Looking Glass Pacific Northwest Becomes A World Center For Blown-Glass Art

In the entire world, there are two hallowed places for glass art. Venice is one. We live in the other.

Well, at least we live in the same state. The Puget Sound area, Seattle in particular, is the undisputed American center for the art of glassblowing. Head west down Interstate 90, and you will enter the sacred land of Dale Chihuly, William Morris and the Pilchuck Glass School.

Spokane exists on only the most extreme fringe of that scene.

“In Seattle there are probably 50 studios doing glass art,” said Spokane glass artist Steve Adams, a Pilchuck alumnus. “In Spokane, I’m it.”

At least for blown glass, as opposed to stained glass. Seattle has the glory holes (the searing-red furnaces for glass-blowing) and it also has the bigtime market. Although Adams’ works can be found in a couple of local galleries, even he exhibits primarily in Seattle galleries. Not only does Seattle have more money floating around, but Seattle attracts glass art collectors and enthusiasts from all over the world. In Seattle, glass is a tourist attraction.

“A hotel concierge was telling me that one of the first questions that visitors ask is ‘Where do I find some Dale Chihuly?”’ said Brenda Tipton, publisher of “Art Guide Northwest.”

Chihuly is the mischievous, eyepatched king of glass art in Seattle. He is the man who revived glass art’s popularity in the mid-1970s; he’s the driving force behind the Pilchuck Glass School; and he has created a veritable art factory in his studio on Lake Union. This year alone, he will mount major museum exhibits in Taiwan, New Zealand, Russia and Italy.

Chihuly’s not the only one who has found success with glass art. Dozens of Northwest glass artists have followed in his footsteps, most of them learning or honing their art at the Pilchuck Glass School, about an hour north of Seattle. Morris is now considered one of the most important glass artists, on the strength of his “artifact” pieces, which strongly suggest ancient relics dug up by anthropologists.

Martin Blank was sweating in front of a glory hole at Chihuly’s studio one day this winter when he came up with the following apt tribute to Morris: “William Morris is a reincarnated Druid and Venetian master.”

Blank himself is one of many other Northwest glass artists whose work is in immense demand.

“Most of these artists were absolutely dirt poor 10 years ago,” said C. David Hughbanks, a Seattle arts benefactor and member of the Pilchuck board. “Now, they’re building second homes on the beach.”

Chihuly’s first home is impressive enough. He lives in his studio on Lake Union, directly under the I-5 bridge. The home boasts a conference table that seats 120 people. His 25-meter swimming pool is strewn with dozens of his “sea forms,” lighted from below, which make a shimmering kaleidoscope under the water. When Chihuly swims, he needs to watch his step; any one of those pieces could easily sell for five figures.

Take that as a warning: Buying glass art can be expensive.

But admiring it is free. In Spokane, some glass art can be found at various galleries, notably the Carriage House Shop at the Cheney Cowles Museum, the Spokane Art School and Gallery, and the Gallery by the Lake in the Coeur d’Alene Resort Shopping Plaza.

But to see glass art in all of its glory, a trip to Seattle is a must. Virtually everyone who loves glass art - and it is an uncommonly popular art form - makes that pilgrimage.

“You really do have to go over to Seattle,” said Rosemary Selinger, a Spokane glass art aficionado. “Very often I travel over there to keep track of what’s going on.”

Glass art is everywhere in the Seattle-Tacoma area, if you know where to look for it:

Public places - Probably the best place to see glass art free of charge is the Pilchuck Glass Collection in the City Centre at the U.S. Bank Centre in downtown Seattle at Fifth and Pike. This office building and retail center has 36 works by internationally recognized Pilchuck artists. These works were commissioned in 1989 specifically to cement Seattle’s reputation as an international glass art center.

The two cornerstones of the collection are immense installations by the two biggest glass stars, Chihuly and Morris. The Chihuly installation is a 12-foot by 17-foot arrangement of his sea-form shapes. The Morris installation is a stark arrangement of what looks like whale’s ribs, with an amber-colored human skeleton inside. No wonder people have unofficially dubbed it “Jonah and the Whale.” The actual title is “Artifact Series #14, Offering.”

Wander through the lobby for many smaller treasures.

While there, you might want to walk across the street to the Sheraton Seattle. It too has some Pilchuck glass on display in the lobby. Fullers, the restaurant, has an entire display case full of early Pilchuck work. It’s hidden in a banquet room called the Pilchuck Room, but if you ask the concierge politely, she’ll let you in to look at it.

One of the best public exhibits is in a handy location for travelers: SeaTac International Airport. More than 50 pieces are on display in the central area of the main terminal building, both on the ticketing level and up on the mezzanine. Chihuly and Morris are represented as well as 25 other Pilchuck masters.

