Debora Moore facts for kids

Debora Moore, born in 1960 in St. Louis, Missouri, is a super talented artist. She creates amazing sculptures from glass. She is especially famous for her beautiful glass orchids!

About Debora Moore

Debora grew up in a military family in St. Louis, Missouri. She was one of six children. During many summers, she stayed with her grandparents. Their lovely garden and the art classes she took there really inspired her. These early experiences helped her decide to become an artist.

Before she started working with glass, Debora had many different jobs. She worked as a waitress and even as a model. Today, she is married to another glass artist named Benjamin Moore. Debora also owns her own art studio, called Fiori Studio, in Seattle, Washington.

Her Artistic Journey

Debora Moore began working with glass in the 1980s. She took classes at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle. She earned a special scholarship in 1990. This allowed her to learn glassblowing at the famous Pilchuck Glass School.

Learning and Teaching Glass Art

At Pilchuck, Debora worked with famous artists like Italo Scanga and Paul Marioni. She was also part of Dale Chihuly's glassblowing team. Debora has taught glassmaking at many places. These include the Pratt Fine Arts Center and Pilchuck. She even helped students at the Hilltop School in Tacoma, Washington.

Debora has been an artist-in-residence at several museums. This means she lived and worked there for a time. Some places include the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. She was also the first woman and first African American artist to be a resident at Abate Zanetti in Murano, Italy. This is a very important glassmaking center.

Creating Glass Orchids

Debora started making glass flowers in 1987. She is best known for her stunning glass orchids. She uses special techniques like glassblowing and hot sculpting. This helps her keep the glass looking bright and clear.

To make her orchids, Debora travels all over the world. She studies and sketches real orchids in their natural homes. She also gets ideas from old glass models of plants. These were made by artists named Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka. However, Debora uses her own ideas and imagination. She creates orchids that look like real flowers but are not exactly scientifically perfect.

Awards and Exhibitions

Debora Moore has received many awards and honors for her amazing work. In 2008, she won the American Style Award. She also received the Rakow Commission in 2007. This is a special award from The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York.

Her art has been shown in many museums around the world. She has had both solo shows and group exhibitions. Some places include the Chrysler Museum of Art and the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle. Her work is also part of permanent collections. This means museums own her pieces forever. You can find her art at The Corning Museum of Glass and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

On October 13, 2020, Debora was a speaker at a special online event. Her beautiful glass pieces, Cherry and Pink Lady Slipper Branch, were bought by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. They are now part of the Renwick Gallery's collection.