |
| Marbles ~1.75” diameter. Comes with a small ring stand. | $45 |
| Bulbs ~3.5” diameter | $55 |
Ciccotti Art Glass offers several types of memorial pieces that fit most peoples' needs for a
loved one or pets. You can request a single color or a color mix. The mixes come in red,
blue, green, or violet and will contain several other colors within each mix. These have
been very popular.
Ciccotti Art Glass does custom pieces. Inquire if interested.
Prices subject to change.
Pricing is as follows (all items subject to tax):
| Piece Type | Price |
|
Memorial Stones Approximately .25" thick x 1.5" to 1.75" wide. They vary slightly. Signed by the artist. |
$25 (minimum order of 4) |
|
Marbles Approximately 1.5" round. They vary slightly. Comes with a small ring for a stand. |
$50 each (minimum order of 2) |
|
Paperweights Approximately 3.75" in diameter. They vary slightly as well. The paperweights have a flattened bottom and are polished and signed. |
$85 |
| Memorial Round Bulbs Approximately 3.5" in diameter |
$55 (minimum order of 2) |
| Memorial Heart Bulbs Approximately 3.5" in diameter |
$65 (minimum order of 2) |
| Urns Approximately 6" tall |
Starting at $125 |
| Memorial vases Approximately 5" to 6" tall. Ashes are imbedded in the walls of the vase. |
Starting at $125 |
| Memorial sculptures Approximately 6" tall |
$125-$275 |
Schedule workshops by calling 515-231-1267.
Each workshop requires at least 2 participants or 2 pieces be made
except for the round ornament which requires 6 participants or 6 pieces be made.
Prices subject to change.
| Things you can make | Price | Time |
| Blow your own ball (about 3 ¾ ") | $45.00 | 10 min. |
| Heart paperweight (about 3 ¾ ") | $65.00 | 20 min. |
| Marble (about 1 ¾") | $65.00 | 30 min. |
| Pumpkin (about 4" in diameter) | $65.00 | 30 min. |
| Round paperweight (about 3 ¾) | $65.00 | 30 min. |
| Vase (about 5" tall) | $65.00 | 30 min. |
| Mug (3-4" tall) | $65.00 | 30 min. |
| Rondel (about 6" diameter plates) | $65.00 | 30 min. |
Art Ciccotti grew up in Southern California, married, and moved to Ames, Iowa. He attended Iowa State University and graduated as an Art and Design major with an emphasis in Art Education. While attending Iowa State, he became part of the glassblowing club, “The Gaffers’ Guild.” There he learned the basics of glassblowing. After graduating in 1987, Ciccotti built his first studio. Over the years, he attended workshops around the U.S. to learn different techniques and hone his skills as a glassblower. As years passed, Ciccotti moved to a smaller town outside of Ames and rebuilt his studio, which is now known throughout the Midwest as Ciccotti Art Glass.
I am mostly self-taught as a glassblower. Over the years I have attended workshops around the U.S., learning techniques and honing the skills that fuel my passion for this ancient craft. My current designs have roots in Venetian glass working techniques. The use of a roll up of glass (tocar pierre) allows me to put together designs that can vary from the random composition of a Garden Walk Platter to a very controlled design using cane and murrine. Bright colors and curvilinear forms are the design elements I prefer to work with. I enjoy exploring new color combinations, shapes, and functionality. As my skill level increases so does the complexity of the designs and techniques. I am not sure I can say that I have a favorite thing to make. Usually whatever I am making at the time is my favorite thing.
Making art is a passion for me. I blow glass because of the rush of seeing an object take shape from a white hot mass to a finished piece. After weeks of planning, sometimes months, the design comes together in a piece within a short period of time. It is intense! My objective is to produce a piece of work that not only is unique but that brings a sense of visual and tactile pleasure.
The theme running through my work relates to the natural world—flowers, weather, animals. My intent is not to recreate these things exactly, but to make visual reference to them. These things have a natural beauty to which we can connect.
Influential to my career have been artists like Henry Moore and Gauguin, and contemporary glassblowers such as Elio Quarisa, Lino Tagliapietra, William Morris, and David Patchen. Henry Moore has influenced me by the abstract and organic nature of his sculpture work. I am attracted to the work of Gauguin because of his use of a bright color palate.
Elio Quarisa and Lino Tagliapietra brought their Venetian glassblowing background to America. Their work is an inspiration to me for its style and technique. William Morris and David Patchen (American glassblowers) have blended Italian techniques with their own personal styles producing unique glasswork in America. The direction of my work reflects some of the characteristics of those whose work I admire. In my work, you will see some bright colors combined with abstract forms. You will also see influence of Venetian glassblowing techniques combined with my own ideas to produce my own unique work. My work and style is always evolving as I grow as a person and an artist.
Each work I do starts with careful evening planning. The type of piece, the size of the piece and the colors are all planned out ahead of time. During the day, I implement those plans. I enjoy the process and physical challenge of working with a material that is drawn out of the furnace with a pipe at 2100°. Within an amazingly short time, this molten material is blown and shaped into a form that can be held the next day. I hope my work brings enjoyment to others for many years to come. ~Art Ciccotti, Owner Ciccotti Art Glass