Anyone who loves Chihuly must head down Interstate 5 to Tacoma. The newly renovated Union Station in Tacoma has a breathtaking exhibit called “Chihuly at Union Station.” It features the 22-by-40-foot “Monarch Window,” a huge window covered by glass rounds that suggest giant butterflies. Two other window installations are almost as big, and the “Cobalt Blue Chandelier” is a 20-foot-long chandelier. The Union Station has recently been renovated and it is now the federal courthouse for Tacoma.

This exhibit is free, and it will continue until 1999.

Art museums - The Tacoma Art Museum has an extensive and permanent Chihuly collection. Tacoma, by the way, is Chihuly’s hometown.

The Seattle Art Museum also has works by Chihuly and Morris on display in its 20th-century exhibits.

Galleries - Here’s where you can look, and even buy. You don’t absolutely have to be a millionaire.

For instance, one of the best glass galleries is the Glasshouse Studio Gallery in Pioneer Square. It has a wide variety of styles and prices.

“You can spend $50 and get yourself a goblet,” said Hughbanks. “Or you can spend $75,000 and get yourself one of Bill Morris’ big jars.”

The Glasshouse also has its own glass-blowing studio in the back.

“Someone can walk in and see glass being blown, which is really unusual, because most studios are closed to the public,” said Adams. (The Pilchuck Glass School, for instance, is closed to the public except for once-a-year open houses.)

“You can watch them work and see wonderful pieces emerging from the fire,” said Selinger. “It’s an incredibly creative process that is fraught with danger.”

Almost directly above the Glasshouse is the Foster/White Gallery, which is one of the city’s premier galleries. It sells Chihuly, Morris and many other Pilchuck artists.

Over in the Pike Place Market area is the Glass Eye Gallery. Also in that area is the Phoenix Rising Gallery, which represents Steve Adams.

Right in the middle of downtown is the William Traver Gallery, which represents several of the top studio glass artists.

Up north, near the Fremont Bridge, is the Elliott Brown Gallery, specializing in cutting-edge glass pieces. In Bellevue, the Northwest Discovery gallery and the Elements gallery both carry work by Adams and many other glass artists.

In fact, it’s hard to walk into any gallery in the Seattle area and not find some glass.

And, yes, you can find glass art here in the Inland Northwest, too, but it takes a bit of looking. Adams’ work is on display at the Carriage House Shop, the Spokane Art School and the Gallery by the Lake.

Adams won’t be alone for long. Another glass artist, Marki Hocking, has her glass hearts and paperweights on display at the Momentum Gallery in downtown Spokane. Hocking moved here recently from Seattle; she still has to drive back to Seattle just to rent some studio space. She is presently building her own studio in Elk, and she should have it up and running by May.

Glass artist Patricia Barkley of Sandpoint specializes in an entirely different branch of glass art. Instead of creating from blown glass, she works in stained, etched and beveled glass techniques. She owns and operates Panhandle Art Glass in Sandpoint.

They may be nearly 300 miles away, but the larger world considers artists like Adams and Hocking to be part of the Northwest-Pilchuck glass scene.

“The galleries I deal with promote my art that way: ‘A Northwest artist,”’ said Adams.

He doesn’t mind. He gets that Northwest marketing cachet but gets to live where he wants.

MEMO: This is a sidebar which appeared with story: LOCATIONS FOR VIEWING GLASS ART

Spokane The Carriage House at the Cheney Cowles Museum, 2316 W. First. Momentum Gallery, 221 N. Post. Spokane Art School Gallery, 920 N. Howard.

Coeur d’Alene Gallery By The Lake, Coeur d’Alene Resort Shopping Plaza.

Seattle Pilchuck Glass Collection at City Centre and U.S. Bank Center, Fifth and Pike. Seattle Sheraton Hotel and Towers, 900 Madison. Sea-Tac International Airport. Seattle Art Museum, First and University. Glasshouse Studio Gallery, 311 Occidental South. Foster/White Gallery, 311 Occidental South. Glass Eye Gallery, 1902 Post Alley. Phoenix Rising Gallery, 2030 Western. William Traver Gallery, 110 Union St. Elliott Brown Gallery, 619 N. 35th St., No. 101.

Bellevue Northwest Discovery, 142 Bellevue Square. Elements, 10500 N.E. 8th St.

Tacoma Chihuly at Union Station, 1717 Pacific Ave. Tacoma Art Museum, 12th Street and Pacific Avenue.

To learn more Lecture by Steve Adams and Patricia Barkley, April 11, 7 p.m., at the Hillyard Branch Library, 4005 N. Cook, Spokane. The artists will discuss their collaboration on glass panels at the library. Reception will follow. Free. Jim Kershner