The cast-glass sign announcing you're entering Pilchuck territory.
This summer’s schedule of Pilchuck classes will mark the 40th year since Dale Chihuly founded the school in 1971. To honor this milestone, artistic director Ruth King has scheduled a roster of 31 artists and 10 artists-in-residence that invites back some of the veteran instructors who have helped make this school ground zero of the glass cultural exchange between American and international glass artists that has helped to speed the development of glass as a means of artistic expression. In total, 25 classes will be offered in five sessions that run from May through August, with special focus on the last two-week session, when King has paired up some of Pilchuck’s most notable veteran instructors with highly skilled younger artists to clearly symbolize another bridge that Pilchuck represents: not just across cultures but across generations.
In four decades, Pilchuck Glass School has blossomed from a small campsite in the woods established by artists using rather crude methods for producing glass-based work, into a full-blown cultural institution bringing together some of the most highly-skilled glass artists and artisans in the world before an audience of eager students. Today, the school provides students with state-of-the-art equipment, including computer design software, and space for all different types of glass working. The summer schedule features artists such as Eric Franklin and Lienors Torre who will lead courses focused on creative new ways of combining old glass working techniques with modern technology such as video, animation, and illumination with neon and halogen. Another cutting-edge course will be “Hot and Ready-Made Lighting,” a chandelier class taught by chandelier artist Madeleine Boulesteix and glass sculptor Nanda Soderberg. Participants will be creating chandelier pieces made with recycled and appropriated glass and objects, lead by two instructors who put great emphasis on recycled materials in their work.
The Pilchuck Glass School campus.
“A lot of the older Pilchuck instructors and artist in residence withdrew a little bit to work more at home and in their studios. There was a bit of space that they wanted,” said King. “I felt that it was important to bring in more up and coming artists getting recognition for their work and teaching.”
But there will be no shortage of veteran instructors for this anniversary year. In fact, King sees the combination of the well-seasoned and emerging artists in the classroom as one of the highlights of this summer’s program. “I think if anything describes this year it’s a nice blend of original Pilchuck founders, and artists with the European influence, with the new up-and-coming artists,” she said.
King refers to the fifth session as “the 40th anniversary session,” and it will feature courses taught by artists working together from both traditional backgrounds and more liberal ones. This session will include five different courses taught by six artists.
Brooklyn-based glassblower Adam Holtzinger will team up with veteran Pilchuck instructor Ben Moore for a special course at Pilchuck this summer.
A glassblowing course taught by Adam Holtzinger and Benjamin Moore will focus on Venetian techniques and be a full hot-shop class that will pair Holtzinger’s considerable skills and innovative computer-generated design strategies with Moore’s extensive knowledge of traditional Italian technique and unique approach to design.
An electroforming course titled “A Blast from the Past” will be taught by Michael Glancy. This year Pilchuck has decided to reinstate the use of a small building for electroforming which was formerly known as the “electroforming shack” but that has more recently been used for other purposes. Pilchuck will repurpose the small center this year and will utilize the space for Glancy’s course.
Ulrica Hydman-Vallien. photo: hans runesson
A hot casting and mixed media course taught by Bertil Vallien, one of the original Europeans to regularly share his knowledge at Pilchuck, will coincide with a glass painting course taught by his wife, Ulrica Hydman-Vallien, who “epitomizes the way that European artists early on would have come from the factory tradition,” according to King. While both the Valliens’ backgrounds as European artists coming to Pilchuck in the school’s early days, and found the freedom , King spoke about , “She all of a sudden had the freedom to be an artist, and express herself freely. Her class is really all about how to balance working as designer in a factory and then developing an individual voice that can be translated into contemporary production.”
The final course, “Zen-graving,” is an engraving and printmaking course taught by Jiri Harcuba and April Surgent. King points out that both Harcuba and the Vallein couple were the founders of the engraving program at Pilchuck. With his base of knowledge about engraving Harcuba will instruct this course alongside Surgent, formerly mentored by Harcuba, and the team will teach students about the engraving process and its tools.
Students look on as April Surgent, left, and Jiri Harcuba, middle, demonstrate glass engraving technicques.
In addition to the five courses being taught Pilchuck will host two artists in residence throughout session five: former Pilchuck teacher and glass artist Lino Tagliapietra and African ceramic artist Magdalene Odundo.
Unique for 2011, a special pre-session course from May 9th through the 20th will offer eight students the chance to to study with master glassmaker and artist Randy Walker during the session before the full summer schedule begins. The intimate artistic community formed during pre-session will include a chance to meet the Hauberg Fellows, who will be in residence collaborating artistically, as well as the Poleturners working diligently to create annual auction centerpieces.
Throughout the summer Pilchuck will hold other various events that will contribute to their celebration of the school’s 40th anniversary. Mid-summer the doors will be opened for Pilchuck’s open house and between sessions four and five the school will also host an alumni reunion for many of the influential artist who have come in and out of Pilchuck over the last 4 decades.
Those interested in finding out more about the Pilchuck Glass School summer sessions can visit the summer session index.
—Alica Forneret