OPENING: This weekend, the Schack Art Center takes off the wraps

Hiroshi Yamano, From East to West: Scene of Japan #39,

Artist and glass director of the Schack Art Center John Kiley spoke with the GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet earlier this year about the importance of the art center as a resource for Everett, Washington. “There is a gap in public-access glassblowing studios in Snohomish County,” he said. “We’re going to provide a much-needed facility in that neck of the woods. There’s a good-sized population here that doesn’t have an art center.” Well, that neck of the woods will celebrate the Grand Opening of their new arts center on April 30th with a weekend’s worth of events at a new facility that will be the result of five years of fund raising, planning, and building.

Facilities at the new 19,000-square-foot Schack Art Center include a hot shop for glass blowing, a cold-working shop, a kiln and flame working studio, multi-purpose classrooms and exhibition spaces, the fruits of their hard fundraising labor. In 2006, the Arts Council of Snohomish County initiated a capital campaign to build a permanent home for their organization. The council formed a partnership with Artspace Projects, Inc., a nonprofit real-estate development company with a mission to create, foster, and preserve affordable space for artists and arts organizations. The two organization set out to build a multi-use regional arts center in downtown Everett. The street level of this new facility is being built-out as a visual arts education center, the Schack Art Center.

The Kia-sponsored Grand Opening weekend will feature facility tours and the chance to win an introductory glass blowing class or youth art camp. Schack is also using the weekend to unveil their new space’s inaugural gallery exhibit. The exhibit, entitled “The Nature of Glass,” curated by Traver Gallery and featuring works by artists such as Dale Chihuly, Deborah Moore, Randy Walker, Dante Marioni, Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen, Jane Rosen, Shelly Muzylowski-Allen, and Preston Singletary, among others.

Preston Singletary, Mosquito Basket.

An opening reception will be held on Saturday evening from 4 to 7. The gallery, which John Kiley describes as, “an amazing summary of what’s going on in contemporary glass right now,” is free of charge. Finally, artist demonstrations will take place both days. The demonstrations feature calligraphers, potters, and jewelers alongside hot glass artists Bob Mitchell and Dan LaChaussee and flameworking artist Stacey King.

When contacted recently, Kiley described the mood as, “super excited.” The hot shop, which has been open for about a week, “is running flawlessly and has been getting rave reviews from everyone in the community.” No small feat, Kiley notes, given a Pacific Northwest locale with a highly discerning glass community. The hot shop’s rental calendar is starting to fill up already, and classes start the first week of May.

—Jason Gutierrez