Seattle, WA - November 25, 2008
Czech artist Jiří Harcuba will design the centerpieces for Pilchuck Glass School's 31st Annual Auction.
Harcuba will work with a team of 30 artists at Pilchuck's Stanwood campus from May 3 to 15, 2009, to create
more than 120 unique artworks that merge his expressionistic style of figurative engraving with the vessel form.
Considered the world's foremost master of the art of glass engraving, Harcuba is widely recognized for his role in
transforming this traditional craft to a fine art form. Pilchuck's artistic director Ruth King is excited to extend
the invitation to design the signature artworks for the school's most celebrated event to an artist of Harcuba's
caliber and reputation. Harcuba first came to Pilchuck Glass School, at Dale Chihuly’s invitation, in 1983 where
he established a program for glass engraving; a technique that was virtually unknown among American artists working
in glass at that time. Since then, he has regularly returned to Pilchuck as an instructor and artist in residence,
and has taught workshops throughout the world spreading the difficult techniques of glass engraving to a new generation
of artists.
Harcuba learned glass engraving at a local training school in his home town of Harrachov before attending the Specialized
School of Glassmaking in Nový Bor from 1945 to 1948. He completed his training at the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague
where he later taught. In the early 1970s, he was held as a political prisoner for designing a medal that openly
criticized the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Russian troops. Despite his challenges, Harcuba later established
his own studio in Prague and was appointed the director of the Academy of Applied Arts by President Vaclav Havel.
Harcuba has received numerous awards for his art and dedication to teaching including the Rakow Award for Excellence
in the Art of Glass and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Glass Art Society and UrbanGlass.
The artworks will be available at Pilchuck's 31st Annual Auction on Friday, October 23, 2009 at The Westin Seattle
(1900 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA) beginning at 5:00 p.m. Tickets for this gala event start at $225 per person and
can be purchased by contacting Pilchuck’s Seattle office at (206) 621-8422 ext. 34, or online at www.pilchuck.com.
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Founded in 1971 by Dale Chihuly, Anne Gould Hauberg and John H. Hauberg
(1916-2002), Pilchuck Glass School is an international center for glass art education. Located on a former
tree farm in Stanwood, Washington, Pilchuck sponsors three-week classes each summer in a broad spectrum of
glass techniques as well as residencies for emerging and established artists working in all media.
Pilchuck Glass School receives generous annual support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the M.J.
Murdock Charitable Trust, the Washington State Arts Commission, PONCHO, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation,
the Kreielsheimer Remainder Foundation, the Corning Incorporated Foundation,4culture, the Jean K. Lafromboise
Foundation, the Laila Twigg-Smith Fund of the Hawai'i Community Foundation and many generous individuals.
Pilchuck does not discriminate on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, nationality, or
ethnic origin in employment or in artistic or educational programs.
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