Highland Heights Glassblower Recognized At Art By The Falls

When Matt Fiorilli first saw the hot orange-red glow of a glass orb as it was pulled from a furnace, he was hooked.

“It was so alive,” Fiorilli said of the glass. “The heat of it and how the liquid was moving … it was like a moment of clarity.”

The next five years would take Fiorilli, 25, from classes at Kent State University to a studio in southern Oregon and back to Cleveland, where he now creates works of art  at Superior Hot Glass.

His work has caught the eye of artists and the public alike at area art shows, most recently earning an honorable mention at Art by the Falls in Chagrin Falls in June.

“I was very surprised when I got it,” said Fiorilli, a Highland Heights resident. “It makes you love what you’re doing.”

Though it was his fourth show, it was Fiorilli’s first award, giving him a confidence boost in his skills and preparing him for the Cain Park Arts Festival in Cleveland Heights next week.

To prepare, Fiorilli said he will make a minimum of three pieces a session, including glass platters and pendant lamps.

One session can last between two and six hours and it takes roughly an hour to make a piece, he said. His inspiration, he said, is his mentor and boss, Sue Berry.

Even with the hours he puts in, Fiorilli said things get hectic before a show.

“A couple days before a show I’m like a madman— I forget everything,” he said. “It’s like studying for an exam.”

While competing in shows isn’t necessarily a money-maker, Fiorelli said he also sells his work at arts and craft shows and creates custom pieces for businesses.

Still it’s not enough to pay the rent. To make ends meet, Fiorelli works as a chef in a steakhouse in East Cleveland.

But his passion is in the studio, where he’s never happier than when he’s teaching a class or making glass, working to “groovy” music like James Brown.

“It’s calming, it’s challenging, it’s a rewarding thing,” he said.