BIO
Rik Allen, 1967, Providence, B.A. in Anthropology, Franklin Pierce University.
Rik’s earliest and formative glass studio experiences and education came as a studio assistant in Providence, working with a number of wonderful artists, Daniel Clayman, James Watkins, and Michael Scheiner. Rik relocated to Washington in 1994, where he joined the William Morris team at the Pilchuck Glass School for thirteen years.
Rik has had numerous solo exhibitions of his sculptures through out the country, including the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, the Museum of Northwest Art, and Traver Gallery, Blue Rain Gallery, Schantz Gallery, and Duncan McClellan Gallery.
His sculptures have been acquired for a number of public and private collections, including Glass Museum in Tacoma, Imagine Museum and Toyoma Institute of Glass, Blue Origin, Boeing, Amazon and SpaceX.
In 2018 Rik was awarded the “Grand Artist of the future†Award by the Imagine Museum.
Rik and his wife, Shelley Muzylowski, work from their beautiful rural home and studio in Skagit County Washington.
STATEMENT
My work is as much about outer space as inner space. At first glance, the work may seem to be all about the exploration of the cosmos, but a closer look reveals more humble elements that speak of memory and transparency, revealing inner and outward perspectives.
By incorporating elements that appear worn and experienced, as well as vestiges of an earlier era, I hope to give the work a sense of experimentation, invention, and exploration.
My intent is to open up the imaginations of viewers whose own narratives shift as their minds move from exterior perspective of these vessels to inner possibilities.