The American artist Dale Chihuly is world-renowned for his innovative and artistically impressive sculpture using glass. His involvement with the medium is long and distinguished. Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, Chihuly initially studied interior design, then travelled in Europe and went to work for a large architectural firm as a designer. He began working with glass in the early sixties at the University of Wisconsin with Harvey Littleton, and at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he collaborated with James Carpenter and Italo Scanga.

In 1968 Chihuly's explorations of glass were furthered when, as a Fullbright Fellow, he went to Venice where he studied at the Venini Factory in Murano.

Dale Chihuly drawing 1992 The Boathouse, Seattle, Washington, USA
Photo: Russell Johnson

The Italian tradition - in which a team of glass blowers orchestrate a single object - has been significant for Chihuly and the studio glass movement more generally. Chihuly recognised the impact that a structured group could have on the scale and elaborateness of a piece, and this collaborative approach became an important tenet of the Pilchuck Glass School. Pilchuck (Chinook: 'red water') was cofounded in 1971 by Chihuly, with the support of patrons Anne Gould Hauberg and John H. Hauberg. Almost thirty years later Pilchuck remains a major centre for contemporary glass.