Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Cariati
JOE, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I found glassblowing in the Art Department at San Francisco State University in 1992. I watched a student blow glass, and simply thought, “I have to try that”, and that was it for me; hooked, done, game over. I knew that this molten material would be in my life forever. Akin to any type of skill-based practice (we are talking minimum of 10,000 hours to be decent) glassblowing provided everything I was looking for, then and now.
Up until 2001, I was working as a “Gaffer” for other glass artists. Working for others is the best way to gain skill. Being a Gaffer means that you are the lead glassblower; running the team, acting as a facilitator for the Artist on site, helping to realize their vision and creating for them. Simultaneously, I moved into an amazing warehouse loft, and starting to collect furnishings and collectibles from the Mid-Century Modern era. I spent time scouring books, cruising vintage shops, and learning everything I could about the designers, their approach and absolutely falling in love with the aesthetic, and then it hit me, I wanted to create what I felt was missing from this era or could exist in harmony with the objects I was obsessed with.
After a decade of working for other people, I was able to slowly transition and grow my business from 2002 to a breakout moment in 2007 when I took my collections to market in New York City. At that time, I was fresh to the retail marketplace and was picked up by high-design retail establishments such as Barney’s New York, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Le Bon Marché in Paris. It was an exciting time, but the focus shifted immediately into full blown business mode which continues to challenge and energize me today.
I am a linear thinker and a double Virgo which plays an instrumental role in my work resulting in precise, clean, and distinct symmetrical objects. The practice of blowing glass will forever drive my internal interests as a relentless pursuit of practice to perfection, endless learning, and endless possibilities.
Today, my business is a mix of producing my own work about 3-4 days per week, plus running the glass studio with my wife, Austin Fields, who is also a Glass Artist. We produce her work weekly too, as her brand and work are in a major development phase. We also host events and classes at our studio in El Segundo! It’s a rather large space, 4500 square feet, so it’s a perfect platform to welcome in the community for private events and experiences with hot glass. My love for connecting with people and community have always been a part of what I love about glassblowing; it is not a singular pursuit, it relies on team work, communication and being connected to people in an energized and focused way.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I was younger, I didn’t understand general “market cycles” of our economy, and while going up in a major growth phase after the 2001 events, I was slapped down with the 2008 housing crash, as many of us were. I remember being at a trade show in New York City, and it was so dead, it felt like the world had ended. That was a defining moment for getting responsible in fiscal planning. Years later, with the advent of Covid, well, I guess there’s only so much in life you can accurately plan for before the next major curve ball comes at you! Now that I am in my fifties and continue to raise my family, my long term plans are a lot more important that the short term. We see ups and downs, and market shifts in both commerce and sentiment, but my creative and business goals remain the same. I am responsible for creating the best work I can make, and balancing out the business with my wife’s work, providing rental space for others, and staying connected to my major accounts and interior designers.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In early 2020, we launched a special project called the Los Angeles Glass Center, which is our private studio turned into an educational center after hours. The mission of the LAGC provides the public opportunity to experience, educate and create in the hot glass arts. Specializing in blown glass, we host private classes, experiences, and corporate events for all skill levels.
Currently, the Center provides a hands on first time opportunity course for the general public to create decorative objects using molten glass. We are committed to developing community enrichment programs in the near future that include educational demonstrations and hands on workshops for first time or ongoing users. You can find more information or book here: www.laglasscenter.com
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Ruth King and Therman Statom, both prominent Glass Artists, played an instrumental role in shaping my creative outlook and educational practice. Ruth was my first mentor that literally told me that I needed to focus. No one had ever told me that before, and it definitely took some time to truly understand what she meant. Therman Statom is the mentor that exclaimed to me that “You can do it all!”, when I inquired (shakily) about feeling too spread out in my disciplines. At the time, I was interested in painting, glassblowing and teaching. Sometimes when someone gives you permission, it lands in an impactful and powerful way. From that point forward, my focus increased on several levels at once and I lived three lives in one; as a painter, glassblower and educator. Today, with the business as it stands, my focus is solely on the studio, but even then it is many things happening all at once. The residue of the action of several disciplines is very fulfilling, as I continue to practice my glassblowing and support others in their pursuit of being creative.
Pricing:
- Joe’s Glass from $250-$1100
- Classes and Events from $175 per person
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.joecariati.com
- Instagram: @joecariati
- Facebook: @joecariatiglass
- Other: joecariati_glass (Pinterest)
Image Credits
Elena Kulikova
Hayca Bunevacz
Julie Dickinson
