Press Release

Greenfield Village Glassblower Featured on Netflix Series Blown Away

(Dearborn, Mich. – March 15, 2024) — The Henry Ford’s Glass Shop Lead, Ryan Thompson, is featured on season four of the Netflix series, Blown Away. He faces nine other incredible glassblowers from around the country. Thompson, a native of Sandusky, Ohio has been with the glass shop in Greenfield Village for more than six years.

Hosted by Hunter March, Blown Away features artists who create jaw-dropping pieces to avoid elimination and impress Resident Evaluator and Glass Master Katherine Gray. Each artist challenge showcases the competitors’ incredible skill and resiliency.

“Glass blowing is a constant balancing act between urgency and patience. Finding this balance is something that is rarely taught; it is an instinct that is developed through the experience of trial and error,” said Thompson. “The intense competition of Blown Away acted like a pressure cooker for my relationship with this unique material, forging a bond that I had hoped to experience only after another decade of devotion.”

Thompson received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Bowling Green State University and has a diverse background of working with several world-renowned glassmakers including the Maestro, Lino Tagliapietra. He continues his artistic practice and regularly travels the country to educate young glassmakers.

Stunning glassware made by Thompson will be featured in the Greenfield Village gift shop and is available for pre-order now on thf.org/shop. Designed and meticulously hand-crafted by Thompson, each tumbler is molded twice, once for the surface texture and again for the octagonal shape of the finished product. Each features a “Venetian inspired” embellishment indicative of Thompson’s approach to glassmaking.

Greenfield Village opens for the season on April 13. Guests can visit the village glass shop to watch Thompson and other skilled artisans create unique contemporary designs as well as historical recreations from the last 200 years of American Glass. For more information and to pre-order your own piece of artistry, visit thf.org/shop.