Alumnus Lee TaeHoon (Glass Art, Class of 2013), who currently serves as an adjunct professor in the Glass Art program at our university’s Graduate School of Design, has won the “2nd Seoul Glass Craft Award.”
 
The “Seoul Glass Craft Award” is the city’s first craft award, established to honor the legacy of the late Master Yoo Ri-ji—a leading artisan and educator of the first generation of modern Korean craft—and to foster the development of Korean craft while discovering and supporting talented contemporary craft artists. In this year’s competition—now in its second edition—20 works that demonstrated a balance of artistic merit, contemporary relevance, creativity, and practicality were selected as finalists from among the 128 artists who applied, and Adjunct Professor Lee Tae-hoon was chosen as the final recipient.

The award-winning work, *Nocturne in Misty Blue*, was created using the glassblowing technique—in which hot glass is blown into shape—and the filigree cane technique, which involves layering and twisting thin glass strands. The intricate, spiraling lines that wind around the deep blue spherical piece evoke the trails of stars accumulated in the night sky and the passage of time. The subtle shifts in color—from blue to green to azure—depending on the light and viewing angle, along with the mist-like, translucent surface, add depth to the work.
 
Artist Lee TaeHoon has based his work on the natural lines found in nature—starting with a single dandelion seed and extending to the trajectories of clouds and stars. The lines formed through repetition and rotation embody both the order intended by the artist and the serendipity that arises during the creative process, thereby expressing the passage of time and accumulated emotions.
 
Artist Lee TaeHoon shared his thoughts, saying, “This award is particularly meaningful because it goes beyond an evaluation of a single work; it recognizes the long creative journey that has spanned from dandelion seeds to the trajectories of clouds and stars, and on to the ‘Nocturne’ series.” He added, “I view this award not as the completion of my work but as a new starting point, and I look forward to further exploring the transparency and thickness of glass, as well as its depth in capturing light and its physical weight.”
 
The winning piece and other finalist works will be on display through October 11, 2026, at the “2nd Seoul Glass Craft Award Commemorative Exhibition” held at the Seoul Museum of Craft.