Greenfield Village glassblower Ryan Thompson featured on Season 4 of "Blown Away"
DEARBORN, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - A glassblower at Dearborn's Greenfield Village was featured on Season 4 of the Netflix series 'Blown Away.'
Ryan Thompson, an Ohio native, is the lead at The Henry Ford's Glass Shop and has been with the shop for more than six years.
He is one of ten glassblowers from across the country featured on the most recent season of the Netflix show, where the artists created pieces for several challenges to compete for $100,000, the largest prize so far.
This season was hosted by Hunter March, best known for hosting 'Sugar Rush' and 'Nightly Pop,' and the artwork was judged by artist and professor Katherine Gray. This was March's first season hosting, but Gray has been the head judge for all four seasons.
Thompson went to Bowling Green State University, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts. He's worked with world-renowned glassblowers, including Maestro Lino Tagliapietra.
In addition to the glass shop at Greenfield Village, Thompson travels around the country to teach young glassmakers.
"Glass blowing is a constant balancing act between urgency and patience," said Thompson. "Finding this balance is something that is rarely taught, it is an instinct that is developed through the experience of trial and error. The intense competition of Blown Away acted like a pressure cooker for my relationship with this unique material, forging a bond that I had hoped to experience only after another decade of devotion."
Greenfield Village opens on April 13, and visitors will be able to watch Thompson and other artists create pieces in the glass shop. In addition, tumblers designed by Thompson are available for preorder on The Henry Ford's website and will be available in the village gift shop.
Each tumbler is molded twice, once for surface texture and then again to get the octagonal shape of the finished piece. In addition, the tumblers have Venetian-inspired embellishments that show Thompson's approach to glassmaking.
The tumblers are available in ember, rose and smoke and are $100 each or $90 for members.
