Who is Morgan Peterson? 'Blown Away' Season 4 contestant wins Netflix show with 'dark humor' inspired glass art
HAMILTON, ONTARIO: Morgan Peterson emerged victorious in Season 4 of 'Blown Away,' securing a substantial cash prize of $100,000 by outshining his nine fellow competitors in the glassblowing competition.
Morgan also received a residency with Adriano Berengo which has been the contestant's lifelong dream. 'Blown Away' Season 4 winner is a glassblower and has worked with notable artists, including Buster Simpson and Bruce Mau. According to her profile, Morgan is a full-time team member for Dale Chihuly.
Morgan pursued a Bachelor's degree in S I M & Glass from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2006. After her graduation, the Netflix show contestant relocated to Seattle, Washington State to continue her education and pursue a career in the arts.
She completed her first in-person solo exhibition at Method Gallery, Seattle, WA, in October 2021. However, Morgan described her dark humor-inspired style as 'sick' and 'twisted'. She elaborated, "It's impossible to confuse my work with anyone else's. My creativity is going to set me apart."
The Netflix show contestant made it through the multiple challenging rounds and bagged the winning title with her dark humor-inspired glass art.
Morgan highly impressed Netflix show judge, Katherine Gray, as she complimented, "Morgan's has a ton of narrative, a ton of story, and Ryan's really strong technically." Katherine told Morgan, "Creatively, you are in a league of your own."
The 'Blown Away' Season 4 judge further noted, "Your glass tells a story. It's bold and it's edgy, and it's unapologetically you. No matter the challenge, you stay true to your own aesthetic, which is slightly terrifying. When we see a piece of yours, we can tell that it is a 'Morgan.'"
'Blown Away' Season 4 star Morgan Peterson creates crime scene installation
'Blown Away' Season 4 winner Morgan Peterson stuck to her aesthetic and dark humor-inspired glass art which also resulted in winning the competition. In the final project, Morgan and her team were allotted 10 hours to craft a glass masterpiece that aimed to impress and captivate the judges.
She created a crime scene installation and named the project, "If you asked me...". Morgan revealed in the confessional, "Ever since I was chosen to be a part of this competition, I've been dreaming of the final gallery, and hopefully, my idea is good enough."
The crime scene installation was based on 'six murders that occurred in Chicago in Chicago during the 1920s'. Morgan claimed to be 'obsessed' with 'musical Chicago' and wanted to depict it in her final piece.
In Morgan's final gallery, an array of elements was on display, encompassing shotgun shells, blood spatter, bottles, martini glasses, a shaker, an ice bucket, and even an arsenic bottle. The contestant also placed a big mirror because she wanted "this to be an interactive piece."
Morgan enhanced the realism of her art by incorporating footprints on the ground. Furthermore, she introduced UV lights that illuminated the piece in the dark, highlighting the intricate details of her glass masterpiece.
After creating the art, she told the camera, "I feel like I've earned all my wins in the competition, but this is the one I want, the one I've always wanted." She added, "I've had a taste, a lick of the spoon, now I want the whole bowl."
Who wins the 'Blown Away' Season 4 runner-up spot?
Glassblowing artist Ryan Blythe bagged the 'Blown Away' Season 4 runner-up spot. For his final installation, he created a pendulum hung from the center of the gallery which could swing and draw ellipses in the sand below it. Netflix shows star titled his art, 'Where you are is where you need to be'.
The judges were impressed with Ryan's work and the host Hunter March complimented him by saying, "You have showcased true command skills and technique, and obvious talent in the Venetian style."
He added, "We soon learned you had tricks up your sleeve, perhaps that you weren't even aware of, creating some of the most impressive art of the entire competition." Hunter further noted that Ryan opened himself up during the competition and let go of his quest for perfection "and in doing so, became an artist with a boundless future in glass."
However, Ryan was hopeful of winning the Netflix competition and noted in the confessional, "Being here, I've learned so much about myself as an artist, as a craftsman, and what I'm capable of. Winning this competition would validate the 12 years that I've spent tirelessly pursuing excellence in this craft."
'Blown Away' Season 4 is now available to stream on Netflix.
