OAKVILLE, Ont. — The second season of Netflix’s hit glassblowing competition series, Blown Away, which premiered on the streamer on January 22, features students and alumni from Oakville, Ont.’s Sheridan College glass design program working as assistants on the show.
In the new season, hosted by YouTube star Nick Uhas, 10 skilled glassblowers are given a challenge and limited time to fabricate beautiful works of art, with the help of students and alumni from Sheridan’s Bachelor of Craft and Design (Glass) program serving as featured assistants.
Each episode, the works of glass art are assessed by a panel of expert judges and one artist is eliminated, with the eventual winner earning the title of Best in Blow.
“Blown Away was made possible thanks to input from Sheridan’s alumni, students and technologists, which helped build not only the physical studio, but also the infrastructure of the series,” says Koen Vanderstukken, Sheridan’s glass studio head and series consultant, in a press release. “Returning for the second season, all the assistants from Sheridan knew how to prepare, what to expect, and were able to seamlessly bring their talent, skill and passion to the production.”
Sheridan helped bring the first season of Blown Away to the small screen in 2019. Vanderstukken served as the series consultant, and Sheridan loaned more than $10,000 worth of equipment to outfit the show’s Hamilton-based facility (what is now North America’s largest hot shop). In addition, students and alumni from Sheridan’s glassmaking program helped build the hot shop and were featured heavily in the first season.
Dr. Janet Morrison, Sheridan’s president and vice-chancellor, appeared as a guest evaluator in the first season of Blown Away. This season, Sheridan alumna Kathryn Durst (Animation ’12) serves as a guest evaluator on episode three of the series. Durst is a celebrated children’s author and illustrator, who made headlines in 2019 when she illustrated Hey Grandude!, a children’s book written by Paul McCartney.
“I am consistently impressed by the creativity and skill of the students in Sheridan’s Glass program and am thrilled that they’ve been able to share their talents and support some of the world’s top glass artists on Blown Away,” says Morrison. “During these unprecedented times, I am mindful of the importance of celebrating local artisans, and through Blown Away, I’m pleased that Sheridan can play a part in drawing attention to such an inspiring artform.”
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Pictured is a Sheridan Glass grad assisting a competitor on the set of Netflix’s second season of Blown Away.
