Sam Stang was born in Northfield, Minnesota in 1959. He attended Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri from 1980 to 1984. He was a student of Fritz Dreisbach at Penland School of Crafts in 1983, and a student of Lino Tagliapietra at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine. Sam was a founding partner in Ibex Glass Studio (1985 through 1991) and started Augusta Glass Studio in Augusta, Missouri in 1992. His stunning blown works display phenomenal Italian techniques with a modern twist.