Trenton Quiocho is a Filipino-American glassblower and Tacoma, WA native who has worked with glass for over 20 years. His work is a reflection on how migration carries cultural knowledge to new lands where traditions are shifted, eroded, and erased. In addition to his active studio practice, he is also part of the glassblowing team at the Chihuly Boathouse and the Museum of Glass. He curated and exhibited at Tacoma Art Museum's GATHER: 27 Years of Hilltop Artists exhibition in 2022, and has also been featured in group exhibitions throughout Washington and Canada. He has held residencies at Barrio Glassworks, Corning Museum of Glass, Museum of Glass, and Pilchuck Glass School. Quiocho has received awards from the Allied Arts Foundation, Museum of Glass, and Pratt Fine Art Center. His work is included in permanent collections at the Burke Museum, Corning Museum of Glass, Museum of Glass, Tacoma Community College, and Tacoma Art Museum. He was also a contestant on the Netflix glassblowing competition show, Blown Away.

Through glass, I explore the ways in which I preserve and reimagine the rich histories, folktales, and Filipino traditions lost through colonization and migration. I’m inspired by the lived experiences of diasporic Filipinos, such as the Sakadas who worked the sugar cane plantations in Hawai’i, the Manongs who tilled the land in California, the Alaskeros who worked in the salmon canneries in Alaska and Washington, and the motherland from which they came.

Glass provides the opportunity for me to create a revitalized visual language that speaks to this cultural history, and through it, breathe new life into the folktales and stories behind them. My art practice affirms my connection to this history, helps me explore and understand its symbolism, and sparks my curiosity to learn more about Filipino culture and history. Strengthening my connection to my cultural heritage has shifted my personal narrative as a glassblower and highlights how I share these attributes with those who came before me.