Martin Blank explains the gaffer’s role in glassblowing. Oral history interview with Martin Blank by Barb Elam, conducted via telephone, January 31, 2020, Bard Graduate Center. Clip length: 01:57.

Martin Blank: So I was the main gaffer or master blower for Dale for many, many years. And my responsibility was to sort of be able to climb inside Dale’s head and interpret the images into three dimensional objects. And we had a real nice synergy and understanding of each other, and he would often draw with his two fingers in the air. And he would, you know, do his double line, draw it in the air with two fingers, and he said, ‘You got it?’ And I’m like, ‘Well….’ And he’d draw it again in the air. And then my role was to then manifest that object and run the team. So being the gaffer or the master blower, you’re not just responsible for making the object, you also have to make sure that all nine people on the team are focused and heading in the direction that you want so that you can complete the piece. So there’s a lot that’s going on. You’re not just making the object. But ultimately, the purpose is, I create the shapes that Dale wants me to make. And he was the conductor of the orchestra where everyone in the orchestra was first string. And we all had certain talents. And one of my gifts with Dale was being able to help him explore shape and get it out in space. And that was a unique thing that we had. Whenever we would go to a new country, my role with him was the guy that he would love to sculpt with. We just hit it off and I could really get a sense, being a sculptor, ‘Oh, you mean you want to look like this?’ And as it’s unfolding, I would try and make it look as dramatic as possible and not cookie cutter. So we were sort of sculpting together, you know? And, and I knew, you know, he took it to heart that I was responsible for creating this brilliant visionary human being’s artwork. And so I was on point trying to think, ‘What’s going to make this glass object be the strongest and most intriguing object that I could make?’