Manolo Aguilera
Manolo Aguilera is a Mexican-born glass artist based in Seattle, Washington. Originally from Veracruz, his work draws from his Indigenous Mexican heritage, bringing ancestral symbolism into dialogue with Venetian and contemporary glassblowing techniques. His sculptural forms explore identity, transformation, and cultural continuity through a balance of fluidity, precision, and material presence.
Aguilera has worked with Chihuly Inc. for more than two decades, mastering every role in the hotshop from Loader to Gaffer, and has assisted artists including James Mongrain, Preston Singletary, and Jason Christian. That depth of technical experience underpins a practice that is increasingly personal and culturally specific, particularly in works drawing on the nopal cactus and Mesoamerican ancestral imagery.
In 2022, Aguilera founded Everett Glassworks LLC, an independent hotshop supporting both his own studio practice and the broader glass community. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum, and Schack Art Center.
This version is much stronger for STROBEL because it establishes both the rigor of his glass training and the distinct cultural language of the work.
Studio Glass.
View available works by Manolo Aguilera →
Watch Manolo Aguilera on Cascade PBS
Art by Northwest: Fire Breather: Emmanuel “Manolo” Aguilera-Santos