A love of nature expressed in artistic excellence by an American Master.

In Memoriam

John Fergus Nygren

October 8, 1940-September 16, 2026

John Fergus Nygren, beloved father, grandfather, husband, friend and acclaimed pioneer of American studio glass art died on September 16th, 2026, in Winston Salem North Carolina. He was 85.

Born on October 8th, 1940, in Big Springs Nebraska, the son of Carl G. and Christine Nygren, the oldest of three boys. Raised in a farming family, he lived a rural lifestyle helping on the farm, hunting, and one year riding his horse to and from school. He found his creative calling during high school while attending the All-State Fine Arts summer camp at the University of Nebraska, going on to take his Bachelor of Fine Arts there in 1965. He won the university's prestigious Vreeland Award and completed his Master of Fine Arts in pottery at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. He began in iron and clay until a three-week course of glassblowing at Penland School of Craft in 1968 altered his creative path for good. Beyond those three weeks he was self-taught.

After teaching at Wilmington College (now University of North Carolina Wilmington) he bought his beloved cabin in Walnut Cove North Carolina in 1969 and established New Branch Glass Studio where he worked for more than three decades. Sharon, his wife of forty-three years, ran the business of the studio alongside him. In 1969 his free-blown bottle was selected for an American Craftsmen's Councils national juried exhibition.

He was one of four artists considered foundational to the original Heller Gallery in New York, the first American gallery devoted to contemporary glass. The New York Times reviewed his work on multiple occasions over the following decades, lauding his intricate techniques and nature-inspired motifs of frogs and fauna. In 2000 he was named Winston-Salem Artist of the Year, with a retrospective of his work at the Sawtooth Center for Visual Art.

His work is held in the permanent collections of many museums, including the Smithsonian, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art, amongst others, and in private collections all over the world. He kept a registry of his life's work from the beginning: every piece numbered, measured, described and drawn in miniature in ink and watercolor – more than 3,400 numbered works by 1988. He was deeply involved with the Arts Place of Stokes, home of the Stokes County Arts Council in his local Danbury NC. John shut down his glass furnace in the spring of 2002.

John's love of nature was evident in his body of work. He was fascinated by the insects, reptiles and fauna of Walnut Cove, and spent hours sitting in the creek at his home feeding crawfish from his hands or sliding down 'Slippy Rock', stargazing, learning Chinese Calligraphy and Bonsai, tinkering with tools, antiques, guns and cameras, and tending his chickens whose pen was accessed through a twelve-foot-tall Torii gate. He was a dedicated volunteer at East Stokes Outreach Ministry (ESOM). He loved to travel, both abroad when he was able, and all over North Carolina. He forged instant and durable friendships everywhere he went, meeting everyone on level ground, blind to airs and social standing.

He was preceded in death by his beloved first wife, Sharon Neely Nygren, and by his younger brothers George Nygren and William Nygren. He is survived by his wife and partner Julia Miley, with whom he shared 18 years of joy, laughter and love; his daughter Anna Maria Nygren Irvine, her husband Peter Irvine, granddaughter Alexandra Irvine, stepson and wife Frank and Carrie Vogler, and grandsons Silas and Cade Vogler, and many nieces and nephews. He leaves behind not only a rich legacy in glass, but also a vast circle of deeply cherished friendships. We miss you, John. You were a loyal, curious, generous and extraordinary person.

Our deepest gratitude to Trellis Supportive Care for the guidance, compassion and warmth in the final days of John's life.

A celebration of John's life will be held on Sunday, November 15th at 2:00pm at 2741 Lynchburg Rd., Westfield, NC 27053.

Donations can be made in John's memory to:

The Arts Place, 502 Main St., Danbury, NC 27016 or East Stokes Outreach Ministry, 301W. 3rd St. Walnut Cove, NC 27052

Published by The Stokes News from Oct. 21 to Oct. 29, 2026, on Legacy.com. Funeral services provided by Salem Funeral and Cremation Services – Downtown, 120 South Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101.