Every summer since 1971 the glass world has come together for innovative and rigorous workshops with an international cohort of instructors and artists. In 2025 we will host seven sessions.
The summer is filled with an all-star roster including Jen Elek, Annette Blair, Ben Edols, Jessica Loughlin, Sibelly, Danny Coyle, Dante Marioni and more. An advanced topics Spring Session will include an opportunity to be a part of Pilchuck history by rebuilding one of the program furnaces with Fred Metz. Session 3 will see the return of lampworking maestro Lucio Bubacco for a 30-year reunion of his Flame to Furnace collaboration with Brian Kerkvliet and Ed Schmid. Preston Singletary and Martin Janecký will bring their combined approach to Session 4. Silvia Levenson returns during Session 5, Pilchuck’s first bi-lingual (Spanish/English) session.
Join us for another transformative year on the hill.
Seasonal Staff provide leadership and support for Pilchuck Glass School’s education program. If you are an artist or art-interested individual looking to expand your artistic practice and community, this opportunity is for you. Seasonal Staff gain valuable professional skills, develop a network of peers, host events, sit in on artist talks, learn new glassworking techniques, enjoy studio access, and engage with Instructors and Artists in Residence.
Pilchuck relies on the support of donors like you to continue our long legacy of transformative art education. When you support Pilchuck, you support the future of glass in art and design.
Pilchuck Glass School fosters and educates a diverse worldwide community that explores the creative use of glass in art and design.
The Pilchuck campus is located 50 miles north of Seattle in Stanwood, Washington. The campus is a serene woodland retreat where artists can focus, create and dream without boundaries. The 54-acre site is set within a 15,000-acre tree farm in the foothills of the Cascade Range, with spectacular views of Puget Sound.
In order to preserve our focus on art and learning, and to maintain an intimate educational environment, the Pilchuck campus in Stanwood is open to visitors only on special occasions. See our Events tab above for more information.
The Pilchuck community is fantastical, bringing out the best in me and anyone that experiences it. One of the pleasures of attending the school three times so far is witnessing the resident artists utilize the campus resources to realize their own visions. The most important resource being the other people. To me the best part of glassblowing is being part of a team, sharing the load and exhilaration of creation.
Pilchuck has been a second home for me. I started attending Pilchuck Glass School as a staff member as soon as I was legally allowed to. This institution has been fundamental to my glass upbringing in conjunction with other studios in the area, of course. Pilchuck has always been a place where refinement and experimentation happen simultaneously. Although I have never taken a class here, it has been the institution I have learned the most at.
Pilchuck has been a pivotal place in both my career and life every time I've been on campus. It's an energetic hub of information-sharing, bringing together artists from around the world. When I'm at Pilchuck, my understanding of community grows deeper every year.
I was first a student in 1991 and 1992. I then worked staff for many years. In 2000, I was invited to teach a class at Pilchuck, which I repeated 4 more times, the last being 2010. Pilchuck has always had a special place in my heart and has been extremely influential on my development as an artist. Still to this day, I occasionally receive comments from past students telling me how my class changed their life...this is priceless and rewarding for me personally.
Pilchuck is a wonderful place to learn and connect, especially through supporting and observing other instructors, staff, and students. I find working as a print shop coordinator to be a special role that allows me to set the tone and energy for the studio—one that is curious, supportive, safe, and inviting to beginners and advanced, alike. Making art is important, but it is the community and environment built around it that makes art important and sustainable.
I have had the honor of attending Pilchuck in multiple ways, both as a student and as staff. In both capacities the community of Pilchuck made me feel unbelievably supported helping me grow my practice through experimentation and asking questions. The Pilchuck campus is a place to share knowledge, everyone is so excited to help one another and that's what makes it such a magical place!
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