Christopher Ries Sculpture To Be Highlighted At Scientific Exhibition

Christopher Ries, internationally-renowned glass sculptor from Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania will exhibit some of his glass sculptures at the SPIE Photonics West exhibition – Booth #1236 in the South Hall – which will take place January 24-26, 2012 in San Francisco. SPIE is an international society dedicated to the advancement of the science and application of light.

Photonics West is SPIE's largest annual conference and attracted nearly 20,000 visitors in 2011. It is a fitting showcase for the sculpture of Christopher Ries, which exemplifies the focus of the exhibition – photonics, a field that covers all aspects of the science of light. SPIE members comprise disciplines from optical engineering, lasers, electronics, medical, sensing, and display technologies.

Ries' sculpture embodies the foundation of these fields, which is materials science – the artist's chosen medium is precision optical glass from SCHOTT, a global technical glass firm and a leading manufacturer of such material for more than 125 years. Ries works in concert with SCHOTT at their facility in Duryea, Pennsylvania. Ries designs and executes massive sculpture in this SCHOTT North America, Inc. facility, utilizing SCHOTT's melting, fabricating, and handling expertise.

Christopher Ries exhibits his sculptures internationally and his work is in notable public and private collections. He holds a BFA from Ohio State University and an MFA from the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he served as an assistant to Harvey Littleton, a founder of the contemporary glass movement. In 2010, Misericordia University honored him with a Doctorate of Humane Letters.

For more information on Christopher Ries, please visit his website at: http://www.christopherries.com/
YouTube videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/RiesGlass
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/riesglass

SOURCE: SCHOTT North America, Inc.