Dale Chihuly

Vocation

American artist renowned for his work in glass. He was the first American to be honored at the Venice Glass Festival in 1986. His beautiful glass sculptures are on permanent display at the Louvre in Paris as well as 200 other museums around the world and several commercial structures including the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. Chihuly's father was a butcher and union organizer; his mother a homemaker and gardener. In 1957 his only sibling, a brother died in an accident while training with the Naval Air Force. A year later, his father suffered a fatal heart attack, and his mother was forced to find work. In college he began to study interior design but working with glass in 1961 started him on a different artistic path. Travels throughout Europe and the Middle East put him in touch with artisans of various backgrounds. After earning advanced degrees and pursuing his vision, he was accepted to work at a glass factory in Venice.Chihuly has traveled around the world working with other artisans and producing phenomenal pieces of work. His beloved mother died in 2006.