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Netflix’s Blown Away competition is back with its third season. Grace Whiteside is participating in the show for the Best In Glass title. Whiteside is the 27-year-old founder of the New York-based design company Sticky.
Performance artist Grace Whiteside and nine other glass artists will join North America’s largest hot shop to test their limits on Blown Away. In each episode, glassblowers must impress the judges with their creativity or else risk elimination from the contest.
All about Blown Away contestant Grace Whiteside
Grace Whiteside was born on April 21, 1995 in Savannah, Georgia and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Whiteside was educated at Haystack Mountain School of Craft and Peters Valley School of Craft and completed BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Whiteside earned a double major in Craft/Material Studies and Sculpture + Extended Media in 2017.
Whiteside wanted to study textiles, but as the weaving class was full, they reluctantly took glassblowing. They were immediately hooked by the many techniques. Speaking about the love of glassblowing, Whiteside said to Arjé:
“It’s very physical. There’s a sports element to glassblowing. Molten glass mimics the body’s movement. We learn how to use our bodies in order to work with the glass- there’s a human, physicalized empathy in how the glass folds and forms. It’s like working with living creatures!”
Further adding:
“As a queer and trans person, I’ve always been forced to see the world a little differently, to figure out a place for myself. Putting glass out into the world, I can create something that may not exist in a preconceived landscape. I’m always thinking about the queer held space.”
Work can be very intense as the creators have to stand for long hours and be around the fire all day. Even Whiteside admits that a lot of physical labor is required, but your body builds a tolerance to it.
They have been working on the art for eight years and although Whiteside has improved tremendously, there are still a million things to learn about glass.
Whiteside founded Sticky in 2020 with cups and tableware. While creating shapes and images with glass, inspiration comes in many forms:
“I lean to playful designs, imagery from childhood like Dr. Seuss illustrations, in elevated forms. There’s so much inspiration from Ettore Sottsass’ Memphis Design Movement of the 1980s- the abstract squiggles, geometric shapes in bold colors and graphic lines from earlier Pop Art and Deco.”
For instance, Whiteside’s The Scribble Collection was inspired by child-like markmaking. Sticky donates to organizations that secure the safety of trans bodies, Black lives, and immigrant families.
Whiteside’s work has been showcased in various national and international exhibitions and performances. These include Brooklyn, Richmond, Norfolk and Florence, among others. Whiteside will now be seen showcasing their talent in the upcoming season of Blown Away, airing on Friday, July 22, on Netflix.
