Motif Seattle has named master glass artist Julie Conway as its new Motif Visiting Artist for the 2017-18 year. Each year since the hotel's inception, Motif Seattle has worked with a Seattle-based artist to create a design "motif" that is creatively integrated into various touchpoints throughout the hotel including in-room stationary, business cards, room keys, uniform accessories worn by team members, and highlighted on the hotel's website and social media. In addition to having her design integrated throughout the hotel, Conway will provide private glassblowing demonstration events for Motif Seattle's clients throughout the year. Conway was selected from dozens of artists for her design submission, "Light Ray," which she was inspired to create after visiting the hotel following its recent redesign. Her visually striking creation was derived from an organic pattern of light and shadow resulting from the distortion of light through glass. Conway brings to Motif twenty years of experience in glass artistry. Her expertise was forged in several of the world's preeminent workshops, including Cam Ocagi in Istanbul, Turkey, and the Abate Zanetti Scuola del Vetro on the island of Murano, in Venice, Italy. Now based in Seattle at her Illuminata Studio, she also is a glass teacher and volunteer at Pratt Fine Arts Center. Illuminata's work is prolific: Conway has installed custom glassworks at locations including hotels and corporate offices and has been the subject of exhibitions at SOFA Chicago as well as IDS WEST Vancouver, BC. She was also named the Featured Artist for Corning's GlassFest 2017 put on in conjunction with the Corning Museum of Glass. Having identified the need to minimize the environmental impact of her beloved craft, Conway founded BioGlass.org, a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the efficiency of glass studios and glass making practices. She implements this at her studio by incorporating low-energy LED components and recycled materials in her works. A recognized and celebrated expert in her field, Conway has held speaking engagements on the subject at the Glass Art Society in Chicago, the AusGlass Conference in Canberra, Australia, and NYCxDesign, among others. She has also authored perspective articles in publications such as Glass Quarterly Magazine and Omaha Magazine. Conway says she enjoys living in the Pacific Northwest, a place where light and sun are appreciated as precious commodities. She is inspired by her surroundings and enjoys stargazing, studying languages, and hanging out with her beloved cat in her spare time. To see more of Conway's work, follow her on social media @illuminataglass.
