Risa Recio - TAK TAK founder and glassblower
Risa Recio is the glassblower and founder of TAK TAK, a joyful and humorous glassware brand based in Chicago, Illinois. Described by Risa as, “Frivolous, funny, feel silly as a reflection of ourselves,” TAK TAK glass pieces are everyday objects that bring delight and happiness. Starting out as a painter, Risa pursued glass blowing in grad school. She took an Experimental Glass class that brought new skills and experimenting with metals and glass or the timing of glass exposure. Creating silly face cups came from a desire for levity, and were something that made Risa smile. The silly face cups also made others smile. “I really think what inspires me is seeing how my pieces make other people feel. Honestly that's really sort of like the driving force, getting that reaction from other people. In a way, yeah I think that's the real motivation and inspiration for continuing this work,” shares Risa. Community is a big part of Risa’s life, and a place she has found community is Firebird Community Arts where she works with other artists and youth who have experienced PTSD from the South and West sides of Chicago to create art as a way to heal. “I was very lucky to be brought up with a strong base. I'm not sure how much time you spent in the Philippines, but we always knew growing up that you can never rely on the government to really help others. It was your neighbors or other people that helped, so I always felt like I was in a community. When I started taking these classes start and glass at the studio, I really felt that sense of community here where people are here to help each other, uplift each other, and support each other.” Currently, Risa has begun participating in in-person events such as Reemergence Market and updated her shop with more glass work, with lots more to come.
Were you always interested in art, and when did you decide to pursue?
I have always been interested in art. My dad is an architect and my mom says she's not an artist but everyday objects in our house, like pillowcases or tabletop pieces, are chosen by her so it’s a combination of their influences. I was a painter for a long time and then in grad school, I knew that I wanted to break away from it. Painting was very stagnant for me so I started pursuing, or stumbled into, glass blowing. I was to glass because of the material metaphor involved that would lend itself to my multidisciplinary studio practice at the time.
How did you get into glass blowing?
I took an Experimental Glass class which is kind of important to because I didn't learn the “how to” and the rules, we learned certain skills, basic skills to get us to where we need to be. We were learning what happens when you mix copper with glass, what happens when you pour metal into glass, what happens when you leave the glass out longer than it should be left out? There was experimentation and not necessarily the pursuit of perfect skills or how to make perfect cups. It was after that class where I learned the skills because I taught young kids, so they had to learn the correct steps. I feel like there might be a part of me that might go back to painting practice. You know, as things are cyclical in life, things come in and out of your life.
What inspires your creation?
It came out of a desire for, a real desire for levity. Going through my immigration journey after grad school, I needed something to lift me. I made silly face cups because they make me laugh. I really think what inspires me is seeing how my pieces make other people feel. Honestly that's really sort of like the driving force, getting that reaction from other people. In a way, yeah I think that's the real motivation and inspiration for continuing this work.
You said you were going through something after grad school.
Yes, I am a Filipino citizen, and after grad school my student visa was ending and I had to decide how to continue living here. Maybe extending the visa, or getting a job to sponsor me. I’m happy to share my immigration story, I just ended up getting married to someone that I’d been dating for a year. I had so many speed bumps along the way, as many immigration stories do. There was my backpack off stolen at one point with my green card, my passport, all my forms of identification in it. Then there's a pandemic, so it's just been a long time, but Tak Tak really kept me going to be honest.
How do you get in the creative process?
I have to say it is not very glamorous. I do treat my work like a job-- I have to show up and get everything ready and we just go, go, go. I do try to prepare myself and my assistant because I like to get the environment right. We check in with each other, “how are you feeling” and “what's going on?” We make sure we're playing good music and we're all hydrated, fizzy water at the ready. It's not as romantic as you would think, but it’s still a lot of play and fun.
Your glasswork is fun and colorful, how do you describe your style?
Frivolous, funny, feel silly as a reflection of ourselves. We want to bring simple joy and kinship with everyday objects.
What are some of your favorite pieces you've made?
All of the Face cups are great. Sometimes one is your favorite, sometimes another is. We make the cups and we put them in a kiln, and then they have to come down in temperature and leave them overnight. I can’t stop thinking about them when I go to sleep. I look at each and every single one of them right now and, I don't have kids but I imagine it’s kind of like your kids where you like one more than the other sometimes. Right now I do love making the Janice vases, they've got squiggly hair and ears on the side, and they show two faces which are really fun to me. Also, I always refer to this one piece but I don't sell it or produce it for Tak Tak. It’s a glass waffle where I poured hot glasses for waffle maker and then broke the glass waffle out. I use it as my soap dish.
How does your community uplift you?
I work at an organization called Firebird Community Arts and I've been working with them for the past five years. I was very lucky to be brought up with a strong base. I'm not sure how much time you spent in the Philippines, but we always knew growing up that you can never rely on the government to really help others. It was your neighbors or other people that helped, so I always felt like I was in a community. When I started taking these classes start and glass at the studio, I really felt that sense of community here where people are here to help each other, uplift each other, and support each other. We primarily work with young people from the South and West sides of Chicago who have PTSD from violence and we use glass bowling, drawing, different art activities to help them heal. It was really important to me to have that in my life after grad school, to be helping others in the community. I feel very strongly about doing things for a greater good and for a greater purpose so I feel like I've been so lucky to be around people who supported me and that I'm also lucky that I have people here to work with and I can support them through employment opportunities and help them learn new skills, projects, and everything is coming together all time.
Do you have any upcoming projects or events in the future that you are looking forward to?
I am getting my second vaccination shot tomorrow (April 2021) and am very excited. There are whispers of outdoor events in Chicago over the summer which I'm super excited for. I’ll be joining the Reemergence Market at the Ace Hotel in Chicago on June 6th! I’m looking forward to connecting with people in real life again! To go out and meet people is really rewarding. For the past year Tak Tak has been engaging with people through Instagram mostly. Right now it’s just me and 3 people that work with me if you include my husband. We’re a pretty small operation.
Photos courtesy of Risa Recio