Serendipity.
When the term was first coined in a letter between friends nearly 300 years ago, it referred to any happy discovery made possible through a special combination of chance and openness. Chance mattered, sure. It determined the nature of the discovery. But openness—prepared, flexible, and inquisitive—was the key to the new concept’s power.
Bullseye started as a stained glass manufacturer. We had a clear purpose, an established market, a defined set of skills. And then, thanks to the right blend of chance, gumption, insight, and devil-may-care curiosity, the company began reinventing itself around the development of compatible colored glass. At the time, the move probably seemed a little crazy. Looking back, it’s hard to see it as anything but serendipitous.
That core connection to serendipity—to choosing curiosity over safe bets—is part of why we’ve always prioritized working with artists. Helping them chase ideas helps us continue practicing the posture of openness that made us. Our lineup of public classes also keeps that posture in mind. We’re always trying to teach not just that being surprised by glass is inevitable, but that it’s desirable. By modeling this attitude, we hope we’re equipping our community to collaborate with glass, to participate in the magic our material is so good at facilitating.
Over the years, few of Bullseye’s partners have understood this ethos as deeply as Judy Tuwaletstiwa. Whether as an artist or a teacher, Judy’s attention to serendipity is generally unmistakable. In Metamorphosis, a class she co-teaches with our own Ted Sawyer, Judy helps students strengthen their ability to re-cognize their own feelings and instincts. She leads them to connect creatively with themselves and others, but without agenda. On gma judy, a Tik Tok channel she runs with her grandson Caleb Sohigian, Judy draws viewers into reflections that cut against the grain of social media’s normal disposable attention economy. Their video on “Ana’s Masterpiece,” for example, has garnered 6.8 million views, nearly a million likes, and over 11,000 overwhelmingly positive comments. Something special about Judy and Caleb’s videos is captivating audiences around the world.
To share that exciting exposure with Bullseye, Judy and Caleb recently joined Ted for a residency in our Klaus Moje Center for Research and Education. Over five days, the trio recorded themselves exploring radical creative openness. Their experiments included tracing hands (a gesture inspired by Judy’s earlier intergenerational projects), tying themselves together with string, and even using shadows as prompts during a prolonged power outage.
The residency generated several fascinating glassworks, along with a wealth of ideas about creative ideation and teaching methodologies. But more immediately, it produced a treasure trove of video content that will hopefully soon introduce entirely new communities to Bullseye’s curious culture—and our serendipitous glass.
Gma Judy – https://www.tiktok.com/@judytuwaletstiwa
Judy’s BECon talk – https://vimeo.com/81158759