Talking points:
Dale Chihuly
Becky Peabody & Adam Ogden
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Intro:
o Slide 1
o Image: Chihuly on dock painting
 Dale Chihuly, born 1941, Tacoma, Washington and is known today for his
contributions to the glass blowing art world
 Credited with transforming and transcending the traditional forms and
functions of glass
o Slide 2
o Image: Comparison of craft glass with Chihuly glass
 Dissolved barriers separating craft from art
 Introduced contemporary craft into fine art galleries
 Set up a communal team model of glass blowing
Life and work:
o Slide 3
o Image: family photo
 Close family, but Father and Brother died when he was a young boy, grew
up with only his mother, Viola. He has used his lack of male family
members as a reason for primarily male team.
 Attended University of Washington, Seattle to study interior design,
learned to melt and fuse glass here
o Slide 4
o Image: tapestry weaving
 1963 enrolled in a weaving class, assignment to incorporate non-fiber
material into a weaving. Used glass. Made window hanging inspired by
his interest in stained glass windows. Won award for innovative use of
glass in fiber from the Seattle Weaver’s Guild in 1964.
o Slide 5
o Image: Dale blowing glass photo
 Blew first glass bubble in 1965 while melting a stained glass window for
use in his weaved window hangings.
 “I don’t know why I did it, I’d never seen it done. I didn’t know anybody
who knew how to blow glass… I put some of the melted glass on the end
of the pipe, blew air into it, and the glass bubble sort of accidently blew
up. It probably shouldn’t have. It didn’t break either.”
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Enrolled in graduate school at University of Wisconsin Madison in 1966
and studied under Harvey Littleton a pioneer in the studio glass
movement.
 Received Master of Science in Sculpture in 1967
o Slide 6
o Image: blue asian girl
 Spent several summers (1968-1971) afterwards teaching glassblowing at
the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts on Deer Isle, Maine
 Revealed the synergy of a communal experience for artists
 At the same time, Chihuly enrolled at Rhode Island School of Design in
1967 and began his explorations in glass blowing. Created environmental
works using neon, argon, ice and blown glass.
 Chihuly graduated from RISD in 1968 with an MFA in ceramics and was
awarded the Fullbright Fellowship which enabled him to become the first
American glass blower to work in the Venini glass factory on the island of
Murano in Venice.
o Slide 7
o Image: Red and blue ice
 Chihuly returns as a facultly member at RISD and establishes the school’s
first glass program in 1969 and remained at RISD until 1980.
 In 1970 Chihuly begain his first collaborative project. He collaborated
with RISD student James Carpenter for 4 years. 20,000 pounds of Ice and
Neon (shown)
o Slide 8
o Image: Pilchuck glass school
 1971 Chihuly cofounded the Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, Washington
on land donated by the Hauberg’s.
 It had a profound impact on artists working on glass worldwide and
became an international center for glass art
 Chihuly was quoted saying, “It was non-institution time. Nonestablishment. The whole idea of being in an established university or art
school like RISD just didn’t seem to be the right thing. It was time for
experimentation. I wanted to teach in a different way, without the confines
of the traditional institution.”
o Slide 9
o Image: Navajo blanket cylinder
 While teaching at RISD Chihuly and his students develop a technique for
picking up complex glass thread drawings. He begins Navajo Blanket
Series. In this same year Chihuly builds a glass shop for the Institute of
American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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Analysis of Artwork:
o Slide 10
o Image: Evolution of works
 Chihuly moved from the Navajo Blanket series and continually
collaborates and begins to work larger and larger after each series.
 He creates Baskets, Macchia, Seaforms, Persians, Venetians, putti,
Ikebanas, Floats and Chandeliers, getting larger and more elaborate.
o Change slide!
o Slide 11
 Reaching back and pulling forward past designs and ideas. Reinventing
previous sculptures.
 Establishes spaces and places for art to be created
 Takes craft to a new level
Contribution to education:
o Slide 12
o Image: group workshop photo & Venitian installations (2 slides)
 Collaborations:
 “My dad was a union organizer and worked with a team. Maybe
my knack for teamwork came from him?”
o Slide 13
 Critics say he works with a team because of his accident that left
him blind in his left eye, but he worked with a team well before the
accident
 Performative art before his time (post modern)
 Rejected the “decadent” commercial traditions of glass blowing and
focused on re-inventing glass movement
 Started glass program at RISD and was actively involved in visiting artists
program
 Opened glass schools across the country (Pilchuck & Institute of
American Indian Arts)
o Slide 14
o Image: Sketch Comparisons
 Yadda yadda (whatever adam says)
o Slide 15
o Image: Fiori and Floats
 Opened the art market for contemporary glass by promoting his own work
and the work of his contemporaries to museums and galleries
 Installation artist who collaborated with students
Lesson Ideas:
o Slide 16 & 17
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o Image: Ferns & Sun (2 slides)
 Collaborative Outdoor Sculpture
 Enhance “natural” environment
 Work in small groups- make plan drawings
o Slide 18 & 19
o Image: Paintbrushes & broom painting (2 slides)
 Collaborative Organic Wire and Nylon Sculptures
 Make plan drawings!
 Spray paint them
Conclusion:
o Slide 20
o Image: boat!
 Transcended glass
 Collaboration
 Dissolved barriers
 Established glass education programs (both institutional & non-institional