Rita Shimelfarb is a glass artist who focuses on utilizing both traditional and innovative contemporary glass forming and painting techniques in her work. Born in USSR in 1972, she immigrated to USA as a refugee in 1989. Since then she made Chicago her home.

Rita completed a bachelor’s degree in Math and Computer Science and finds her analytical background indispensable in solving various glass-construction challenges and in developing new processes for image and medium manipulation. She has worked extensively with her mentor Sylvia Laks – a celebrated stained-glass painter and has taken several glass-forming and painting workshops with world renown glass artists. Rita has exhibited her work nationwide and her work is included in a number of public and private collections.