Meet artist Nate Watson, the 2022 Better Futures Luncheon Keynote Speaker

“ My life is about creating moments of belonging and it feels like I’m supposed to be here.”  – Nate Watson

Hilltop Artists is thrilled to feature artist, educator, and activist Nate Watson as our keynote speaker for the 2022 Better Futures Luncheon. He is an inspiring figure in the glass world, our community at-large, and especially our students.

We recently interviewed Nate and went beyond his inspiring CV, bio, and projects to talk about some of the heart and passion behind all that he does.

Nate’s path to becoming an artist doesn’t initially appear to be a straight one. Though he considers himself to have always been an artist at his core, Nate dedicated himself to sports in his youth.

“I’ve never not been part of a team; from farming with my family as a kid, to competing in sports through college, and then my introduction to glass, Nate shared. “It’s the collective work, the growth that happens within a group of people, and the celebrating and accomplishing goals together that motivates me.” 

“This feels very familiar in my understanding of Hilltop Artists,” he went on to explain, “The folks who make up this incredible community thrive on the successes of each individual and put a lot into making incredible challenges seem a lot less scary.

“As a teen, I was obsessed with sports; I wanted to play professional soccer. My days were spent quietly, inside my own head dreaming, and my evenings were spent with 18-20 other teammates, trying to figure out how to function as one efficient organism.  In my mind, I was a poet, an actor, a writer, and a sculptor, but when I got around my team, I was something totally different. I became an extreme extrovert: an organizer, and a leader who understood the importance of every single person.” 

Nate’s hopes to become a professional athlete ended with an injury in college. This led Nate to the glass shop at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky and he never looked back. 

Being in the hot shop and working with a team of glass artists brought together what had felt like an unbreachable dichotomy. With glass, Nate could be his whole self, contradictions and all. “The studio had everything that I already loved and it allowed my inside life and my outside life to become one. The artist in my brain got to have a body and a voice and I’ve just continued to do the same things no matter where I go.”  

All this was made possible because someone took a chance and made the impossible possible. 

When Nate initially tried to enroll, the class was full, but the artist and teacher Stephen Powell (who later became Nate’s mentor) didn’t put him off. Instead, Powell welcomed Nate into the class. Nate draws a parallel between this event to what happens at Hilltop Artists.

“Holding doors open and creating opportunities for young people who haven’t got it all quite figured out yet is something akin to offering up miracles to individuals,” said Nate.

Nate graduated with a BA in history from Centre College, and went on to receive an MFA from the California College of Arts. Nate led Public Glass in San Francisco for eleven years as the executive director. He has lectured as a visiting artist at Massachusetts College of Art, UC Fullerton, University of San Francisco, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, and RISD. 

Nate is also one of three founding members of the arts collective Related Tactics (with Michelle Carlson and Weston Teruya), which “facilitates projects at the intersection of race, art, and culture. Their projects have been supported by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco, Berkeley Art Center, Kellen Gallery (New York, NY), Augusta University, and Southern Exposure’s Alternative Exposure grant program.”

“When excitement and challenge exceeds my fear of failure, then I know I’m on the right path, “ Nate explained, “working in the arts as a glassmaker, a visual artist, an activist, a teacher, and as an Executive Director has been a terrifying endeavor for me, but I’ve never been alone and the potential for envisioning new possibilities is too exciting to be afraid.”

Nate worked with Hilltop Artists students at Pilchuck this past May as a part of Better Together, a Black artists collective. He was impressed with how at ease our young artists are with the medium: “I was admittedly a little jealous that these young people were able to connect with the material and with each other at such a young age.”

He’s excited to see what’s next for these young people, advising them to “use every opportunity you have to find something that makes you excited! Young people are underestimated, and sadly often underestimate themselves. You can express yourself now. You can make a difference right now. You can find things you’re passionate about right now. Don’t waste time.”

After more than a decade in arts administration, Nate is looking forward to teaching again; he has joined the 3D4M department at the University of Washington in Seattle this fall to teach glass and graduate seminars. 

“I think that rather than falling in love with glass, now that I reflect, maybe I was always in love with it,” Nate mused. He continued, “I just wasn’t able to see it until I was welcomed into the studio at Centre College. Glass as a culture, a social space, a process, and a material has everything I love. It’s loud and silent. It’s soft and strong. It’s honest and reflective. It will tell you the truth about yourself. Glass is my friend.”

Having relocated to the Seattle area, Nate hopes to be able to spend more time with Hilltop Artists students, and we look forward to having him! “I couldn’t be more excited to be working amidst the most robust and talented glass community in the world.”

Nate’s story reveals many truths: life doesn’t always go as planned, but sometimes that’s for the better; experience leads to growth; and the generosity of one person can have a domino effect. 

Not all Hilltop Artists students may become glass artists, but they will all come away knowing themselves better and with skills vital to whatever they pursue. 

We don’t always get to know the difference one inspiring guest artist may have on a student, or the life-altering trajectory created by a “yes” that could have been a “no,” or if learning about glass helped a student realize they want to be a scientist. But, with the help of our community, we will continue to make Hilltop Artists a safe place for young people to learn, express themselves, try new things, and know that they are valued.

Hear more from Nate, our community, and our students at the 2022 Better Futures Luncheon October 4th, 2022.