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The Studio

 Dufour/Corso was founded in 1964 by Paul A. Dufour and was incorporated under the name Dufour Glass Studio, Ltd.  The main emphasis at that time was commissioned, leaded stained glass and the development of independent glass panels for exhibition purposes.  In 1977 Samuel J. Corso joined the studio and became a partner.  In 1990 the name was changed to Dufour/Corso Studios, Ltd. and in 1992, Paul retired and Sam became President.  Over the course of the years the studio has diversified and now includes the design and fabrication of projects in bronze sculpture, mosaics, tapestries and furniture design.

Paul Arthur Dufour (Deceased 2008)

 Paul A. Dufour received a BA in Fine Arts from the University of New Hampshire in 1950 and a BFA in Painting from Yale University in 1952 under his major professor Josef Albers.  Because of the influence by this great Bauhaus master, he became proficient in the interaction of color and its application in various media.  He also studied under Willem de Kooning, Stuart Davis and Abraham Ratner while at Yale.
His first teaching position was as Assistant Professor at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota.  In 1955 he joined the faculty at Louisiana State University to teach painting.  He became a full professor in 1968 and retired as professor emeritus in 1985.  In 1967 he organized the first glass program offering a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from a major university.  In 1971 a Masters of Fine Arts degree was approved by the graduate school.  During his tenure at Louisiana State University he received seven awards from the Graduate Council, among which three were sabbaticals.  On one sabbatical he collaborated with sumi-e painters in Japan, and on another he researched watercolor of seascapes in Italy while also investigating medieval glass in Europe.
Dufour began to focus on glass as a result of a commission that he was awarded for the Bishop’s chapel at the Catholic Life Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1963.  At this time, he was also asked to design the furnishings for the chapel, including a bronze and mosaic tabernacle.  As a result of this early work, he was then awarded many other commissions in glass, mosaics, tapestries and bronze.  One of the largest commissioned works, executed in 1974, was two thousand square feet of stained glass for Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Dufour gained an international reputation as a multi-disciplinary artist and his work is included in many private and public collections throughout the world.  Outstanding among his honors are inclusion of his glass work in Glaskunst, Kassel, Germany and Vicointer, Valencia, Spain for the dedication of their museums.   Dufour’s
work is contained in over 1,000 private and public collections in the United States and abroad.
Paul A. Dufour passed away on September 6, 2008, at 86 years old, leaving an incredible legacy and an undeniable footprint on the history of art.

Samuel Joseph Corso

 Samuel Joseph Corso received his BFA in Painting and Drawing in 1975 from Louisiana State University, where he studied under Tom Cavanaugh and Harvey Harris.  In 1977 he was awarded an MFA in Stained Glass, also from Louisiana State University, where his major Professor was Paul A. Dufour. Because of this strong influence by both painters and designers and a keen sense of color, he has excelled in the field as a multi-media artist.  He continues to create in stained glass, mosaics, bronze sculpture, watercolor and oil pastel on paper, and executes commissions in all media.
Adding to Corso’s experience as a multi-faceted artist, he has taught drawing, painting and design courses for Louisiana State University, the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, and the American Crafts Council.  He continues to pursue a career in the studio arts, competing for inclusion in local, regional and national juried exhibitions.  He has won numerous awards for his works, including three Unrestricted Artist Fellowships from the Louisiana State Arts Council.  He has also been invited to display his work in several exhibitions hosted by universities, museums, and galleries throughout the United States.  In 2000 he was invited to conduct a workshop in architectural glass design, present a lecture and exhibit work at the New Zealand /Australian Glass Art Society’s Bi-Annual Conference in Wanganui, New Zealand.
Corso joined Paul A. Dufour, his mentor, as a partner in 1977 in the studio corporation that Dufour founded in 1964.  He has since become president and sole owner upon Dufour’s retirement in 1992.  Through this effort, Corso has designed and fabricated numerous commissions for private and public collections.  Among these are eleven hundred square feet of stained glass for Jesus the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Monroe, Louisiana, one thousand square feet of stained glass for St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and 520 square feet of stained glass in the W.C.C Claiborne building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which was a state-mandated Percent-for- Art award.  Future commissions include several liturgical and residential works in a variety of media.
Samuel Joseph Corso has established a reputation as a multi-disciplinary artist who has completed artwork for over 200 commissions for residential and liturgical architecture in a career spanning 35 years.  Additionally, his artwork is included in over 600 private and public collections throughout the United States.

Click  here to see a list of commmissioned work
Click here to see awards and educational details

 

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