Great Lakes Art Studio

The story of Great Lakes Art Studio, a Midwest Leader in fabrication, fine art casting, restoration, and innovative design, really begins in an artist's village in Israel in 1975. The founders, Richard Byrne, a metalsmith in bronze, and Donna Zarbin, a fine artist, met and forged their artistic collaboration there. The combination of their unique talents-extraordinary technical skill and aesthetic sensibility- invigorates their studio to this day.

As a result, Great Lakes Art Studio is sought after by architects, designers, artists, and discerning individuals who value a customized approach as well as the finest quality metal work. This one-of-a kind company offers a full range of artistic services: the fabrication, casting, and restoration of stair railings, furniture, antiques, architectural elements and sculpture. They also are uniquely versatile: equipped to handle a simple repair as well as a site-specific public sculpture.

What clients are saying about Great Lakes Art Studio...

The artisans at Great Lakes Art Studio, trained abroad in the exacting standards of old-world craftsmanship, utilize state-of-the-art technical advances. They are highly skilled in the fabrication of a variety of materials-bronze, steel, iron and aluminum, as well as in the creative co-mingling of those metals with stone, glass, or wood. Patina applications are also a specialty, with an offering of a full range of surface possibilities.

From consultation to installation, the design department excels at translating a client's vision into a reality and facilitating that creative process. A vast array of projects that began as sketches and blueprint ideas for entryways, architectural elements, stairway railings, and landscape designs, now grace Architectural Digest, The Chicago Tribune's Home Section, and the television program, Designers Challenge.

Visitors are welcome at their studio. They are invited to see works in progress, gather ideas, and view their unique line of furniture and art objects. For more information, please call the studio at 847-869-5850.