Melanie and David Leppla

Melanie and David Leppla are Vermont-based glass artists who have been creating distinctive, collectible works for more than 30 years. Their work, known for its technical mastery and connection to the natural world, has been exhibited widely throughout the United States and internationally.

David Leppla draws inspiration from the ability of glass to capture and suspend motion. His Undersea series explores the fluidity and brilliance of marine life. He holds a BS in Visual Art from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and an MFA in Glass from Kent State University. His professional honors include a Fulbright Award to Sweden, a Creative Glass Center of America Fellowship, and two New Jersey Council for the Arts Awards.

Melanie Guernsey-Leppla finds inspiration in the intricacies of nature and her surroundings. Her process often begins with the question, “what if?”, allowing the material qualities of glass to guide new and evolving bodies of work. A graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology with a BFA in Glass, Melanie has received two fellowships from the Creative Glass Center of America and a fellowship from the New Jersey Council for the Arts.

Their work is held in permanent collections including the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, the American Craft Museum in New York, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Lausanne, and the Museum of American Glass in New Jersey. They continue to create together from their shared studio in northern Vermont.