Dale Chihuly was born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington. He was introduced to glass at the University of Washington. After graduating in 1965 Chihuly enrolled in the first glass program in the country, at the University of Wisconsin. He continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design where he later established the glass program and taught for more than a decade. In 1968, after receiving a Fulbright Fellowship, he went to work at the Venini glass factory in Venice. There he observed the team approach to blowing glass, which is critical to the way he works today. Chihuly cofounded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington. With this international glass center, Chihuly has led the avant-garde in the development of glass as a fine art. He is also celebrated for large architectural installations. Chihuly’s lifelong fascination for glass houses has grown into a series of exhibitions within botanical settings.