Summer has officially begun at Museum of Glass! The start of summer hours also means the start of our Featured Artist summer series.

Every Monday and Tuesday through Labor Day, visitors have the opportunity to see Featured Artists working in the Hot Shop, beginning with collaborative duo Ali VandeGrift and Brennan Kasperzak.

Brennan Kasperzak and Ali VandeGrift; Photo by James Staneluis.

Learn a little about them, then plan a visit to see the pair in action on Mondays and Tuesdays through June 21.

Our Museum of Glass residency is a chance for us to…

Ali: Expand our current body of work.

Brennan: Experiment and try new things.

My favorite music to work to is…

Ali: Wu-Tang Clan, Joanna Newsom, Grizzly Bear, Mark Kozelek, and a wide variety of podcasts, including but not limited to, This American Life, Radio Lab, Embedded, Tanis, The Black Tapes, Serial, Surprisingly Awesome, Lore, Stuff You Should Know, and the occasional Joe Rogan Experience.

Brennan: All kinds! Something fun with a good beat.

The best part about collaborating with another artist is…

Ali: Having the opportunity to bounce ideas off of each other. Working with Brennan has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, he thinks very differently than I do. I feel like a better artist and person because of our collaboration.

Brennan: That we both bring different ideas and skill sets to the table. We both improve each other and compliment each other.

Ali VandeGrift and Brennan Kasperzak; *Ivory and Black Pendulum*, 2015; Blown vessel, cane drawn, and sandblasted; 17 x 4 x 4 inches; Photo by Mike Seidl.

If I could only work with one color, it would be…

Ali: Ivory or black. Hard to pick.

Brennan: I like to use color in combination with one another, but if I was constrained to one, I would probably choose clear. It is beautiful on its own.

When I’m not working in the studio, I’m…

Ali: Enjoying Seattle, riding my bike, kayaking, gardening, and hanging out with our two silly dogs.

Brennan: Active outdoors, biking, snowboarding, swimming. I love the mountains and water, and I enjoy cooking and gardening with Ali.