Seattle Magazine

Author Bio

Leigh Canlis Born the daughter of an artist and an attorney, Leigh Canlis is very much a product of the two. With both a business mind and vision for the arts, Leigh has created new waves in the art world for the past 12 years by opening the sometimes-intimidating art world to a new generation. Entering the Seattle market with an English and Art focus, she began working with Dale Chihuly at his publishing arm, Portland Press, but quickly gravitated to the glass art side of the business and ended up working very closely with Dale as his Executive Assistant. Here she met her husband and business partner J.P. They began visualizing their future: Canlis Glass. At the same time, she founded Avant-garde at SAM, a group for young adult art enthusiasts to enjoy art in alternative ways.

An avid traveler and art enthusiast, Leigh has lived in Paris and Hawaii and a few spots in between. In Hawaii, she co-founded Art After Dark, another group connecting young adults with the arts, and led it until her departure from the island in 2005.

In 2005, Leigh and J.P. opened Canlis Glass in Belltown, their own retail and studio space, dedicated solely to art glass created by J.P. Leigh currently runs the business, J.P. creates the art.

Leigh also serves on the boards of The Pilchuck Glass School, PONCHO and On the Boards and was featured as one of The Puget Sound Business Journal’s “40 under 40” in 2007.

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