By Jessica Ludders, Pilchuck Staff

Pilchuck Glass School is located in a rural and isolated setting, but its impact has been felt across the globe. Throughout its thirty year history, the school has provided artists from many nations and cultures with the opportunity to exchange technical skills, aesthetic approaches, and artistic ideas. While many of the objects resulting from this confluence of artistic intelligence have been shown in galleries, acquired by private collectors, or exhibited at public institutions, it would be impossible to measure the influence Pilchuck has had on the art world as a whole.

Pilchuck owes much of its impact to the vision and philosophy of its co-founder, Dale Chihuly. It was Chihuly's genius in bringing together patrons and artists from varied traditions and experiences which helped launch both the school and the contemporary glass art movement. A prolific and successful artist in his own right, Chihuly's greatest contribution to Pilchuck may ultimately be recorded as his enthusiasm for the creative spirit and his ability to engage and involve art makers and art collectors alike.

Greg Bell, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Tacoma Art Museum, tries his hand at glassblowing in the Pilchuck Hot Shop

In this tradition, Pilchuck has initiated a special program to engage a very significant segment of the artistic community -- art curators. Founded in 1998, the Curators' Seminar brings museum professionals from around the world to Pilchuck for an intensive seminar on glass as an art medium. During the four-day program, participants meet and mingle with artists, scholars, critics and collectors, participating in a stimulating exchange of experience and information.

This spring, the seminar brought together twenty-two curators and other art professionals from across the country and around the world. Participants spent two days at Pilchuck's campus in Stanwood, Washington and two days exploring Seattle's vibrant glass art community. On campus, the curators enjoyed lively discussions with historians, critics and artists, experimented with vitreography (glass print making), and tried their hands at glass blowing, flame-working and casting. In Seattle, the participants toured galleries, visited private and public collections and explored artists' studios. Visits to Chihuly's Boathouse, Ginny Ruffner's home and studio, Benjamin Moore's hot shop and Jack and Becky Benaroya's collection were special highlights.

The Curators' Seminar is an important cornerstone of the school's ongoing efforts to advance knowledge of and participation in the world of art made from glass. In the true Pilchuck spirit, the program has given birth to several joint projects and new professional relationships. These are producing a ripple effect in museum galleries and offices across the nation, as curators integrate glass into the wider conceptual and aesthetic realms of contemporary art. As Elizabeth Agro of the Carnegie Museum remarked, "What I learned at the Seminar will be filtered into my curatorial work . . . it was nice to get to know my fellow curators, with whom I will be connected for life -- due to our exciting experiences at Pilchuck."

Many thanks to the artists, collectors, and Pilchuck staff members who volunteered their time and opened their homes and studios to make the seminar a possibility. Thanks as well to Pilchuck Trustees Dale and Doug Anderson and George and Dorothy Saxe who provided funding for the program.

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