'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Blown Away is back with 10 new glass artists who will showcase their talent and skills to the world on Netflix on July 22, 2022. One of the artists competing for the $60,000 prize and a spot in the artist's residency at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York is Dan Friday.
The 45-year-old was introduced to the arts at a very young age and says that one of his inspirations was his great-grandfather, who was a totem pole carver.
Meet Blown Away artist Dan Friday
Friday is a glass artist and instructor who currently lives in Washington and runs his own glass art studio. He studied at the Pilchuck School in Stanwoo and took numerous courses between 1998 and 2011.
He also studied at South Seattle Community College, where he received a Mechanical Vocational Degree in 1995.
The artist grew up immersed in the cultural heritage of the Lummi Nation, which meant that he regularly worked with his hands. Lummi Nation are also known as Lhaq’temish or people of the Sea. They are a self-governed community and are a Native American tribe of the Coast Salish ethnolingustic group and the original inhibitors of Washington State.
The Blown Away contestant has simple themes and likes to incorporate silhouettes when making glass totems. Friday’s work is often a reflection of self-expression with an underlying statement. He believes that glass is the medium that will survive the millennia and can metaphorically be compared to a contemporary painting on the cave walls.
Friday said:
“Glass is a medium that will survive millennia, and a great way to tell a story to future generations. It is, metaphorically, a contemporary painting on the cave wall.”
The 45-year-old's work maintains Native American qualities while being contemporary at the same time. Additionally, his work is driven by craft, form, and ideas as well as the influence of his indigenous roots.
Dan Friday hopes to make glass pieces inspired by his findings about the Coast Salish people such as The Skexe Blanket Panels. These are the Coast Salish wooly dog panels, The Scwo’le (reef net) projects.
The Blown Away contestant wants to showcase his history and culture through his art.
Dan Friday’s artistic footprints
The Blown Away contestant has worked for Dale Chihuly at the Boathouse Studio since 2000 as a glassblower. This helped him expand his technical knowledge of glassblowing as well as helping him understand the relationship between an artist and the public.
Dan started working at the Tacoma Glass Museum in 2004. He was part of a specialized team of glass sculptors who helped educate the public about glassblowing and the medium of glass.
The artist collaborated with and assisted prominent glass artists such as James Drake, Nicolas Africano, Wendy Maruyama, and Charles Ledray. Additionally, he was also Paul Marioni’s personal assistant and helped them with fast and cold worked glass tiles for a large scale installation.
He started working at the Pilchuck Glass School in 2006 as a teacher, gaffer and coordinator for the hot shop and wood and metal departments. Friday also assisted James Morgrain on various glassblowing projects.
He has also been the recipient of multiple fellowships and grants. These include the Bill Holm Grant, the People’s choice award - Bellevue Art Museum, and the Discovery Fellowship - Southwestern Association for Indian Arts.
Representation in mainstream media is still an issue when it comes to indigenous communities and people. However, with his presence on Blown Away season 3, Dan Friday hopes to inspire more people from his community and other indigenous communities.
More details about Blown Away
Blown Away is the first ever glassblowing reality TV competition and will be hosted by Nick Uhas. Katherine Gray, a resident evaluator and glass artist, will be joining him.
Each week, the show will drop 20-minute-long episodes with a different theme each week. Blown Away season 3 contestants will have to rise to the occasion and make relevant glass artifacts as the worst artifact will send its maker home each week.
Other contestants this season include Trenton Quicho, John Sharvin, Brenna Baker, John Moran, Grace, Maddy, Claire Kelly, Rob Stern, and Minhi
