Over the past 20 years, I have managed to develop an understanding of the material that allows for the glass making process to be a dialogue. The glass and I each have a voice in the process that, together, create a visible harmony in the final piece. I continue to strive for the ability to shape glass without applying extra force or adding unnecessary steps to the process. I choose the best glass forming process based on visual and conceptual intentions, and I have been known to utilize blowing, hot working, casting, and grinding when I find it beneficial.
I work with glass because it has a unique potential for artistic expression. Glass can be hard or soft, light or heavy, sharp or smooth, opaque or transparent, massive or delicate. Whether it is representational or abstract, it can transport the viewer to new places. Glass is a wonderful mixture of physics, chemistry, art, and craftsmanship and it possesses a power that is as close to alchemy as I will ever experience. |
Slate Grove was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa USA and earned a Bachelor of Fine Art from the Cleveland Institute of Art (2006), and a Master of Fine Art from Illinois State University (2013). In 2020, Slate immigrated to Finland from the USA where he has been a Glass Workshop Master at Aalto University since autumn 2020 and a teacher in both the Department of Art and the Department of Design.
Slate has been recognized as a Rising Star at Creative Glass Center of America’s Glass Weekend in Wheaton, NJ USA; chosen as a top 10 Young Sculptor through Miami University; and nominated for a Louis Comfort Tiffany Award. Slate has exhibited his work across the United States, as well as at numerous international art fairs. He also presented his work at the international Religion and Society Conference, held in Granada Spain in 2019.
Slate has given Visiting Artist workshops and lectures for many academic programs including Massachusetts College of Art (Boston, MA USA), Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY USA), Kent State University (Kent, OH USA) and Tavastia College (Nuutajärvi, Finland). He was the recipient of an Instructor Collaborative Residency (2010) at the Studio at Corning Museum of Glass; Corning, NY, and a 3-month residency (2015) at Starworks; Star, NC.
Slate has been recognized as a Rising Star at Creative Glass Center of America’s Glass Weekend in Wheaton, NJ USA; chosen as a top 10 Young Sculptor through Miami University; and nominated for a Louis Comfort Tiffany Award. Slate has exhibited his work across the United States, as well as at numerous international art fairs. He also presented his work at the international Religion and Society Conference, held in Granada Spain in 2019.
Slate has given Visiting Artist workshops and lectures for many academic programs including Massachusetts College of Art (Boston, MA USA), Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY USA), Kent State University (Kent, OH USA) and Tavastia College (Nuutajärvi, Finland). He was the recipient of an Instructor Collaborative Residency (2010) at the Studio at Corning Museum of Glass; Corning, NY, and a 3-month residency (2015) at Starworks; Star, NC.