The people behind the craft

Someone showed
them how.

Meet the people who make the work, and make room for others to begin.

A glassblower's hands turning a pipe in the glowing furnace — Glassblowing, from the Humankept photograph collection. This is a photograph of the craft, not a portrait of the people below.

Glass artist and teacher · Seattle

Shannon Spruiell

Seattle Glassblowing Studio

A glass creature. Then, a little music.

In a lesson at Seattle Glassblowing Studio, Shannon helped a student make a glass axolotl. Later, the student sent back a video: they had turned it into an instrument. Shannon tells the story, alongside films of the finished pieces, on her own site.

“It is so very humbling to know that I’d participated in the making of such a beautiful object and sound.”Shannon Spruiell, in her published account

Read Shannon's story and watch the films ↗

Based on the linked first-hand account. Read on 19 September 2026. Films play on the maker's own website.

Find a glassblowing experience in Seattle →

Glass artist and studio founder · Seattle

Cliff Goodman

Seattle Glassblowing Studio

An open door to the hot shop.

Cliff began working with glass in 1976, studied with Fritz Driesbach and attended Pilchuck. He founded Seattle Glassblowing Studio in 1991. Today, the gallery opens onto a working hot shop, giving visitors a chance to see the people behind the pieces.

Meet Cliff on the studio's site ↗

Based on the linked first-hand account. Read on 19 September 2026. An editorial introduction, not a Humankept interview.

Find a glassblowing experience in Seattle →

Pass it on

What do your students ask first?

If you teach a craft, we'd love to hear about the first few hours. What surprises people? What helps them feel at home?

Share a little of your world →