Joshua Wojick Works

Biography

Joshua has worked with glass since 1998 and received his B.F.A from the College for Creative Studies, in Detroit, MI. He is currently a production glassblower at The Henry Ford Museum, creating early American historical reproductions. In addition, he works as an Adjunct Faculty member, teaching glassblowing at the College for Creative Studies. He has worked and demonstrated in various studios with some of the top artists throughout the country.

Growing up, Joshua's mother always encouraged him to pursue some form of art as a career. During his first semester at the College for Creative Studies, in Detroit MI, he took a glassblowing sample class. It was his first experience working in a three-dimensional format and he was enthralled. The inherent connection of maker and object inspired him, working to transform a seemingly shapeless blob of molten glass into a beautiful object was mesmerizing. He studied under internationally renowned glass artist Herb Babcock for the entirety of his BFA.

Artist's Statement

My glasswork is based on the traditional furnace glassblowing of Murano and I rely on my skills honed from years of making craft to express my thoughts and ideas in sculpture. As a glass artist, there is a distinct dichotomy to my work—functionality and mixed media sculpture. Both are equally essential, for one cannot exist without the other.  Technique – mastering it – is extremely important to me.  From the intricacies of goblet making to the physicality of working on a larger scale, without the necessary skills, one cannot create. I believe that learning from past generations of artists is fundamental in being able to innovate in the present. The act of creating is the most rewarding for me. The immediate demand of the material is simultaneously physical and mental. Each moment requires my full attention, there is no stopping, and there are no breaks. Every addition of glass becomes another problem to solve—timing, heat, and shape all factor into the end result. The smallest of details must be taken into consideration, overlook one, and the work is ruined.