10 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT DALE CHIHULY One of the most innovative glassmakers of the contemporary age, Dale Chihuly reveals to the world through his art glass the incredible feats possible with the medium. From the monumental Chihuly glass installations that grace public spaces and museums around the globe, to smaller works in private collections, Dale Chihuly’s art inspires us daily. In celebration of his birthday on September 20, we wanted to tip our hats to the American art glass icon with some fascinating yet little-known facts about the artist that might make you want to collect his work even more. 1. Dale Chihuly originally wasn’t interested in studying art. Born in Tacoma, Washington in 1941, Chihuly enjoyed a vibrant childhood in the Pacific Northwest. The 1950s, though, proved devastating as he lost both his only sibling – a brother – in an aviation accident in 1956 and his father to a heart attack two years later. It is perhaps owed to these deaths that Chihuly, upon graduating from high school in 1959, was reluctant to pursue post-secondary education. Fortunately, however, his outlook changed, and he eventually graduated from the University of Washington in 1965 and subsequently attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he completed his Master’s degree in Sculpture. 2. Chihuly’s first “glass art” led to his arrest. In a 2000 interview with Susan Resneck Pierce for Arches, Chihuly shared the emotional tumult that accompanied the death of his family members that resulted in his running with the wrong crowd who committed acts of vandalism: “I got in trouble, too, in high school, for doing stuff I shouldn’t have... I ran around with guys who ultimately did get in trouble. I would never—you know, sometimes we put out a street
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light, my first work in glass! —but I wouldn’t steal a car.” This glassbreaking, though, led to Chihuly’s arrest before his mother convinced him to channel his energy into his education. 3. Dale Chihuly has been known to channel aspects of his biography into his art. Like many artists, Chihuly found ways to reflect upon his own experiences and interests from the very outset of his career. One example can be seen in his early Glass Environment #3, wherein Chihuly sprayed some of his art glass with red paint in homage to his job in a meatpacking plant (which he took to support his mother following his father’s death). The same can be seen in his exploratory 1977 Baskets series, wherein Chihuly deviated from traditional glassblowing techniques to explore more organic forms created from centrifugal forces in homage to the traditional baskets made by Northwest Coast Indian cultures indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. This experimental style grew in his later Macchia series. 4. Chihuly’s interest in art glass began during a textiles course. Following studies abroad in both Italy and Israel in 1962, Chihuly returned to the Pacific Northwest and recommitted himself to his studies. The following year, he studied weaving with University of Washington faculty member Doris Brockway and, as part of his work, began to incorporate portions of glass into the textiles he created. That initial exploration won him one of his earliest accolades – an award from the Seattle Weavers Guild – and he started studying the art of glass-blowing only a few years later. 5. Dale Chihuly has worn several professional “hats.” In addition to working in a meatpacking plant, Chihuly also worked
