Customer Reviews

Pilchuck: A Glass School

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Pilchuck Glass School is the place where every artist who works in glass comes to take or teach a summer class (2 1/2 weeks). It's the glass art world's seat of power where craft process is shared, artists go to refresh themselves (located on 40 acres of land amidst thousands of acres of tree farm overlooking the most spectacular vista including the waterway from Seattle to Alaska it's hard not to get in touch with your soul), and it's the place where artists return each summer just to be with each other. This is a very special place.

Dale Chihuly started Pilchuck one summer more than 25 years ago when he was teaching at RISD. He thought it would be fun to go west and blow glass...there was no Studio Glass Movement and, as you will read when you buy this fabulous book, there wasn't much of anything but the extrodinary spirit of a group of very special people.

Pilchuck has grown to be one of the world's most important arts institutions with a Board of Trustees that "gets it"...and we know because we've been Trustees for years.

Tina Oldknow has written an easy to read "page turner" that's a scholarly work (she conducted more than 150 interviews in two years of thorough research for this book) while it's picture filled format (gorgeous color photographs of art made from glass as well as historic photos of the artists and their art) makes it easy to understand for those who don't really like to read art books. This is a don't miss read for anyone interested in art or in the social history of the 70's, 80's and early 90's.

The name of every person who had anything to do with the founding and development of Pilchuck up to the date of publishing will probably be found in this book. The story told is really the surprising power of the art that brought all these people together. On the surface it appeared they started with nothing but the story reveled that what they had would have been very difficult to kill. The art and the humanity made the book impossible to put down.

Tina -Loved this book and will buy the latest.Mom says "hi" and please don't fail tostop in when in Pasadena. "Chuck"