2005-Current Free-lance Glassblower, Prairie Dog Glass, Santa Fe, NM
- Assists other artists in production
- Produces own artwork using PDG studio
2001-2005 Production Assistant, Taos Glass Arts, Taos, NM
- Volunteered as an assistant for troubled youth apprenticeship programs
- Produced artwork to sell in support of TGA Programs
- Assisted artists renting TGA's facilities
1996-2001 Production Head Manager, Trails West, INC., El Guique, NM
- Managed Factory, overseeing production and sales
- Maintained relationships and oversaw transactions with suppliers and clients
- Represented business at trade shows
- Responsible for hiring and directing employees
1993-1996 Production Assistant, Glass Improvement, Espanola, NM
- Trained on the job to blow glass, producing glassware for wholesale
- Oversaw production
Education
1993 Graduated High School, Espanola Valley High School, Espanola, NM
Artist Venues
The following establishments currently represent Robert's Work:
- Gloryhole Glassworks Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
- The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture gift shop, Santa Fe, NM
- Zane Wheeler Gallery, Taos, NM
- Rain Dance Gallery, Durango, CO
- The Ohkay Owingeh Arts Cooperative, Ohkay Owingeh, NM
- Fine Arts Museum Gift Shop and Permanent Collection, Colorado Springs, CO
- The Smithsonian Gifts Shops, ME and Washington DC
- The Institute of American Indian Arts Museum Gift Shop, Santa Fe, NM
Achievements and Shows
2007
49th Annual Heard Museum, Indian Market, Phoenix, AZ
Show: "Indigenous Perspective" along with Ira Lujan, Lloyd Kiva New Gallery
Third Place Award in Sculpture, 86th Annual Santa Fe Indian Market
Show: "Native American Exhibition" along with Ira Lujan, Gloryhole Glassworks Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2006
Second Place Award in Sculpture, 85th Annual Santa Fe Indian Market, Santa Fe, NM
Native Treasures Indian Art Market, Santa Fe, NM
48th Annual Heard Museum Indian Market, Phoenix, AZ
2005
Show: "A Different Kind of Seed" at the American Indian Community House Gallery, New York, NY
47th Annual Heard Museum Indian Market, Phoenix, AZ
Pueblo Grande Museum Indian Market, Phoenix, AZ
First Annual Small Wonders Indian Market, Santa Fe, NM
2001-2005
Assisted Tony Jojola in the production of a glass and ceramic sculpture for permanent installation in the
Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ
Spooner was born in Espanola and raised in Ohkay Owingeh. His mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all have worked with clay so it was a natural transition to learn the art of off-hand glass blowing. Coming from a mixed European and Native American background has offered a unique prospective on his approach to creating art. His great-grandmother was Regina Cata whose work in reviving ceramic techniques has been a source of inspiration. With creativity in his blood and a passion for working with his hands, Spooner set out to achieve his dreams
In 1993 his first job out of high school was at a production glass works in downtown Espanola. There he spent three years making juice cups, becoming more and more fascinated with the properties of this super cool liquid and absorbing the basic knowledge it takes to create a blown glass vessel. The glass works closed its doors in 1996 and he took a job in a wood working factory eventually owning that business but he knew he would always come back to hot glass. In 2000 Spooner learned of a glass studio in Taos which would become the center of his experience with glass for the next five years. During this time he honed his skills and kept them sharp by teaching glass art to troubled youth. He was also able to collaborate with other pueblo craftsmen who shared the same interest in glass.
Presently Spooner lives with his family in Ohkay Owingeh and works at a hot shop in Santa Fe as a free lance glass blower and production artist. He participates in annual art fairs such as Santa Fe Indian Market, The Heard Museum Market, Native Treasures and others. His main goals are to keep pushing new techniques in glass and to spread the knowledge he has accumulated to the next generation.
"Working with hot glass is like mixing martial arts with ballet. It requires dicipline, finesse, respect, patience and an intimate understanding of the movement it takes to use gravity and heat as tools. This medium takes a lifetime to master and I expect I will never cease to learn something new. In time, I hope to have the resources to teach kids how to work with glass so this craft can be further incorporated into Native American artworks"