Styles & Movements

Glass in Contemporary Art

Although a prized material for precious as well as functional objects since ancient times, glass was not a medium explored by individual artists in studio settings until the last half of the twentieth century. The role of glass as a medium for art is well established today as a result of advances in facilities, training, and materials, which have paralleled a general blurring of boundaries and broadening of definitions of what constitutes art in the mainstream art world.

Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, where Nicholas Africano began to develop his glass works, was founded in 1971 by artist Dale Chihuly with the support of patrons Anne Gould Hauberg and John H. Hauberg. Chihuly envisioned a retreat that would offer artists an opportunity to work with and learn about glass amid the spectacular beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Chihuly's vision quickly became a shared reality for thousands of artists from around the world. A special artist-in-residence program at the school offers artists who have never worked in glass to realize their ideas—with the help of experienced staff. Other artists who have explored the possibilities of glass at Pilchuck include Deborah Butterfield, Squeak Carnwath, Wendell Castle, Nick Cave, Lesley Dill, Jim Dine, Ellen Driscoll, Viola Frey, Maya Lin, Dennis Oppenheim, Judy Pfaff, and Italo Scanga.