Michael Schunke creates colorful works of glass, many of which are inspired by ancient Italian designs and techniques.  Michael began his glassblowing career while attending the Tyler School of Art in Elkins, PA.  In 1990, while pursuing a career in graphic design and illustration, he enrolled in a glassblowing class in order to meet his graduation requirements.  He has never turned back.  Since then, Michael has continued his education in the art of glassblowing, studying at some of the finest glass facilities throughout the United States and abroad including Rhode Island School of Design; Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME; Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC and Toyama Institute of Glass, Toyama, Japan.

He has pursued his interest in traditional Venetian glassware by working with glass artists such as Lino Tagliepietra and Pino Signoretto, both masters from Murano, Italy.  In 1994, Michael Schunke, with a partner decided to start a glass production company.  After two successful years of running a glass studio, Michael chose to close down his studio and accepted a visiting professorship at the prestigious Toyama Institute of Glass in Toyama, Japan, a facility devoted solely to teaching various applications of glass art.

The incredible experience of living and teaching in Japan only strengthened Michael's devotion to producing glass art.  During this two and a half years of teaching he had several solo exhibitions throughout Japan. He was also accepted in the Young Glass 1997 Exhibition. His work is also displayed in the permanent collections of the Ebeltoff Museum in Denmark and Toyama's Glass Museum in Toyama, Japan.

Mr. Schunke has returned to the United States and has reopened his glass studio.  His work is available at major galleries in Philadelphia, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Houston, Honolulu, Key West and Santa Fe.  The Creative Glass Center of America in Millville, NJ awarded him a fellowship in 1999 and he taught at the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, NC in the fall of 1999.

These experiences and his years of training and teaching have inspired his current collection of uniquely designed and masterfully crafted pieces.  Mr. Schunke's hallmark is the use of classical forms with contemporary combinations of line and color.