Home-Studio Advantage: An Interview with Visiting Artist & MOG Hot Shop Director Ben Cobb

Image courtesy of Museum of Glass.

Through 25 years of working in glassblowing, Benjamin Cobb has honed his mastery of glass, traveled across the globe, and worked with hundreds of artists. For 22 of those years, he has worked as a member of the Museum of Glass Hot Shop Team, where he currently serves as Hot Shop Director and Lead Gaffer. This week, Cobb will be creating his own work during a 5-day Visiting Artist residency! 

An East Coast transplant, Cobb holds a BFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology and has been a demonstrating artist at glass studios as far afield as Sweden, the Czech Republic, Italy, and France. He has taught at Penland School of Crafts, Pilchuck Glass School, and many other glass programs in the US. He is a recognizable leader and voice in the glass community and has contributed to the success of countless works of art. In his own work, Cobb draws inspiration from the natural world as well as scientific process. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Northwest Art, Museum of Glass, and dozens of galleries across the country.

We caught up with Ben to ask him how it feels to be the VIP on the bench in his own workplace.

How does it feel different to be a Visiting Artist compared to your daily role as Hot Shop Director?

Well, for one, I’ll try to ignore my day-to-day responsibilities! Not really, but I hope that the prep work I have put in for this residency allows me to focus on what I want to make. My life has been so full lately that I feel like I haven’t been able to focus on my personal practice. This week will allow me to bring that front and center. Making things for others is great, and meeting the variety of artists that we do is awesome. But it is also great to be able to have a similar experience of my own. I have spent 22 years working in this studio. To be able to use those years of experience and familiarity, as well as the talents of the incredible team here, is very special.

What are your plans for your residency?

At the moment, those plans are fluid, to say the least. My brain is a bit scattered. I think I will begin by revisiting some older series of work to give them a bit of a refresh in color and proportion. I have long been very controlling of many aspects of my work, and I’d like to try to loosen the reins a little, to see where that will allow the work to go. Recently, I’ve been quite excited about some newer pieces that are a bit thicker and trap light a little differently. I’ll probably spend some time working on this new series of very flat forms based on the profiles and shapes of leaves.

Benjamin Cobb (American, born 1979). Visceral Stomach, Made at the Museum in 2010. Blown glass. 33 1/2 × 12 3/8 × 6 7/8 in. (85.1 × 31.4 × 17.5 cm). Collection of Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington, gift of the artist (VA.2013.19).

Photo courtesy of Museum of Glass.

What is your favorite thing about having your own residency in the Hot Shop, or what are you most looking forward to for this week?

The crew here is second to none; they have the abilities to support anyone who walks through these doors with anything those Visiting Artists want to make. Additionally, making glass is very expensive. Personally, I don’t have the resources to be able to cover a full week dedicated exclusively to making my own work, so having five consecutive days to really focus and do just that is a very special moment ­– that can’t be overstated.

What was it like to support Hot Shop Team members Sarah Gilbert and Gabe Feenan during their recent Visiting Artist residencies?

No matter who is the Visiting Artist, we come in prepared to give it our all in the Hot Shop. Working with Gabe and Sarah as the VAs was no different. I think what makes it different is that, as a team, we all know what we are capable of, so I wanted to make sure that I didn’t fall short of their expectations. The pressure is a bit higher when you’re working for people you care about. You want the glass to be perfect, you want the shop to function immaculately, and you don’t want to make any mistakes. I wanted to make sure that their time in the Hot Shop is just like we would provide for any emerging, established, or high-profile artist who joins us for a residency. I wanted them to feel that they had the same focus from me, the same attention to detail.

Be sure to join us in the Hot Shop or via the daily livestream to check out Ben’s residency! 10am–5pm daily, 6/12–6/16.

Learn more about Ben and his work at benjamincobbglass.com and @bencobb_glass.

Thank you to Walker Foundation for sponsoring this residency. Thank you to Olympic Color Rods for donating the color to be used during this residency.