AU MFA Brad Turner competes on Netflix 'Blown Away'

Blown Away, the Netflix reality series that sets up a 10-part, head-to-head competition between 10 international glass artists, just released its second season of the series – featuring among its competitors Brad Turner, who received his MFA from Alfred University’s School of Art and Design in 2013.

Born in Calgary, Turner currently lives in Toronto with his wife, Annie Tung, who teaches at Ontario College of Art and Design University. He is a resident artist at Toronto’s Harborfront Centre, and he and Tung have a 3-year-old daughter.

You can watch Turner compete on Blown Away, which was released recently on Netflix. The winner of the 10 individual competitions is to receive a residency at the Corning Museum of Glass, along with a cash award. No spoilers here.

Turner says he qualified for the second season after submitting an application to compete in the first season of Blown Away. “I made the short list for the first season, but I didn’t quite make the cut for the final ten. I applied again for the second season, and this time I made the cut.”

Filming for Blown Away was done in Hamilton, Ontario, about 50 miles from Toronto, over a six-week period during which Turner and the other competitors were housed on-site. Since Netflix released the second season, Turner says he has enjoyed an uptick in the sales of his smaller glass pieces. There has also been considerable interest in his larger art; however, work restrictions stemming from Canada’s own response to the COVID 19 pandemic have made studio work difficult, Turner says.

Turner maintains a website.

In addition to his appearance on Blown Away, Turner has received numerous awards, including support from the British Columbia Achievement Foundation, the BC Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, and Craft Ontario. He also received the 2013 Canadian Award for Glass.

Turner says he decided to study at Alfred University after conversations with other glass artists confirmed the University’s reputation as a leading academic institution in the field of glass art.

Travel restrictions currently have closed the U.S.-Canadian border, but Turner says he is looking forward to visiting Alfred University once the restrictions are lifted.

“The pandemic has forced patience on people,” he says.