CHIHULY: Venice 2026

In 1968, Chihuly first traveled to Venice as a Fulbright scholar. There, he worked at the Venini factory on the island of Murano, an ancient hub of glassblowing and innovation. Chihuly’s time at Venini observing the traditions of Italian glassblowing planted the seeds of inspiration that would later lead to a vibrant cultural exchange between the Italian mecca of glass arts and his beloved homeland of the Pacific Northwest.

Upon his return west, Chihuly co-founded Pilchuck Glass School in 1971 with the support of John H. and Anne Gould Hauberg. Fueled by his time abroad, Chihuly’s vision manifested with the steady growth of our campus throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, cementing Pilchuck as a place of collaboration and experimentation, and as a collision of creativity and artistic traditions.

During his time in Italy, Chihuly forged friendships with many Italian glassblowers, notable among them were maestros Lino Tagliapietra and Pino Signoretto. As Pilchuck grew in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Chihuly invited his Italian friends to campus to teach and share their honed techniques with the glassblowers of the Pacific Northwest. It’s widely acknowledged within the glass art community that this exchange of knowledge was what brought many Italian techniques, such as goblet making and glass cane pattern work, into the evolving Pacific Northwest glass art tradition.

Image: Dale Chihuly (left), Robert Hendrickson (center) and James Carpenter (right) during Pilchuck's first summer workshop in 1971.

The original Chihuly Over Venice began as a conversation across cultural and physical boundaries, challenging both the known and unknown and engaging glass and glassblowers from around the world. This same sense of cross-pollination, experimentation, collaboration, and creativity is inherent to Pilchuck’s mission. Chihuly’s vision, to create a safe place of expression through glass, grounded in community and collaboration, continues to unfold on our campus each season as we welcome artists from around the globe to share in community and make magic together.

As we look ahead to celebrating CHIHULY: Venice 2026 alongside Chihuly, the Chihuly Studios and Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park teams, and the Italian glass community, we remember the longstanding creative collaboration and friendship forged decades ago that continues to reverberate throughout our community. We hope that CHIHULY: Venice 2026, whether you are able to visit in person or not, inspires you as not only a testament to Chihuly’s unparalleled career, but also to the cross-cultural legacy he has built.

Image: Dale Chihuly and Pino Signoretto at Pilchuck Glass School, 1997.