Participants may select one workshop per session, during which they will be fully immersed in a vibrant educational environment on the breathtaking Pilchuck campus for the duration of the session. All participants eat, work, and sleep on campus for the entire session. Days include intensive instruction and demos throughout the day and evening, as well as ample opportunities for personal exploration and studio time. Housing is warm and rustic and most accommodations require a brief walk through fields and forest to reach the studios.
This course will highlight cold working as an expansive part of glassmaking, using only reductive processes to create shape, surface, and transform objects. The focus will be entirely on cold working techniques and building a set of skills for future success. We will review all aspects of working in a cold shop, from proper setup and efficient movements to avoiding common mistakes and working with clients. All shop equipment will be used to demonstrate precision work, surfacing, and much more. The course will include drawing and planning sessions, and students should expect to leave with both studies and finished works.
Students in this class will learn the essentials of building, using, maintaining and the operation of a neon processing manifold. As an integral part of this class, students will learn the fundamentals of scientific glass working techniques. These glass skills will then be used to build a glass neon manifold to bring home*, as well as to feel confident in future customization and/or repair. In addition to glass working skills, students will receive information on both the theoretical and practical use of the processing system- including design, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
*Neon glass manifolds require additional mechanical components to be fully functional. Information on these components will be provided, however they are not included as part of the tuition.
Emphasising and deepening knowledge around mold making as a tool within kiln-formed glass processes, this course is aimed at those with a solid foundation in the discipline who want to explore methods for tackling more complex projects. Beginning with plaster and moving through various silicone and composite molds on both small and larger-scale objects, students will address fundamental concepts of draft and registration, accuracy, suitability of materials and mold design through structured individual and group exercises.Students will explore and gain confidence in methods to translate potentially challenging forms into glass through developing molds for lost wax and permanent pattern processes.
Pilchuck's 2026 Program is not to be missed. Back by popular demand, we have several returning Guest Artists. Boyd Sugiki and Lisa Zerkowitz return to guide participants in honing shapes, heat control and color applications in the hot shop. Raven Skyriver and Kelly O'Dell will be back at it, bringing nature to life in the hot shop through hot sculpting. Eddy Bennett will be returning with his mentor Dave Smith to impart their masterful Victorian reverse signpainting techniques. For the first time, Pilchuck brings Peter V Hermansson and Bjørn Friborg to explore narrative expression through the Swedish Graal technique while Ashley Harris and Matthew Day Perez will take kiln-forming techniques to new heights through unconventional mold-making methods. Our first ever Design Session (Session 6: Form) will pair designers, artists and fabricators to push the boundaries of glass in design.
With all this and so much more, there is something for absolutely anyone ready to either start their glass journey or take it to the next level. Combining a deep focus on glass, access to a variety of resources, a picturesque Pacific Northwest campus and an ever-expanding international community of artists, Pilchuck has become the most comprehensive educational center in the world for glass artists. As always, Pilchuck's 2026 Program pulls together the legendary and emerging leaders in glass. We hope you choose to join us!