Barney Zeitz - Artist 
Barney Zeitz in his studio working on xxx

Barney Zeitz, Artist
Specialized in fused stained glass, metal sculpture.

Since 1972, Barney Zeitz has lived on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, solely off the sale of his artworks in glass, metals, and drawing. He is entirely self-taught. Most of his work has been built on commission for public spaces and private residences across the United States and Germany. He is proficient in both leaded glass and Tiffany (copper foil) glass techniques, but since 1977, has developed a style of fused and bonded stained glass using metal oxide under paintings and low fire top glazes that is truly unique. He was fusing stained glass years before any manufacturer offered glass for fusing which has become popular since early 1990s when Bullseye Glass started developing fuseable glass. He has been crushing glass in a welded steel bucket since 1979 and screening it to produce what is now known as “frit”.

Trailer by Elliott Vecchia

The 1996 Vietnam Era Memorial on Martha’s Vineyard, located at Community Services, was a grassroots effort to raise funds by a committee made up of Vietnam Veterans and war protesters. This sculpture is truly unique in its imagery as well as its intent to represent all those affected by the war.

From 2000 to 2001, Zeitz won a design competition to build Immigrant Memorial, a 12’ tall forged and welded stainless steel sculpture for the Town of Plymouth in Brewster Gardens within eyesight of Plymouth Rock. Included is a quote by Rev Peter Gomes of Harvard Divinity School that honors the multicultural population that came here over three hundred years. Zeitz honors indigenous people by having one figure looking back with a feather in his ear and patterns on shirt.

All of Zeitz’s work is fabricated by hand using direct welding techniques. (No casting or outside fabricators). This keeps his mark on every aspect of the work, making for a more expressive style than cast metals. He has innovated many techniques in both metal and glasswork by exploring the materials through experimentation. His inlayed lettering technique using different metals works well with his sculptural approach.

His skills as a welder/fabricator of metals developed over many years of making frames and screens for his glass projects. Since designing and building his home/studios/showspace

in 1987, he has built furniture, lighting fixtures, arbors, and ceremonial objects for homes across the country and around the world.

In 1993, he won a design competition to build a 12’ tall steel and bronze sculpture for the R.I. Holocaust Memorial Museum Providence. This project is the subject of a documentary by Ian Ellerby. The Wang Center for the Performing Arts in Boston, Ma next commissioned a metal and glass sculpture to honor Walter Suskind who saved 1200 children during the Holocaust in Amsterdam (1994).

Barney Zeitz. Photo by Elliott Vecchia

From 2006 to 2007, Zeitz built a 15’ x17’ fused glass window for the Center at Maple Grove in Queens, New York. The window is the focal point of the two floor building that is a community oriented meeting place in a historic cemetery. This large stained glass window represents the coming together of two worlds: the earthly and the spiritual and how their boundaries merge.

From 2014 to 2019 , Zeitz built six windows for a German church that is housed in a former synagogue. The church commissioned the windows in remembrance of the Jewish population that lived in Flieden for almost 500 years until the Holocaust.The windows have the text in both Hebrew and German of Aaron’s Priestly Blessing for Peace, a prayer of importance for both Jews and Christians.

From 2019 to 2021, Zeitz built the Diversity Sculpture on cornerstone of Government Center in Fall River, Ma. The sculpture is 11’ x 18’ in forged and welded stainless steel and includes the quote: TO THE ENDURING MEMORY OF OUR ANCESTORS; INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, IMMIGRANTS,THE ENSLAVED, AND REFUGEES. MAY WE, THEIR DESCENDANTS, TOGETHER WITH NEWCOMERS, HELP BUILD A MORE JUST AND PEACEFUL COMMUNITY.

Barney Zeitz feels that it is his responsibility as public artist to produce work appropriate to each situation, yet stay true to himself as a contemporary artist.