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Chris Hofmann grew up in a small town in Michigan, just north of Toledo, Ohio. While taking art classes at the Toledo Museum of Art when he was seventeen, he signed up for glassblowing and fell in love on the very first day.

“I really enjoy sculptural glass, especially mixed media because you get to see it being used in so many new ways that continue to inform how we view the versatility of the material,” says Hofmann. He loves all types of sculpture, jewelry, drawing and pen and ink.

He studied glass at Columbus College of Art and Design where his instructor told him about Pittsburgh Glass Center’s summer intensive program. He came to PGC in summer 2009 and took sculptural glassblowing classes from renowned artists Raven Skyriver and Martin Janecky. He pursued the apprenticeship at PGC because of its reputation for innovation in efficient hot shop technology and to learn how to run and maintain a world class facility while continuing to develop his own work.

Chris took classes at other top glass schools in the country throughout his education. He counts a goblet class at Pilchuck with Murano master Livio Serena as one of his most memorable and unique opportunities in glass.

Recently, he created a piece titled “How Much Are You Willing To Pay?”  for From the Earth to the Fire and Back, an exhibition in PGC’s Hodge Gallery featuring 28 local artists work that uses glass to talk about the environment.

Even though Chris works as a technical apprentice and an instructor, he never stops seeking ways to learn more. “There’s always something new to learn about how to push the material to evolve yourself and the art.”

The next deadline to apply for a tech apprenticeship is October 23, 2010. For more information, visit our web site  or contact Jason Forck at 412.365.2145 x203.