Art, Teacher & Advocate: MEET HUGH NAGGAR
By Seth Stutman | Photos by Amy Crosby Photography, Naggar Family
Published in Longmeadow Neighbors | February 2026
Ever drive down the street and do a double-take at something you see around the homes of one of your Longmeadow Neighbors? If you happen to be driving, walking, or biking down one of the many streets of Longmeadow on a summer day you might see flames and brilliant colors coming out of Hugh Naggar’s studio. You would not be wrong - Longmeadow has a decorated glass artist!
Hugh Naggar has lived in Longmeadow for the majority of his life, and this town is scattered with friends (and glass) he’s made along the way.
Hugh first came upon Longmeadow as a ten-year old boy. His father had scrimped and saved and brought them to America from Egypt to give them a shot at the American Dream, and Hugh took full advantage.
“I enjoyed going to the fishing derby at Laurel Park every year. I loved taking my bike to the pool and playing with my friends,” Hugh reminisced. “I loved having neighborhood friends that I could ride bikes with, wrestle against, and grow with.”
After graduating LHS in 1968, Naggar enjoyed Holyoke Community College before venturing West with the idea to explore and to teach Native American children in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“I worked with the Head Start Program in Bernalillo County for one year. Then the job grew and I spent a year as an Outreach Worker in Albuquerque Heights. I was working with the older Navajo community, helping them with transportation, housing and employment. I was recruiting them for a trade school to learn a trade,” Hugh recalls.
While helping others into school, Hugh dabbled in another course offering - glass blowing - and would never be the same. His mentor, Clint Tuttle, would connect Naggar with the skills and the goods - 7mm Pyrex rods, the National Torch, Protective Didymium eyewear and the two gasses (oxygen & propane) that Hugh needed to work from home. All he needed next was inspiration.
“During that period of time I had to put my dog Queeny down,” lamented Naggar. “I mourned for more than a week when I decided to make something out of glass in tribute to her. A little Snoopy playing Baseball. What came out blew my mind. It looked like he was going to hit a grand slam. I know it was my Queeny telling me she had Jack rabbits to chase, fields to run and she was fine. I took that message and ventured out to pursue my career in this media.”
Naggar quickly became established in the “Old Town” and soon was providing demonstrations and taking requests from patrons. Despite success in New Mexico, Longmeadow came calling once again, 50 years ago.
“I took my equipment and came back to my hometown in 1975 and began doing art shows. I knew I had to do something about working with an open flame. I began by making a three sided Plexiglass shield to protect the people while they watched me demonstrate. In time I connected with another extended family, The Bucemi family. Ora Bucemi was the mother of four boys. ‘Momma B’ (who lived to 100 and 1/2) considered me one of her sons and that started from high school. Another son, Jamie, was a house builder in his history. He ended up building me a series of booths for demonstrating and displaying my work. He even converted half of my garage into my studio.”
Both Hugh and his partner Denise Conboy enjoyed the benefits of friendship with the Bucemi family - and they were also able to give back. Before Momma B passed, Denise helped her edit and publish her only book, Follow the Butterfly, which she signed many copies of before she passed. When Ora turned 90, Hugh took her and Denise to swim with the dolphins. One of Hugh’s favorite pieces was born from that visit when Denise was swimming vertically with El Fonzie, the Dolphin.
Over the last 50 years, Hugh’s work has led him to being published in magazines, displayed in museums, and teaching and performance opportunities. Hugh’s artistry has enabled him to span the globe, both teaching and observing some of the great art of the world. Naggar has taught in the Fiji Islands, The South of France (Marseille), Alexandria, Egypt, at the Las Vegas Glass Expo in Nevada, and at the Dolphin Plus in Key Largo Florida.
“I was inspired and amazed in wonderment when I saw ‘The Glass Flowers’ at Boston University,” said Naggar while recalling how his travels influenced his art. “Done in the 1800’s by a father and son team - Leopold & Rudolf Blaschka. To this day, no one knows how they did what they did. The sea creatures, the flowers and the plants that they were created for educational purposes. They never documented any of their work or procedures.”
While Hugh traveled the globe for work, he found love right down the street. Denise Conboy is a three-minute walk away, and the two of them have been inseparable for more than a decade, bonding over shared interests and the desire to make the world a better place.
“Denise’s family have been residents of the Longmeadow community for a long time. Her brother in-law, Steve Conboy, was a very much loved Longmeadow Police officer for many years. I consider her family my extended family. We have been together since 2013. A fellow craft lady in our neighborhood and my ex-mailman brought us together.”
Hugh isn’t just an artist, he’s also an activist. The artist has donated work to the fight against cancer and to Juvenile Diabetes Foundation through the Basketball Hall of Fame auction. “I donated in the name of my good friend Russ Cross who had diabetes from childhood until he passed.”
Naggar has also taught to those with different abilities - and was so impressed with the work of his students in the two years he taught at Franklin Academy, charging only for his expenses.
“The kids loved it. I found two prodigies. One kid, during an afternoon of a one-on-one lesson, made a necklace for his girlfriend for the prom. Proud as a peacock he was,” Hugh reminisces.
He credits his upbringing, his friends, and his eclectic background as just a few of the factors that have influenced his advocacy work.
“My grandfather was a Muslim who married the daughter of a Rabbi, my grandmother. My mother was Christian so that makes me the prime perfect Mutt.”
Hugh and Denise also help the man they credit with the many positive steps Longmeadow has taken - Saul Finestone. On the precipice of turning 100, Finestone has galvanized progressive causes and supporters for decades, making him deserving of the 2025 Citizen of the Year. The retired Middle School Social Studies teacher and World War II United States Navy veteran, Finestone (and others) are often seen at the corner of Western Drive and Longmeadow Street, as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. Finestone also leads discussion groups and encourages civic engagement.
“I’m the executive chauffeur for the Executive Saul Finestone,” reports Hugh excitedly, “Denise is his Girl Friday. We are here for all his discussion groups at the JCC, Adult Center, with LARC and more. When me & Denise bring him home, we get to have a ‘trifecta HUG’ with the great arbitrator.”
In his garage workshop, Naggar is happy working on glass no matter who’s watching. From Egypt to Longmeadow, New Mexico and back again, Naggar appreciates Longmeadow - and countless art aficionados appreciate him. When thinking about Longmeadow, Naggar appreciates the diversity of spirit, and feels that it’s summed up by a quote by fellow artist, Leonardo Da Vinci.
“Study the science of art; study the art of science. Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”
“We are one community and we have to believe in that.” — Hugh Naggar
Hugh is perhaps proudest of his collaborative work with Bill Slivinski, Mike Spring, Renya Craig, and Paul Maher called The Future Generation’s Ride which resides in the Meeting House in Old Lyme, CT. On top of Paul's handmade box, are Renya's boxed ceramic sculptures and Hugh's thirteen glass Indians on horseback, that illustrate the 300 Mile Ride from Standing Rock to Wounded Knee. A tribute to the tortured history of Native Americans and perhaps a healing motivation for The Future Generation. This year 125 Riders made this yearly event in South Dakota. After beginning his career teaching Native American children, his creation shows his continuing involvement, advocacy, and desire to share stories in glass.
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