Seattle, WA - September 17, 2009 Collectors, philanthropists and artists from around the world will gather at Pilchuck Glass School’s 31st Annual Auction, October 23 at The Westin Seattle, to celebrate and support the school. All auction proceeds benefit Pilchuck’s educational and artistic programs.

More than 350 artworks will be available at the auction including 120 centerpieces designed by renowned Czech artist Jiří Harcuba, who worked with a team of 30 artists at Pilchuck’s Stanwood campus this spring to create unique pieces that merge his expressionistic style of figurative engraving with the vessel form.

A diverse group of established and emerging artists with a variety of styles and techniques have generously donated works of art to be auctioned. Pieces were selected by a jury of artists, curators and collectors including: Ruth King, Pilchuck Artistic Director; Stefano Catalani, Bellevue Arts Museum curator; Vicki Halper, curator; Becky Benaroya, Pilchuck Board of Trustees; Norma Klorfine, director, Klorfine Foundation.

Pilchuck is delighted to have fashion design duo Isabel and Ruben Toledo as this year’s honorary auction co-chairs. Earlier this summer Pilchuck hosted the Toledos on its Stanwood, WA campus for three weeks as Artists in Residence. Isabel Toledo has worked as an independent designer for 25 years and she has been described as a “cult figure” by The New York Times; one of the “100 Designers that Count” by Women’s Wear Daily; and Vogue has named Isabel “an important raw talent.” She was most recently acclaimed as the designer of First Lady Michelle Obama’s dress for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration. Ruben Toledo works across many media, including painting, illustration, marketing and mannequin design. Isabel and Ruben Toledo are thrilled to support Pilchuck and will be attending Pilchuck on Display: An Exhibition of International Glass Art on October 22 and the Pilchuck Annual Auction, October 23 at The Westin Seattle.

“We are very proud to have artists such as Isabel and Ruben Toledo, as well as all of the people who have generously donated works to be auctioned, involved with our annual fundraiser,” says Pilchuck Executive Director Arthur Jacobus. “The auction is the culminating evening in a week of public and private events that draw collectors from all over the world. It’s impossible for me to overstate how meaningful everyone’s participation is. There is truly something for everyone around this auction.”

Pilchuck’s Annual Auction directly supports the school’s operating costs and represents one third of the school’s annual income. It is a celebration of the impact and enduring legacy of the school’s artistic programs. Tickets for the gala begin at $250 per person. For more information please contact Helga Hizer, (206) 621-8422 ext. 34, hhizer@pilchuck.com.

Related Events

Nordstrom Display Window
In partnership with Pilchuck Glass School, Nordstrom will feature a large-scale installation in the windows of its flagship store in downtown Seattle. The display will include selected works from the auction as well as examples of the centerpieces, and will be in Nordstrom’s windows, on Pine Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, from September 11 through early October.

Pilchuck on Display: An Exhibition of International Glass Art
All works to be auctioned will be on view during Pilchuck on Display: An Exhibition of International Glass Art, a one-night exhibition on October 22, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of The Westin Seattle. Free and open to the public, this event offers visitors the opportunity to see the full breadth of contemporary art created with glass.

Pilchuck’s Emerging Artists in Residence – Exhibit at Seattle’s Friesen Gallery of Fine Art
Friesen Gallery is pleased to host “Pilchuck Glass School: The 20th Year of Emerging Artists in Residence” from October 20 through November 21, 2009. The featured artists are: Rebecca Arday, Alicia Basinger, Pernille Braun, Eun Suh Choi, Katya Filmus, and Dylan Palmer.

Each autumn Pilchuck Glass School holds an eight-week residency for six emerging artists, and provides them with financial support, access to tools and equipment, and a creative environment in which to develop bodies of work focusing on glass. The school also provides living accommodations, technical assistance, a small stipend, and a significant period of time in which to take risks, pursue special projects, or finish a body of work.

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Founded in 1971 by Dale Chihuly, Anne Gould Hauberg and John H. Hauberg (1916-2002), Pilchuck Glass School is an international center for glass art education. Located on a former tree farm in Stanwood, Washington, Pilchuck sponsors three-week classes each summer in a broad spectrum of glass techniques as well as residencies for emerging and established artists working in all media.

Pilchuck Glass School receives generous annual support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, the Washington State Arts Commission, PONCHO, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Kreielsheimer Remainder Foundation, the Corning Incorporated Foundation,4culture, the Jean K. Lafromboise Foundation, the Laila Twigg-Smith Fund of the Hawai'i Community Foundation and many generous individuals.

Pilchuck does not discriminate on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, nationality, or ethnic origin in employment or in artistic or educational programs.

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