Patricia Davidson has been working with glass for 33 years. She has extensive knowledge in blowing, sculpting, casting and kiln forming techniques. Her career has been acknowledged with many awards, opportunities and international recognition.

She received a BA from Southern Illinois University (1986) and a MFA from the University of Illinois (1991). Upon graduating from U.I., she was awarded a residency at Pilchuck Glass School. During the residency she was invited to become a member of Dale Chihuly’s glass blowing team. For 10 years Davidson worked as a member of Dale’s team. Traveling extensively for Chihuly studio, she has worked in many glass factories in Europe. She has been the only woman gaffer of chandeliers at Chihuly studio. While working for Chihuly, she also worked as a staff member, teacher and visiting artist at Pilchuck Glass School and Pratt Fine Arts Center. She has participated in the Visiting Artist and Hot Lunch programs at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. Davidson has also taught international workshops in Ireland and Finland. She has been honored to work as an assistant to Pino Signoretto, Lino Tagliapietra, Flora Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick.

An accomplished educator, Davidson has created glass curriculum and taught at Silas High School Career and Technical Education, Hot Shop Heroes, Museum of Glass, Hilltop Artists in Residence, Pratt Fine Arts Center, Pilchuck Glass School and University of Washington.

Danielle “Dani” Kaes is a light artist and educator based in Seattle, Washington. She graduated with a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Puget sound in 2022. Starting as a traditional glassblower as part of the Hilltop Artist program in 2012, she transitioned into neon after apprenticing as a commercial neon bender in a prominent Seattle sign shop. She has continued to work in neon independently and commercially, using it as her main artistic medium, often citing its inherently temporary nature as its most valuable and interesting feature. Interested in the innate humor found in nihilism and the absurd, her work plays with scale, brash color choices, animation, and repeating simple shapes to explore the idea of what has the potential to become art rather than setting out to make art itself. She often describes her work as “nothing she would ever want in her house” because it is “big, bright, and always flashing”. As an artist, she has exhibited at various institutions including Pilchuck Glass and Museum of Glass. Kaes is passionate about maintaining open access to information, seeing it as necessary to continue the medium. As an educator, she demonstrated and instructed at various renowned institutions including Pilchuck Glass School, Museum of Neon Art, and the Glass Art Society.

Trenton Quiocho is a Filipino-American, Tacoma, WA native who has worked with glass for over 18 years in various capacities. He has held positions as a glassblower, hot shop technician, and teaching artist with organizations including Chihuly, Inc., glassybaby, Hilltop Artists, and the Museum of Glass. Currently, he is a glassblower with Chihuly, Inc., and contracts with Museum of Glass for special events.

David Rios is a Chicano artist based in Tacoma, WA. Rios discovered his passion for glass in 2010 during an intensive work program with Hilltop Artists. Over a decade of experimentation and creative risk taking, Rios has refined his techniques to create a body of work that represents his cultural identity. Rios has earned scholarships from Pilchuck Glass School and The National Craft School Experience which have allowed him to invest significant time and resources into exploring his craft. Most recently Rios was awarded the 2020 Greg Piercy Grant for his dedication to youth development through art. Today, Rios spends his time educating the general public at the Museum Of Glass in Tacoma and across social media platforms.

Luis Sanchez was born in Berkeley, California, and later moved to Tacoma, Washington when he was nine years old. Luis found glass at the age of 13 through Hilltop Artists where he began learning glass techniques through elective classes and continued learning through the after school and production programs. He has been with Hilltop Artists for the past decade and now teaches. Sanchez gained further skills at Pilchuck Glass School and most recently Touchstone Center for Crafts.

Jacob Willcox is a glass and light artist from Tacoma, Washington. He is an alum of the Hilltop Artists program based in Tacoma, Washington, where he began working with glass in 2012. He went on to study at Alfred University where he obtained his BFA with concentrations in glass and neon in 2021. His work investigates ideas surrounding consumption, excess and indulgence. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at institutions such as the Museum of Glass, the New Bulgarian University, and the Tacoma Art Museum . Outside of his artistic practice he maintains a position as the Neon Department Head at a Seattle sign shop. Willcox also works in the educational field as an instructor at Hilltop Artists while also teaching and demonstrating at various institutions like Pilchuck Glass School, Museum of Neon Art and the Glass Art Society.