Dale Chihuly is an American glass sculptor credited for elevating blown glass from delicate decorative objects to fine art. Born in Tacoma, Washington, Chihuly received a bachelor of arts degree in interior design in 1965 and a Master's degree in sculpture from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1967. He went on to study glass in Venice on a Fulbright Fellowship and later received a Master of Fine Arts at the Rhode Island School of Design. In 1971, with the support of John Hauberg and Anne Gould Hauberg, Chihuly cofounded the Pilchuck Glass School near Stanwood, Washington.

In 1976, he was blinded in his left eye from a car accident in England. After recovering, he continued to blow glass until he dislocated his right shoulder in a 1979 bodysurfing accident. Hi continued his work with glass by drawing his designs on paper first before they were sculpted by his students. His works changed the field of blown glass by moving it to large-scale sculpture for artistic installations and environmental design.