By Louise Irvine
“Dan the Man” is a popular phrase used to describe a skilled and impressive guy. It’s the perfect description for glass artist, Dan Alexander, who recently took the WMODA team on a tour of the Imagine Museum in St. Petersburg, followed by a glassblowing demonstration at the Morean Glass Studio. Arthur Wiener was fortunate to acquire the piece that Dan created that day and it will soon be on display at WMODA.
Dan Alexander grew up in a small farming town in northeast Ohio, where he became interested in nature, art, history, and the creative process. He first saw glass blown at Hale Farm and Village, a living history museum in Bath, OH, and he knew it was a craft he had to master. He studied glass as an artistic medium at Kent State University, where he earned a BFA, and after graduation, he spent time in Murano, Italy, apprenticed to Maestro Davide Salvadore.
For six years, Dan was Lead Gaffer at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, and he traveled internationally to educate audiences about the science and history of glassmaking. Later, he was an adjunct professor at Washington University and Studio Director at Third Degree Glass Factory in St. Louis before deciding to pursue a career as an independent artist ten years ago.
Dan’s prestigious artist residencies include the Duncan McClellan Gallery in St. Petersburg, FL, and the Empire of Glass exhibition in Vienna, Austria. He also received an international exhibiting artist award in Uskudar, a hub for Turkish traditional glass art. As an artist and world traveler, Dan looks at the world around him to determine how it can be translated to glass. Much of his inspiration comes from photographs he has taken or his travels.
He explores the mesmerizing world of optical illusions, focusing on nature, textiles, and architecture, and the patterns therein. He envisions a small segment being repeated to create an intricate, mind-bending pattern using murrine rolled in molten glass. Dan’s recent vessel at WMODA includes gold aventurine, amber, teal, blue, black and white glass. At his studio in St. Petersburg, he creates large vessels called Micromorphisms, which are sold in over 20 galleries around the USA, as well as custom pieces for collectors and commissions for breathtaking installations at airports, hospitals, and businesses.
Dan believes education is an extremely important aspect of his work and has established a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit called Art, Education, Gathering Inc., or AEG, to empower communities through glass art. His community outreach uses glass as a form of STEM education, residencies, mentorships, classes, and an emergency program for artists affected by disaster.
See Dan’s work in the Hot Glass gallery at WMODA.
Discover more about Dan’s glass art
Watch Dan at work