"Lino Tagliapietra is arguably the world's finest living glassblower. Raised on the island of Murano, the Venetian glass center, Tagliapietra began learning the trade at the age of 11 from Muranese masters and had earned the title of maestro by age 21. He first came to Seattle in 1979, and openly shared his unsurpassed experience, understanding, and knowledge of traditional Venetian glassblowing techniques with artists in the United States. In return, he gained an appreciation for the American artists' quest for creative expression through experimentation and individual creativity, pushing him beyond his excellence in execution and into the realm of studio art. Claudia Gorbman explores Tagliapietra's current work in Maestro, which presents masterpieces created during the past decade (2002-2012). Her essay investigates the medium of glass as alchemy (its dichotomies, pleasures and properties) as well as the artist himself and his role in universally elevating the art and craft of glassmaking and changing the course of contemporary glass worldwide.Claudia Gorbman is professor of film studies at the University of Washington Tacoma. She is the author of Unheard Melodies (a book on film music), the translator and editor of five books by the French critic and composer Michel Chion, and co-editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of New Audiovisual Aesthetics"--