Meet Mike da Ponte | Glass/Mixed Media Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike da Ponte and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois’ northwest suburbs. I had a conventional childhood but being adopted was the one thing that always I felt separated me from my friends. My mother is white and Canadian, while my father’s family immigrated to Canada when he was a child from Portugal. They are now both citizens of the US.

I remember when I was little people would always say to my dad, “he looks like you,” mainly because he has a darker complexion, but we honestly don’t look much alike aside from our skin color. This lack of personal identity is kind of what drove me to create over time. I would say as far back as I can remember, I have always been very curious about my origin story. I’m a curious person in general. But growing up I always felt like that small piece of me was missing being surrounded by my friends and even family who looked like their parents and siblings.

College was an experimental part of my life where I began to explore these contemporary themes with a bit more in-depth investigation. This was a strange time in my life because I was kind of lost with the whole creative process. I wasn’t sure what exactly it was I wanted to do with my skills. At the time, I was heavily involved in graphic design, and it seemed like a good fit until I found glass. This kind flipped my world upside down. I knew almost immediately I was making a mistake pursuing graphic design, as glass was this unique material, I had been subliminally searching for my entire life.

Growing up I would always watch my dad build and fix things. From designing and creating layouts for wine cellars in our basement, to rebuilding the two-tiered deck, even fixing the wooden fence, there was always work to be done on the weekends. I picked up on a lot of hand skills and really admired his craftsmanship. My Dad has an engineering background, so working with his hands was a common practice in his own home. Although he changed career paths, physical work never subsided. I think this work ethic is something that really translated well for me when I began glass. I had some great teachers at the time that really felt the same way when working towards goals and expectations, so I think this kind of mentality helped me excel inside and outside of the shop.

This industry is a grind. Glass is physical and tough on your body. It’s also challenging to make a consistent living if you choose to fully embrace the artist’s path. I did not choose the path of a studio artist full-time, because for me it isn’t sustainable having a wife and two children. I did however find a lot of comfort in teaching. I’m currently a shop technician for a high school glass studio that boasts a two-thousand square foot facility, and arguably better than a lot of college facilities. Teaching is something I kind of fell backward into while developing this role and figuring out what responsibilities come with this job. Over the past ten years, I have confidently grown as a younger educator figuring out how to simplify these complex processes so we can teach them to kids in an eighty-minute class period. My mom was an early childhood teacher and I fully believe that her care and compassion for teaching was something that I shadowed forging my own path in educating teenagers. I think her approach to helping others has always been genuine which is why I feel like I try my best to connect with my students as much as possible.

On the outside, I look nothing like my parents. But when you start to peel back the layers, I possess many qualities or characteristics that are almost identical to them. While a lot of my art embraces these similarities and differences, I think it’s important to understand your own path and reflect on who we are as individuals and where our place is, in this world.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Before there was glass in my life, graphic design was my main outlet for creativity. Adobe illustrator became my backbone and illustration and typography fascinated me. After I found glass making, my focus shifted to understanding this material and the multiple processes it has to offer, leaving my design history in limbo for many years. If COVID-19 has really taught me anything, it’s sometimes we need to reset our minds to come back with fresh new perspectives on work. The time spent at home really enabled me to work through some new ideas and techniques. My Communication series  is a dramatically different approach to the way I have been predominantly working with glass since my early years of working in the studio. All the time away from the hot glass studio allowed me to dive headfirst back into my roots of graphic design and typography and combine digital processes with tangible three-dimensional sculptures in glass. The work right now is focusing on the Times New Roman typeface utilizing the anatomy of each letter character to create relationships, and narratives, and exploring different avenues of life and its complexities. A typeface is a family of different characters and symbols that make it specific to the style and name provided, much like the individual identities of people, culture, and geography. To me, the beauty of glass is its versatility. It doesn’t have to be one thing, but it can be anything.

I think this journey has been anything but easy, but working hard is something that I’m happy doing if it’s for something I love doing. When I started thinking about going back to school to get my certification I would kind of freeze up. School has always been a challenge for me but I think the mindset is totally different going back as an adult versus being a kid. I think the hardest challenge I faced going back to school was just balancing work/family life and classes. In the end, things worked out and I’m happy I finally earned my degree.

I think it’s important for people to know that the work doesn’t happen overnight. To be successful you have to put yourself out there. You need to assist, experiment, fail, and do it over and over again until you reach a spot where you are happy. Once you get there, set new goals and keep moving forward. It takes years to become decent and I’m happy knowing I’m still learning new things on a daily basis from others. It’s a great community of makers willing to help each other out.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is tough! One of my favorite spots in the city is Delilah’s, which is a fun bar that has a good whiskey list and over 200 beers to choose from. The cool thing about this bar is that they support local artists and actively rotate artwork throughout the year, so every time you go there’s new stuff up. They also play old horror/monster movies along with heavy metal, punk, and rock all the time.

All of the museums in Chicago are great, the Art Institute, Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium.

The architecture tour on the river is pretty wild too, but best done in the summer when it’s warm out. I would take them inside the Chicago Cultural Center to see the Grand Room Rotunda Stained Glass Dome and Tiffany Glass Dome. It’s absolutely stunning to see in person.

The Chicago pizza tour is a must! You basically walk from pizzeria to pizzeria sampling all the different kinds of deep-dish pizza while consuming beers and almost having a heart attack by the end. The tour guides are knowledgeable about the history of each pizza place as well as the different areas they are in. It’s fun but you have to have an empty stomach because it’s a lot of food!

I also would take them to my favorite burger spot, Owen and Engine. Hands down, the best burger in Chicago.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Illinois State University- Wonsook Kim School of Art: This place really helped me discover who I am today. All the professors and studios in this school provided me with the tools, knowledge, and resources I needed to grow and remain curious about art and the many avenues it offers. I don’t look at this place as a school, but as a home where many people helped me pursue my dreams. Specifically speaking to the head professor of glass, John Miller, and the two graduate students at the time, Slate Grove and John Moran. These three guys really opened the door wide for me with glassmaking. They have supported my goals and continue to teach and inspire me to this day.

My wife (Terie): My backbone since I found glass. She often will think about the times when I would make her sit and watch me make a cup in the hot shop, and it would take hours to make one. She reminds me of all the hard work I have put into this career and that hard work comes with pursuing something you love. She makes me the best possible creative person I can be and for that, I’m forever in debt.

Monique Boyd: I met Monique ten years ago when I had just graduated college. At the time, I had no interest in becoming an educator but over the years I developed a deep passion for teaching because of her. From day one she has believed in my abilities and supported my professional career as an emerging artist. I see the impact she has made on all her students during her tenure at this school and it’s something I aspire to do when the time comes for me to teach, wherever that may be. She is the reason I went back to school to complete my Master’s degree and certification in teaching.

Jason Chakravarty: Jason, thanks for supporting my work and believing in me. I owe a lot of thanks for helping me get things going, way back when. I appreciate all of the opportunities you share and I’m thankful for our friendship over the years.

Website: www.mikedaponte.com

Instagram: @dapsglass

Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/mike-da-ponte-41034521b