Resources & Installations

The Pilchuck campus store boasts many amenities for students. Aside from selling Pilchuck gear and basic needs, the store is a great resource for purchasing a selection of tools and materials. Many students make their way to the store during each session to experiment with color in the hot shop, find sheet glass for kiln and other projects, and explore books published by Pilchuck instructors, as well as finding other resources.

Pilchuck Glass School celebrated our thirtieth anniversary in 2001 by initiating a project underscoring the distinctive cultural diversity of our region’s origins and our aims. A commemorative totem pole was created and installed on the grounds to honor our three founders: John H. Hauberg, Anne Gould Hauberg, and Dale Chihuly.

Carved from a single tree selected and dedicated for this purpose from Haines, Alaska, the pole features the design and artistry of four Native artists working at Alaskan Indian Arts. The pole was shipped from Haines to Pilchuck where students completed the carving and painting of the pole, then created cast glass and neon elements to fulfill the design.

Artist David Svenson, an experienced carver and a former Pilchuck instructor, initiated the project. Artist and Pilchuck trustee, Preston Singletary (himself of Tlingit heritage), helped shape the proposal and obtained board support for the project. To enable Native student enrollment, Pilchuck provided many full scholarships and travel stipends. The totem pole, in its artistic inception, educational process, and the symbolic role of connecting communities, helped to realize one of the school’s priorities by enhancing diversity.

The class and the installation were structured to involve many people and many cultures. The installation ceremony engaged the neighboring Swinomish tribe (whose ancestral lands Pilchuck occupies) and Tlingit participants (including carvers and two traditional singers), as well as non-native guests. The pole was installed with the consultation of the artists, Tlingit and Swinomish tribal leaders.

Historically, totem poles were used to honor a person or to tell an ancestral story. Svenson and Singletary decided the story of the pole would represent the beginning of Pilchuck and celebrate its founders. Based on this concept, Svenson and Singletary collaborated with four Native carvers to create the design.

The pole consists of three human forms: a chief’s figure representing the late John Hauberg, who underwrote Pilchuck’s early years and donated the fifty-four acres where the campus stands; a raven figure (who in Tlingit mythology brought light into the world) representing Dale Chihuly; and a woman in a Native ceremonial robe wearing a conical hat which symbolizes wisdom and identifies Anne Gould Hauberg, whose belief in artists and creativity drew the other founders together.

The uniqueness of the totem pole project offers several opportunities for extended educational service. The pole itself represents a model of collaboration– a work of art whose form originates from use in tribal ceremonies, yet here is created for a secular role on a contemporary campus. The pole is a keystone of instruction and inspiration for all who visit campus.

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Artists in residence, instructors, teaching assistants, artist’s assistants, craftspersons in residence, students and staff have the opportunity to display examples of their work during their time at Pilchuck.

Each session starts off with a staff show, highlighting that everyone who works on campus is also an artist. During the session different shows are proposed by theme, class, or technique. The campus community enjoys the opportunity to view and discuss these finished works in a gallery setting.

The campus office is where participants can go for any information about the Summer Program, classes, and where they can direct any questions or concerns.

The staff in the office includes the Operations Coordinator, Education Coordinator, Registrar, and Operations Assistant. The Artistic Director has a private office next to the hot shop.

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The Pilchuck Glass School Library & Archive preserves, collects, and makes accessible the history and future of Pilchuck Glass School. The collection reflects the school, studio glass, artists and curators with a connection to Pilchuck Glass School, worldwide art movements, and other topics that provide focused inspiration to visiting artists participating in Pilchuck’s programs. When the school is not in session, the library and archive is open to in-person researchers by appointment only. The library also retains a comprehensive collection of books on glass art, including rare and out-of-print books, and also subscribes to global glass and art magazines.

Explore more about Pilchuck's history and historical resources.

Seattle architect, Tom Bosworth, won an award from the American Institute of Architects for the shake-and-timber design of Pilchuck’s lodge. This building houses the campus dining room, kitchen and reading room, lovingly referred to as the Lil’Berry, on the main level. The print shop and library are located on the lower level.

The main dining room is a site of community and conversation. Pilchuck attendees eat a continental breakfast as well as lunch and dinner, in this spacious and warm environment. All participants eat together, giving the opportunity to share experiences and ideas.

The lodge dining room is also used as a space for critiques or lectures. After lunch, everyone on campus is invited to watch a slide show by an instructor, TA, artist in residence, visiting artist, or staff member. The Lodge is also used for student-to-student auctions in which students and instructors bid on each other’s work they made during class. No work is too small, too big or too wacky to donate. The funds raised through these events go toward new equipment, scholarships and financial aid and other items.

The back deck has three levels to take advantage of the spectacular view.

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