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Meet Dominique Zacherle
FINDING CONFIDENCE, COURAGE, AND MOMENTUM THROUGH FIRE AND GLASS
“Glass feeds my spirit.”
Three years ago, Dominique walked into the flameworking studio carrying her torch and tools, unsure of what would happen next. What she found was not just access to equipment, but a community — and a creative practice that continues to expand in unexpected directions.
We sat down to talk about glass, ceremony, collaboration, and what it means to build confidence in yourself as an artist, and beyond.
Access changes everything.
Dominique: I came to Seattle about three years ago. It wasn’t supposed to be permanent. I was looking for a change of scene and something to keep me busy.
My auntie had a friend who used to rent space here, and she told me, “There’s a place you can bring your torch.”
I’ve been flameworking for about ten years. When I was 19, I bought my own kiln, my torch, my tools. I was self-taught — books, YouTube, all of it. I worked in my garage by myself for years.
So I came to the front desk and said, “I’ve been a flame-worker for a long time. I just need access to the studio.”
I was nervous. I was used to my little setup at home. Now there were big tanks, protocols, other artists working around me.
After my access test, I remember sitting there and having this crazy déjà vu. A big table. A big light. People walking around making things. I felt like I had dreamed of being in a space like that.
I remember thinking, I feel like I am exactly where I’m supposed to be.
“I remember thinking, I feel like I am exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
For Dominique, glass is a medium for ceremony and centering.
Dominique: As a kid, there was a hot shop down the street from my house. I used to skateboard down there and watch them make mushroom beads and little trinkets. I remember thinking, when I’m older, I want to blow glass.
I couldn’t get it out of my head.
Glass is very intimate. Very focused. It’s like being in your own zone. It’s part of my ceremony. It feeds my spirit. It centers me.
It’s something I can lean on — but it’s also something I don’t fully know. You can always learn more from glass.
Being self-taught, I was really boxed in to making certain things because I didn’t have anyone teaching me. Coming here and meeting other artists expanded everything.
“You guys really wrapped your arms around me. People are invested in you as a person, not just an artist.”
At Pratt, you find more than creativity. You find community.
Dominique: People are invested in you as a person, not just an artist.
It was a very welcoming feeling — like coming into a place you’ve always been. People make eye contact. They say, “Hey, what are you doing? How are you?”
In other shops, I’d experienced gatekeeping. Not very welcoming. But here, people share. They trade colors. They help each other.
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Last week I opened my toolbox and a friend had wrapped a little experimental silver and stuck it in there. I was like, dude, thank you. Those little things make somebody’s day.
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It’s like we’re all a family in there.
Receiving the John and Mary John Scholarship in Glass opened new doors.
Dominique: I started taking hot shop classes, casting classes, coldworking. I love casting. I love incorporating our traditional medicines into glass — cedar, sage, elderberries.
I made a glass canoe and cold worked it out. Turning ceremonial objects into glass was a dream.
Using the machines — sandblasting, coldworking — I would have never imagined I’d be able to learn that. Being able to just fill out a form and have access to that kind of equipment is huge.
Each space kind of points you to the next one. You do hot shop and realize you need coldworking. You start flameworking and get curious about casting. It keeps expanding.
“A lot of people think Native jewelry should look a certain way. I’m interested in breaking that barrier.”
Dominique’s jewelry blends traditional materials with contemporary glass.
Dominique: I love incorporating my new school with my old school.
A lot of people think Native jewelry should look a certain way. I’m interested in breaking that barrier.
I use antler buttons, horsehair, historical materials — and then I bring glass into it. It gives me the opportunity to bring out my own color and style. Make it pop.
There’s not a lot of artists that get to work with so many different materials. I feel lucky to bridge those worlds.
When asked what she would say to someone thinking about coming to Pratt, Dominique doesn’t hesitate.
Dominique: Just step in.
You don’t have to prove yourself. You don’t have to know everything. There’s no gatekeeping here. It takes me two buses and a train to get here. It’s a trek. But it’s absolutely worth it.
When I walk through those doors, I know I’m going to see somebody. I’m going to have a good conversation. I’m going to make something beautiful.
And my day is already better.
Dominique’s story reveals a powerful truth: that confidence and creativity can be nurtured through the organic connections, conversations, and relationships that come with being part of a community. At Pratt, we are excited to shine a spotlight on the creators that make this community thrive through Artist Spotlight.
You can follow Dominque's journey and find more of her work @nikxnazacherle.