Our Demo Team

Dan Alexander

Dan Alexander grew up in a small town in Northeast Ohio, where he developed a deep interest in art, history, nature, and the creative process. From the moment he first witnessed glass being made, he knew it was a craft he had to master.

He pursued his passion by earning a BFA with a concentration in glass from Kent State University. During his time there, he explored glass as a creative medium while studying color theory, composition, art history, and other materials.

After graduation, Dan continued honing his craft by studying under some of the top glass artists working today. He spent time in Murano, Italy, apprenticing with Maestro Davide Salvadore to create large-scale blown glass artworks. He also worked for the Corning Museum of Glass as Lead Gaffer, spending six years traveling internationally and educating audiences about the science and history of glassmaking.

Dan later served as Studio Director at a glass factory in St. Louis and as an adjunct professor at Washington University. In these roles, he oversaw studio operations and production, created site-specific installations, and taught glassblowing and design.

Since 2016, Dan has focused on establishing himself as an independent artist. His work has earned recognition through prestigious residencies, including the Emerging Artist Residency at Duncan McClellan Gallery (St. Petersburg, FL), the AACG Professional Artist Residency at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts (Reading, PA), and the Empire of Glass residency and exhibition in Vienna, Austria. He was also nominated for the Glass Art Society’s Saxe Emerging Artist Award and received an International Exhibiting Artist Award from the Effect, Dream, Transform exhibition in Üsküdar, Türkiye.

Ian Billig

Born in 1999 in Tampa, FL, Ian Billig first discovered glass art after seeing a demonstration at the Morean Art Center in 2018. From that point on, he became fascinated with the medium. Ian started attending Craft Schools around the country such as Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, ME, and Penland School of Craft in Spruce Pine, NC, learning as much as he could from talented artists such as Kenny Pieper, Pablo Soto, and many more. During that time, he became a very skilled coldworker and a hot glass artist. Now coming full circle, Ian is currently working at the Morean Art Center, where he took his first class, to continue his passion of coldworking creating many interesting items and learning more about the medium each day from his fellow glass artists.

Harry Boux

It was as a child that Harry Boux became intrigued by the art of glass blowing. As he was first introduced through his father, Chuck Boux, who was taking lessons at Old Brooklyn Glass, New York in 1989. Harry started his apprenticeship at the age of 13 in 1994, at Sigma Glass in St. Petersburg, FL. Once he was tall enough to gather glass out of a furnace, Harry started what would become his lifelong profession. By the age of 16, he worked in his father’s hot shop up to thirty hours a week blowing glass. As Harry got older, he regularly traveled around Florida participating in art shows. Now nearly 26 years into his career, Harry is widely considered to be a master crafter working alongside many artists and helping educate the community about glass blowing. Currently at the age of 39, Harry is a Glass Artist in St. Petersburg Florida working at the Morean Arts Center. He is the team leader for many creative projects throughout the area and is deeply embedded in the local creative community.

Kimberly Fahey

Kimberly was born and raised in New Jersey, where her fascination with glass first ignited during a grade school field trip to Wheaton Village. From that moment forward, she immersed herself in every creative outlet available, from ceramics, painting, and graphic design to photography and the performing arts. This multidisciplinary foundation continues to inform her approach, where curiosity and exploration are at the core of her practice.

Her in-depth study of glass began at Jacksonville University, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Photography and a minor in Glass Art. Though photography edged ahead in credits, glass quickly revealed itself as her greatest love and most demanding challenge. For Kimberly, glassblowing is both athletic and meditative—requiring physical stamina, mental clarity, and a willingness to surrender to the material’s intensity.

After a decade dedicated to her family’s company, Kimberly has returned to her passion, relocating to St. Petersburg in 2024 to fully immerse herself in glass once again. Her current focus is refining technique while channeling years of stored creative energy into new work. She is especially captivated by glass’s interaction with light, and looks forward to exploring carving methods that translate her 2D designs onto blown forms, alongside ambitious large-scale casting projects.

Leilani Rogers

Leilani Rogers is a member of the Morean Arts Center demonstration team. She first discovered her passion for glassblowing when she watched a demonstration following a visit to the Chihuly Collection, an experience that inspired her to pursue classes at the Morean and begin her glass journey.For Leilani, glassblowing is more than a craft—it’s a release, a process that requires deep focus and attention, offering both creative and meditative satisfaction. As she continues to hone her skills, Leilani is dedicated to developing a body of work that showcases her cultural heritage and personal experiences while also incorporating her other artistic mediums.With each piece, Leilani strives to hone her skills in the craft and find new ways to connect with the material and draw closer to accomplishing the narrative pieces she is designing.

Anjali Singh

Born and raised in Chicago, IL, Anjali Singh received her 2016 Bachelor of Fine Art with a concentration in glass from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. During her time there, she received the Windgate Foundation Research Award and was a Rickert-Ziebold Trust Award Finalist in her thesis year. In furthering her glass education, Anjali has taken many workshops from Ethan Stern, David Schnuckel, and Stine Bistrup. In addition, she has worked at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York state before working at the Lincoln City Glass Center in Oregon.
Anjali’s passion for glass started immediately after seeing the material for the first time. She was struck with curiosity. She continues to focus around the technical skills involved to create glassblowing.

Matthew Szidik

Matthew Szidik grew up in Marion, IL located in the Shawnee National Forest. The nature surrounding him has had a deep impact on his life and art. Matthew spent a lot of his time exploring the forest and has cultivated a curiosity for natural beauty. After graduating highschool in 2015 Matthew attended Oglethorpe University, John A. Logan, and Southern Illinois University where he studied glassblowing under Nadine Saylor and Jiyoung Lee. Graduating with a BFA in the Arts and a Art history minor, Matthew moved to St. Pete to participate in the glass community. In the hotshop the possibilities are endless. Inspiration comes in many forms, nature, the bustling of the city, a feeling. Creating work that captures the surreal beauty of the world and the imagination of the viewer is my goal.

Benjamin Ugol

Benjamin was born in Woodland Hills, California in 1994. Benjamin began volunteering at a glass studio in his college town. After finishing school, Benjamin went knocking on doors looking for work. He was lucky enough to get an assistant job working for Davide Salvadore, an 11th generation glass blower, getting a traditional Venetian glassblowing apprenticeship. Finishing his apprenticeship get landed a job as a Demo Gaffer at the Morean Arts Centers Hot Shop and Glass Studio. Benjamin has been able to travel and work to a handful of other glass studio around the United State from Disney Worlds Arribas Brother on Main Street to Tulsa Glass Blowing school. 7 years later Benjamin receive the Studio Manger position at the Morean Hot Shop and Glass Studio.