Working at the Chihuly Garden
As a live glassblowing demonstrator at the Chihuly Garden of Glass, the question I get asked the most is, “How did you get into this kind of work?” I usually just give a quick and simple answer by saying, “I learned in college while studying to earn a degree in Fine Arts to become a painter. I took a glassblowing class as part of my required curriculum for 3-D art. After day one I was hooked so I pursued it as my career.” That’s a simplified version of the story I’m about to tell you. This is how it really went…
A photo I took of the space needle from inside the Chihuly Garden Glass House
Moving from Texas to Seattle, WA
In 2017, I had just finished a mural commission in my hometown. I was fresh out of college working my first full-time job as an office assistant in Dallas, TX. I had this random office job only because I needed the extra income while building my resume and experience with my first part-time job in glassblowing - working for Carlyn Ray’s studio in Dallas. There I was a glass blower who assisted in events and administration. (A.K.A. cleaning and organizing the hot shop tools, and materials plus sorting through paperwork.) I was nearing my one-year mark of this pattern of working when I decided I wanted to take the leap and switch to glass full-time. For a few weeks, I wracked my brain trying to decide where in the world I wanted to pursue that career. I was freshly single, young, and ready to get out of Texas. I knew I would be moving out of state, but I needed to narrow down my options and make a decision.
After thinking and doing some research I decided to visit Seattle, WA to figure out if it was the place I should go. From my little experience in the glass world, I knew that Seattle had the most dense population of glassblowers and job opportunities for glassblowers. I had never been there - I had never been anywhere near the Pacific Northwest. One day shortly after researching this, I talked to my childhood best friend, Bonnie. As luck would have it, Bonnie’s cousin Maggie lived in Everett, WA with her family - about 30 miles north of Seattle. On a whim, I messaged Maggie on Facebook and asked if I could visit soon to help me make my decision. She said yes! Other than Maggie and her family, I only knew 2 people who lived in Seattle. I reached out to both of them about visiting to see if they could give me a local perspective. They both were excited to meet up and offered to help me find housing options! One of them even suggested being roommates because she was going to be looking for one at the end of the month. The doors were opening so easily, and that felt like a good sign, so I bought a round-trip ticket and packed my bag.
Once the plane landed I headed out of the airport with eagerness to explore. The doors to the outside world opened and my lungs were filled with fresh Pacific Northwest air. It smelled just right - like mountain evergreen trees and a sandy beach at the same time.
Doing touristy things!
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, enjoying the sweet smell of the rain and the evergreens. When I opened my eyes I saw my friend Jesse pulling up in his car. When I first contacted him he very kindly offered to pick me up from the SeaTac airport and drive me 40 miles north to get to Maggie’s house in Everett.
The instant I smelled the air I knew I loved it here. That was all it took. I was here - ready to explore and never go back. I hugged Jesse and got into his car. On the drive up north we passed through White Center, going past downtown on the viaduct (R.I.P.), then across lake Washington. We went up through Bellevue and through to Everett (AKA the long way). Jesse told me this route would give me a quick tour of nearly the entire greater Seattle area before I even opened my suitcase. I was in awe. There were houses nearly stacked on top of eachother near the water, giant bridges, big green Ferries, and Mount Rainier! I’d never seen anything like it. By the time we arrived at Maggie’s house, I was completely won over, head-over-heels in love with this city.
We unloaded my suitcase and went up to the house. Even the way the house looked was foreign to me, and I loved it. After thanking my friend for his generosity and time, I settled in to eat dinner and decompress. After our delicious homemade dinner, I needed to figure out what I was going to do first thing tomorrow. It was getting late and I didn’t have much energy to plan it out, I was still in Texas time. I decided on something simple for my first day - being a typical sightseeing tourist.
Of course, I wanted to go downtown for touristy things like seeing the Space Needle, shopping at Pike Place Market, etc. The highest on my list was the Chihuly Garden of Glass, for obvious reasons. I pre-ordered my ticket then I passed out in Maggie’s guest room, full of anticipation for what the next day would hold.
Where to First?
The next morning when I woke up I was still groggy from the flight, I needed some coffee. During my college years, I worked at a local coffee shop as a Barista. I knew that Seattle was the coffee capital of America! I would need to enjoy a local coffee from downtown, no doubt. I googled the nearest coffee shop to the Chihuly Garden and found a place called Honor Coffee - it looked cute! I called an Uber to take me there so I could grab a latte before venturing to the garden. On the way there my Uber driver told me I ‘looked like I would do well as a Bikini Barista’ which was a bit of a damper considering how creepy it was, but that’s how I learned what a Bikini Barista was - there are none of those in Texas!
Me, Ricky, and his partner, Kayla.
When I escaped the creepy Uber driver and walked into the coffee shop I was greeted by a familiar Southern accent, “Howdy!” I turned to see the Barista - a blonde guy with a button nose. He was wearing a name tag, “Ricky :)” I said howdy back with a laugh and ordered a small vanilla latte. Ricky smiled and said, “You sound like you’re from the south. You visitin’?” I replied yes and briefly explained my journey up until this point as he prepared my drink. Ricky revealed that he was from Georgia and ‘knew a southerner when he heard one.’ He was kind and wished me luck in my endeavors as he handed me my drink. Little did I know that Ricky would become my good friend and coworker at that very coffee shop when I moved a Seattle. My first job in Seattle was being a Barista! (just not the bikini kind - not sorry, Uber driver.)
