“I taught the first glassblowing class [and] we didn’t have the roof on… We were praying for no rain and it didn’t rain! They were working on the roof during the class, but we had a studio and that really meant something. That really meant that glass would stay … I would say God gave me two lives, 3 months at Ox-Bow and 9 months waiting to come back. You get a lot of mileage out of being here, even if it’s just for a week.”

“I think the one thing I really loved about Jerry was that he had a unique gift to be permissive. I had been working in Seattle and became really disheartened with the contemporary glass world - feeling like things had to look a certain way to be "good". Coming to Ox and working with Jerry changed that.  He would meet you where you were, and give you permission to find your own hand - he really taught everyone that came through that shop those lessons.  

He was also so amazingly inventive - he had an engineer's brain and could invent a thing to do a thing on the fly - There are a lot of things in the Oxbow glass shop that reflect that!  

And then his sweet demeanor, caring and giving.  that laugh, he was so goofy in the best way possible.  Thank you Jerry. “

-Jonas Sebura, Ox-Bow Fellow ‘09 + Glass Studio Tech ’10 -11

“One of the first times I met Jerry was when I started working at the OxBow Glass Studio and he was coming in to create a donation glasswork for the school. He needed to make a cane, a long thin long strand of glass. When I went to grab a pipe to help him do this the way I'd been taught, I turned around and saw that he had already hopped onto the bench, wrapped some hot glass around the head of a rusty bent nail and pulled a perfect cane length on his own. He was so fast! We finished that piece with a dozen other amazing tricks he had figured out in the studio, while he told his famous stories from teaching around the world. He had this same generosity with all of his students and I'm glad that work continues in the studios he's built.” 

-Tim Belliveau, Ox-Bow Glass Studio Tech ‘16-18

Jerry was always the first to help out when Ox-Bow needed a man of his many talents. He was also very personable and welcoming to all.  I specifically recall one summer at the beginning of the season as I watched Jerry working on a piece, alone in the studio.  Imagine my delight when, upon finishing, he presented it to me - his gift from one long time Ox-Bow disciple to another.

Jerry was a great ambassador for Ox-Bow, a kind, generous, and talented  fellow.  I will miss him.

-Jan Cunningham, Ox-Bow Board Member 

 I remember meeting Jerry in 2010, my first summer at Ox-Bow. He walked up to the office with a huge grin on his face and breathed a sigh of relief — he said something along the lines of “I’m so happy to be back for another one of these summers.” I was just beginning to learn what he meant by "these summers” and I’m so happy to have had the experience. Jerry seemed to be everywhere, all the time — when he wasn’t in the glass shop, he was participating in talent shows spinning plates, dressed to the nines at the Friday Night Dance Party or catching up with new and old friends over a meal on a picnic table. More often than not, he had one of his many Ox-Bow T-Shirts, representing each and every summer he was there. I was over the moon when he agreed to record an interview with me a few summers ago for the archive and can’t begin to express what that time meant to me. Jerry meant so much to so many people and will be greatly missed. 

                                    -Annie Fisher, Former Ox-Bow Fellow + Staff

I am so sad to hear of Jerry Catania’s death. I taught at Oxbow when Jerry ran the Glassblowing Studio and was Interim Director of Oxbow. Jerry was an unfailingly gracious and generous person, as was Cathy, his wife; in fact, I can’t talk about Jerry without talking about Cathy, as they were an inseparable team. Whatever they touched they transformed into a community gem. From the Oxbow Glass Studio to their art gallery in nearby Glenn township, to their glassblowing studio, gallery and antique shop in Benton Harbor - all of these enterprises added their impeccable aesthetic and artistic uplift to the area. I was always amazed by their boundless energy. They renovated each facility beautifully, engaged directly with local organizations and city governments, held classes in their studio workshops and hired teens to tend the gallery and their adjacent gelato shop. Always seeking new ways to enhance the local arts community, Jerry was a selfless force for good and will be very much missed.

-Olivia Petrides, Former Ox-Bow Faculty

I first knew Jerry many years ago at Oxbow, which I was also a part of the community for many years under various descriptions. I learned glass blowing from him and came back many times. He was a fellow artist without any hype, caring, inspiring and dedicated to his teaching. I was invited to show my work at his Gallery that he founded nearby in the area. A wonderful art space that he built and a glass foundry was established soon afterwards. He was the kind of teacher who went far beyond the practice by always being available to others, eager to lend a hand and very generous, contributing where he could. I will miss him dearly.

            -Joseph Haid, Ox-Bow Alumni