A semester abroad changed the very course of Michelle Bufano’s life.
Bufano, executive director of Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle, was a science major at Marquette University, on track to become a speech pathologist. When a study abroad opportunity arose during her junior year, she jumped at the chance. Off she went to Rome.
This 2012 opening event at Chihuly Garden and Glass included remarks by (left to right) Executive Director Michelle Bufano, artist Dale Chihuly and former Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn
Once there, she immersed herself in Italian culture and art for a semester. It was such a transformative experience that after graduation, she took the money she had saved for graduate school and went back to Rome to live. “I loved the culture. I loved going to the Sunday markets, absorbing the art and the language,” she said.
Bufano had an aunt in the State Department who was posted to Vienna at the time. “My aunt and her husband were very attuned to art and culture,” said Bufano. “With their encouragement, I visited lots of museums, not only in Italy but throughout Europe. I am positive if I had not spent that year abroad, I would not have chosen a museum career. I would have gone on for my graduate degree in speech pathology and had a totally different life.”
The centerpiece of Chihuly Garden and Glass is its glasshouse where a colorful installation in reds, oranges and yellows is one of Chihuly’s largest suspended sculptures
After her money ran out, Bufano returned to the States, confident that the museum world was her calling. One of her first positions was at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md.
“It was a beautiful spot and I loved it there,” she said. “It made me want to learn more about museums so I enrolled in the museum studies program at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. , one of the country’s top master’s degree programs in that field.”
Bufano later went on to become director of education at a modern art museum in Reading, Pa., and held a similar position at the Tacoma Art Museum. She also held leadership positions at Seattle’s Pratt Fine Arts Center and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. “I think in all, between internships and jobs, I’ve had something like 18 museum positions on both coasts,” she said.
Artist Dale Chilhuly and Michelle Bufano, executive director of Chihuly Garden and Glass
Although Bufano credits the semester abroad with inspiring her to enter museum work, it was not a totally unexpected career path, given her family background. She was born in Rochester, N.Y., where her grandfather had moved after emigrating from Bari, Puglia. “He was a mason,” she said, “and cut stones for many of the big churches. You can still see his work today.
After living in the States for five years, he figured he was doing well enough and decided to stay. So he went back to Italy to find a wife—my grandmother.”
Michelle’s father, Ralph Bufano, spent his entire career in museum work, beginning with the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, N.Y. When Michelle was young, the family moved from Rochester to Oshkosh, Wisc., where her father accepted a position at the Paine Art Center. He later made his way to Seattle to become director of the Museum of Flight.
While working at Tacoma’s Museum of Glass, Bufano became steeped in the world of contemporary glass art. And one of the biggest figures in that art community is Dale Chihuly, a Tacoma native recognized internationally as a leader in pushing the boundaries of glass as fine art.
“When Dale started to explore opening a facility at Seattle Center, I contacted his wife Leslie,” said Bufano. “Because of my years in museums and educational outreach, I wanted to make sure the new venue would have an educational program, a way to give back to the community. I offered to help and ended up becoming a spokesperson for the project, speaking at community and professional meetings.”
For Bufano, her position as executive director at Chihuly Garden and Glass is a dream job. “I never get bored,” she said. “Look around you: people are happy! They’re inspired! For me, it’s the perfect job.”
Located on the site of the former Fun Forest amusement park at Seattle Center, Chihuly Garden and Glass is a dramatic stylish space, voted #1 local visitor attraction on TripAdvisor. The facility opened in May 2012 with an exhibition hall that includes eight galleries showcasing a mostly static collection of some of Chihuly’s most significant work.
The venue’s centerpiece is a 40-foot tall glass and steel structured called the glasshouse, which draws inspiration from several European conservatories. A lush outdoor garden is a show-stopper where seasonally changing plants and flowers provide a rich backdrop for the glass. There is also a café, theater and bookstore.
“We introduce many people to glass for the first time,” said Bufano. “Visitors come up to us all the time and ask: where else can I see glass art? Is there someplace in my town or my state where I can see more?”
With admission in the $20-plus range, the venue is primarily geared for out-of-towners. Although attendance varies, says Bufano, from 500 on a wintery day to 5,000 on a pleasant summer afternoon, the staff of 120 keeps busy year-round programming special events to attract local residents.
“This summer, we held yoga classes in the glasshouse for 150 people,” said Bufano. “We have salsa dancing and musical concerts. And of course, people can rent the facility for weddings or parties.”
One of the most striking installations is located in the outdoor garden: a sculpture called The Sun. This explosion of squiggly yellow and orange rays, set atop a bed of black mondo grass, is a stunning series of contrasts in colors, textures and shapes. “It is one of my all-time favorite pieces,” said Bufano.
For more information, visit: www.chihulygardenandglass.com.
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