Keeper of the Flame
In Burnsville, North Carolina, Keikichi Littleton stokes the glassblowing fires kindled by her grandfather
By M. Linda Lee
Despite being the fourth generation in a renowned family of glass artists, it was dance, not glassblowing, that fired Keikichi Littleton’s passion as a teenager growing up in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
She graduated from Elon University with a triple major in dance science, exercise science, and arts administration plus a minor in business. “I originally intended to do my doctorate in physical therapy,” Littleton says. “As a dancer, I did a lot of PT, so I was interested in working with a professional dance company both as a physical therapist and an administrator.”
the Modern Snifter by Terrane, a glassware company founded in Spruce Pine, NC, by glass artist Colin O’Reilly that keikichi Littleton recently purchased; photography (left & right) by victor sizemore; (middle) by loam marketing.
All the while, however, her heritage simmered inside her like molten glass inside a crucible. Her great-grandfather, Jesse Littleton, headed research and development for Corning Glass Works in Corning, New York, and, among other accomplishments, invented Pyrex cookware. Her grandfather, Harvey K. Littleton, launched the Studio Glass Movement in America, teaching artists including Dale Chihuly. Tom Littleton, Keikichi’s father and Harvey’s oldest son, runs Spruce Pine Batch Company, in neighboring Spruce Pine, North Carolina, which Harvey established to manufacture the raw-batch glass mixture now used by artists around the country and beyond.
“It’s our job to tend to the coals and make sure those coals keep going. I see [Hearth Gallery] as my way to carry on my grandfather’s legacy, to tend to the flame both literally by tending to the furnace and figuratively by nurturing the community.”
The import of this lineage dawned on Keikichi during a visit to the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York, in 2016. Moved by the display of Eight Heads of Harvey Littleton by Erwin Eisch, Keikichi began to question her career choice. “I was a sophomore in college, and I remember standing in front of these figures of my grandfather and just being struck by his legacy,” she recalls. “For someone to do eight castings that represent the different moods and themes and speeches that my grandfather gave, I was in awe. And I remember asking myself, ‘What am I doing with my life?’”
Her steps then turned towards art, and after a brief stint working at North Carolina Glass in Asheville, Keikichi and her older brother, Tadayoshi, opened Hearth Glass and Gallery in September 2022. The studio and gallery fill a former gas station on the west end of Main Street in Burnsville, North Carolina, where staff and guest artists transform molten glass into works of fine art.
As CEO of Hearth and Terrane—a line she recently purchased from glass artist Colin O’Reilly in Spruce Pine—Keikichi oversees all of the gallery’s operations, while Tadayoshi manages the studio. It’s his job to make sure that the 440-pound crucible inside the furnace stays at 2,025 degrees every day. Littleton doesn’t often blow glass herself—she prefers ceramics as a creative outlet—though she does occasionally help her brother with glass projects.
Keikichi Littleton shows off some of the glittering glassware and sculptural pieces for sale in Hearth’s gallery; photograph by Tim Robison.
“For me, it’s more about being a facilitator of others’ creativity,” she reveals, referring to the fact that she rents the studio to other area glass artists and offers classes to the public as a way to preserve the rich glassblowing heritage in Western North Carolina.
The gallery’s name has a special significance for Keikichi, as historically women are the caretakers of a home’s hearth. “It’s our job to tend to the coals and make sure those coals keep going,” she explains. “I see [Hearth Gallery] as my way to carry on my grandfather’s legacy, to tend to the flame both literally by tending to the furnace and figuratively by nurturing the community.” V
Hearth Glass & Gallery, 410 W Main St, Burnsville, NC; hearthglassnc.com
This story appears in our Fall 2025 issue.
