Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly Art Literacy Presentation

Mckayartliteracy.blogspot.com

"Imagine blowing a soap bubble that last forever.  For me, that's the excitement of blowing glass"  Dale Chihuly

Objective:

Students will understand the art of blow glass

-Picture 1-of Dale Chihuly(che-HOO-le)

Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, Dale Chihuly was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. After graduating in 1965, Chihuly enrolled in the first glass program in the country, at the University of Wisconsin. He continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he later established the glass program and taught for more than a decade.

In 1968, after receiving a Fulbright Fellowship, he went to work at the Venini glass factory in Venice. There he observed the team approach to blowing glass, which is critical to the way he works today. In 1971, Chihuly cofounded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State.

In 1976, while Chihuly was in England, he was involved in a head-on car accident during which he flew through the windshield.[4] His face was severely cut by glass and he was blinded in his left eye. After recovering, he continued to blow glass until he dislocated his right shoulder in a 1979 bodysurfing accident. No longer able to hold the glass blowing pipe, he hired others to do the work as he told them what to do.

His work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide. He has been the recipient of many awards, including twelve honorary doctorates and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.

He had many exhibits but the largest permanent exhibit is found in Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

Explain to kids how it is very hard to blow in a long tube to blow air in the glass, and you have to keep it spinning as you work on it so it won’t start dropping.  You also have special tools that you around rubbing along the glass as you are blowing to shape the glass.

As you show these pictures you can ask:

-What does it look like?

-What colors stand out to you?

-Is there a pattern he used?

-picture 2-“Cobalt Blue Glass”

         -Hand blown Glass

         -8 x 9 x 8in.

-Picture 3-“Sun Yellow Basket Set”

            -Sculpted glass

            -10 x 9 x 9 in.

-Picture 4- “Sunset Macchia Glass”

            -Blown Glass Bowl

            -9 x 7 in.

            -Cost about $4,700

-picture 5-“The Sun”

            -13 feet high

-Picture 6-

            -the art piece is at the Victoria and Albert Museum in the main             entrance.

            -it is 30 feet high

Project

Materials:

            -Plastic ornament

            -Paint

            -sharpie(for name)

            -masking tape

            -cup

           

Instructions:

1.    Remove hangers from glass ornaments.

2.    Tell students to be cautious with handling ornaments(only 1 for each student)

3.    Write names on the ornament with sharpie

4.    Add paint to the inside of the ornament, one color at a time.  Use a quarter-size drop of each color,2-4 colors.

5.    Cover the opening with a piece of masking tape.  This protects their fingers from getting to dirty.

6.    Have students swirl the ornament to spread the paint inside, with a finger over the masking tape.  They can swirl vigorously, but should be careful not to drop ornament.

7.    When the ornament is covered with paint, remove masking tape, drain excess paint by placing upside down in cup.

8.    They can take it home in cup or teacher may want to keep them in class to dry.  Tape hanger to cup so they can place it back in when dry.