According to some of the suppliers in the studio glass business, there are actually several thousand small studios operating in the US. Most are not of the magnitude and high production of some of those from the 70's and 80's. Most go about doing their marketing in different ways than the earlier ones, but if you attend the Rosen wholesale craft market show in the winter and the summer, you'll see many glass studios represented. IN the late 70's there were only about 350-450 studios in the US. A lot of the studios now market thru the high end galleries and if you watch what they have for sale at SOFA you would be amazed. Works by the real artists are only sold thru a group of high end galleries. If you get the chance sometime check out the gift shop at the Corning Museum of Glass and you'll find some of the best contemporary glass in the world from a multitude of small studios and producers in the US. Many of these studios are have a very small staff, but what they produce is fantastic.
I agree the days of the big studios and factories are a thing of the past.
The younger crowd does spend a lot of money on glass though, but it is in a somewhat underground market known as the "pipe market". It's amazing how much money is spent on pipes and what some of them sell for. The flame working segment of the glass industry has developed and has 1000's of people producing and some of it is amazing. Paul Stankard has written several papers on this subject and has been overwhelmed at what is being produced.
I also agree that the younger generation has entirely different attitudes towards personal possessions and the things they value. Technology has changed our view of the world. How many of us have saved that 1st computer we paid 1000's of dollars for in the 80's. who even bothers to keep the one they had several years ago and phones are another good example. I'm really old and can't grasp all of this but wish I was young enough and savy enough to be on the development end of the 3-D glass printers. In the next 25 years, who knows what kind of paperweights may be produced on these machines.
Major problem is we have no major glass producers left except Blenko. L.E. Smith & Fenton & Steuben are now defunct although the Fenton factory (only) now owned by the U.S. Glass Co. may reopen the plant & make commercial glass for Walmart, but Fenton family is not involved. Most of our new glass in now imported. The studio industry I believe has had its day although there are a few of the larger commercial studio operations such as Lundberg Studios that are doing quite well, but the smaller operations that started a couple of decades ago are...well I'll be polite here...shrinking. I mean if you compare studio ops whats left compared with even a decade ago... probably 90% are gone. Thats not to say though that new ventures do not start, they do, but with questionable chances of survival.
Bottom line is it has little to do with craftsmanship, designs, big names, etc. it has everything to do with the indisputable fact that the younger crowd under 35 does not give two hoots about anything glass except they can buy it at Target or Walmart & I think I am on pretty solid footing here with 38 years experience in glass collecting/buying/selling in the U.S. We have fully embraced the "I" you name it 21st century electronics civilization.
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