I took a sip of my drink, it was the best latte I’d ever had. I let out a sigh of satisfaction from that first sip as I walked across the street. I arrived at the doors of the Chihuly Garden and went inside the building. It was beautiful, all of it, and I hadn’t even seen the garden part yet! I took pictures of everything as I walked through the indoor exhibitions, amazed at the glass creations within its walls and hanging from its ceilings!
January 25, 2018
my first time ever in the Chihuly Garden of Glass
The date was January 25, 2018. It was a cloudy day, but not raining much, so I anticipated that the Garden would be peaceful in the overcast. Taking in a deep breath, I went out to the garden at last and was speechless.
I walked around the garden in silent awe, dreaming of the things I would accomplish with glass one day. As I rounded the corner to admire the big yellow glass ball in the middle of the garden - titled Pacific Sun- there was a distinct incident I’ll never forget. The very moment Pacific Sun was in my view, the clouds parted in the sky to reveal the actual sun as it began to rain, a sun shower. The light gleamed on the glass as the water dripped off its surface, creating a sparkle on top of the shine.
This was the juncture I was looking for. The magic moment where everything that has happened so far just made sense. I had no doubt this was where I belonged. Standing in this tranquil moment I knew I would end up here again one day. I promised myself I would. I stood admiring Pacific Sun as both rain and sunlight kissed my face - completely at peace. After spending a while more exploring the glasswork in the garden, meditating, reflecting, and musing, I left full of hope - knowing that I would be back.
Fast forward to 2023
I was living in Seattle working a full-time glass production job for 4 years, and a studio manager for about 2. The production work was hard on my body. In the first half of 2023, I went on medical leave for injuries to my neck and back from a car wreck that was not my fault. After my medical leave, I was hired to work at Seattle Glassblowing Studio, a less physically intensive glass job, but I was just not getting enough hours to sustain myself fully. I started asking a few colleagues if they knew any places where I could pick up extra work. One day I was talking to a colleague and he mentioned that the Chihuly Garden may be hiring another glassblower for the season. I remembered my moment in the garden back in 2018 and grew hopeful. It sounded promising so I asked them for the information I needed to apply. I skipped applying online and promptly sent a direct email with my resume attached.
Luckily I emailed at the perfect time. Sherrie, the Exhibition Manager’s response was “As it turns out I am JUST getting ready to put out a search for another glassblower for our team. I’d love to meet in person and discuss the position. Are you available this week?”
September 19, 2023
my first time in the Chihuly Garden of Glass
as an employee
We scheduled a date and time that we could both do. I was eager to meet with her and wanted to do it as soon as possible! With the way our schedules worked out, I was able to come by for an in-person interview within a few days of our email exchange. However, I had to work at Seattle Glassblowing Studio right after our scheduled interview, so I wore my work clothes to the interview. I explained to Sherrie that I would have to do this before arriving so that she didn’t think I had dressed like a bum for the interview! She understood and I was relieved.
The interview went smoothly. I was able to meet a few current employees and explore the employee’s perspective of the garden. The interview felt more like a first day on the job, and my hopes were soaring. A few days later I heard back from Sherrie, I was hired! My first day as an employee at Chihuly Garden and Glass was September 19, 2023. Day one was an orientation for training, paperwork, etc. I wore business casual attire and met with Human Resources at their main office location. It was a half day of paperwork and Q&A about logistics. Once that was done we went on a tour of the facilities to see where we would be working and what all that entailed. I watched the live demonstration done by my new coworkers and began training with them, watching and learning the flow of the live demonstrations. I received my official employee badge and it was all up from there!
Blowing glass in the Gardens hot shop set up
inside a 1967 Airstream!
Today
Today I continue to work as a live glass-blowing demonstrator and public speaker at Chihuly Garden and Glass. I educate guests about the glassblowing process and showcase the beauty and diversity of glass art. In the Chihuly Gardens “Community Hot Shop” I share my knowledge and enthusiasm for glass art with people of all ages and backgrounds. Working at the Chihuly Garden of Glass has been a dream, I love this job and the people I work with! It’s a job but it feels like I’m just hanging out with my friends and blowing bubbles all day. Plus the shop is set up inside a 1967 Airstream that is attached to a stage, a very unique setup!
The best part about this job is giving back to the local arts community. To further arts engagement for youth and adults within Seattle and the Northwest, Chihuly Garden and Glass partners with several local non-profit organizations, including Pilchuck Glass School and Seattle Public Schools. To support these partnerships, the Community Hot Shop sends all glass pieces we make during our live demonstrations to the Space Needle’s gift shop where they can be purchased by visitors! Additionally, 100% of that money (ALL OF IT) is given back to our Seattle local arts community. You can read more about which specific organizations and programs receive that funding here.
At Chihuly Garden, we make functional vessels for our demonstrations. We do not make Chihuly pieces - those are made at the Boathouse, Chihuly’s private studio, by a team of glass artists. Below is a video that displays a variety of the work we make at the Community Hot Shop in the Chihuly Garden and Glass. All of this glass has made its way over to the Space Needle gift shop by now!
It is so rewarding to be part of this program that furthers the support of the local arts. I have even received some of it back myself through a scholarship to attend Pilchuck Glass School! Knowing that I participated in the funding of a scholarship that I was given is so cool!
I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have achieved such a goal in life. 2018 Shannon would be so proud of me if she knew what she would overcome, survive, and accomplish in her future. If you’ve read this blog post to this point, thank you. Your support is the reason I’ve made it to where I am now.
Having said that, It is THE BEST when friends come to visit me in the Garden! Please come by if you’re ever in the area. Below is a compilation of videos taken by a friend who came by to see me at work. This video is a great preview of the live glassblowing demonstrations I do every week!
