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“Gather” at Chihuly Garden and Glass is the official opening night party for REFRACT, taking place on Thursday, October 12 from 6:30PM-9:00PM. Kicking off Refract 2023, guests will enjoy a festive evening filled with music, glassblowing demonstrations from amazing glass artists, VIP tours of Chihuly Garden and Glass, walk-around food tastings, signature cocktails, and other special programming to light up the night. This is the night to mix and mingle with Seattle’s glassblowing community – don’t miss it! Tickets for Gather can be purchased at ChihulyGardenandGlass.com starting in September ($50 per person) 21+
Radiant Neon is a community-focused neon shop that supports local neon makers. Founded in 2018 by Alleson Buchanan, Radiant allows her and her staff to create their artwork & provides access for aspiring neon professionals. We teach classes, repair neon, make custom neon, and exhibit original artwork. Alleson is a member of GAS & the first all womxn neon collective, She Bends. When she’s not making neon she’s playing with her pups or co-hosting her podcast, Neon Nonsense.
Studio Accessibility: Radiant Neon is located in Belltown on 1st Avenue between Lenora and Blanchard. There is ample street parking as well as a paid lot across the street. There is one step inside the studio and there is a permanent ramp. Visitors should look for the a-frame sign on 1st Ave and enter through the glass door between Local Coffee Spot and Tune Audio. The door is the last on the right – follow the glow! Studio is ADA-accessible.
Event Capacity: 10
Bazaz Glass was founded in 1985 when artist and designer Joan Bazaz began producing tableware, jewelry, and corporate gifts in glass. Joan’s work is about exploring kiln-worked glass in all forms. Seattle is a place to nurture, study, and ponder the possibilities of the creative use of glass. Recently, she has been exploring using engraving tools, sandblasted surfaces, and acid etching to make an image in thick glass plates. It’s a printmaking process called vitreography and when she inks the plate and runs it through a printing press, the image is transferred onto paper. She will be demonstrating the process in her Ballard studio to visitors coming to Refract. In addition, she will have a variety of glass objects on display including my commission work, lighting, wire drawings, jewelry, and tableware.
Studio Accessibility: My studio is accessible and located on street level with free parking on the street. There are no stairs, however, our bathroom facilities are not convenient for wheelchairs.
Event Capacity: 10
Richard Royal, a native of the Northwest, is recognized internationally as one of the most skilled and talented glassblowers in the studio glass movement.
Royal began working as a glass sculptor in 1978 at the Pilchuck Glass School and worked his way through the ranks to find himself as one of Dale Chihuly’s main gaffers, leading to Royal’s emergence in the art market in the 1980s. Royal’s work is found in such noteworthy museum collections as The Mint Museum of Art + Design, The High Museum, the New Orleans Museum of Art, The Tampa Museum of Art, and the Daiichi Museum (Japan). Royal was also one of the first Artists-in-Residences at the Waterford Crystal Factory.
Studio Accessibility: Richard Royal Studio is located in the historic Bemis building in the SODO District, a block and a half west of T-Mobile Park. The Bemis building is a multi-media residential artist studio building. There is handicap access and an elevator as well as staircase to the 4th floor where the studio is located. Phone box is at the main entrance to either get buzzed in or have someone come and escort you in.
Event Capacity: 20
Melissa Misoda owns Misoda Glassblowing Studio. Using a special color blending technique, she adds dimension and motion to her vessels. She starts with several pieces of colored glass rod, heating and blending them together to create a seamless fade from one color to another. After her final gather of glass, she adds bits of glass that create a dripping effect that resembles hot glass. In addition to running her own studio, Melissa has taught glassblowing at Sammamish High School since 1999.
Studio Accessibility: The studio is behind the house at street level. Neighborhood street parking is available.
Event Capacity: 3-4 at a time
Bridget Culligan loves to transform interiors into a space that is filled with light, color, and aspirational beauty. Using the tradition of stained glass, which inspired spirits to soar in sacred spaces throughout time, she brings that same feeling into your interior spaces, working with you one-on-one to customize the glass for your environment. Throughout the day, Bridget will host ongoing demonstrations of stained glass construction in both the leaded and Tiffany style methods. Stained glass windows and fused garden birds will be available for sale.
Studio Accessibility: The open studio at ZOKA Coffee in Tangletown is accessible on the ground level.
Event Capacity: TBD
KCJ Szwedzinski and Dave Walters are an artist team working primarily in glass.
Studio Accessibility: There are stairs, but there is also a freight elevator. People can call to be let in.
Event Capacity: 20
Sean Hennessey creates lit, painted, and framed wall relief sculptures in cast glass. His home studio building in the Mt Baker Neighborhood of Seattle has a large fusing kiln, cold working equipment, and woodworking tools.
There is a decked outdoor space with seating where work will be displayed. Please note the studio is not wheelchair accessible.
Studio Accessibility: The studio entrance is on S Hind St at the intersection of 36th Ave S in the Mt Baker Neighborhood of Seattle. There will be signs for easy wayfinding. It is a residential neighborhood and there is ample street parking and a few off-street spots. It is a 12-15 minute walk from the Mt Baker Light Rail Station and a 5-minute walk from the 7 Bus at Rainier and 33rd Ave S. The studio is not wheelchair accessible. There is gravel and 3 steps to traverse for entry.
Event Capacity: 10
Julie Conway, glass artist & founder of Illuminata Art Glass Design LLC, creates spectacular illuminated environments with blown glass lighting, architectural installation, & sculptures. Julie uses the glass medium for artistic expressions of refracted and reflected light, while simultaneously providing an intended artwork of functional design. For residential projects, or hospitality sparkle, come down to meet Julie and discuss your illumination projects. LIT Awards, Women in Lighting, Gray Magazine
Studio Accessibility: Illuminata Studio is located within Equinox Studios in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle. Parking is available. Handicapped entrance and ground floor is accessible. Public restrooms and amenities on site.
Event Capacity: 50
Visit artist Charles E. Friedman’s Ballard Studio where he has been creating his blown glass “Shilshole Seashells from the Salish Sea” since 1993.
Studio Accessibility: There are no issues with accessibility. There are no stairs or steps to the studio. The studio is at the end of long driveway, just a few blocks up the hill from the Ballard Locks.
Event Capacity: 10
Morgan Madison is a Seattle-based artist working in numerous media, kiln-formed glass being primary among them. His artistic practice is comprised of 3 main components; developing and creating new works of art that explore ongoing and evolving themes, creating commissioned works of art, and teaching his process and techniques to students around the world.
Currently, Madison’s work is focused on 2D wall panels made of kiln-formed glass and cast glass sculptural works that also incorporate other materials such as concrete, wood, and steel. All aspects of these processes take place on-site in his studio and the varied materials and overlapping processes to make for a dynamic, engaging, and ever-evolving creative practice.
Madison designed and built his studio with the help of friends, from the ground up, at his property in Crown Hill. The space reflects the artist’s design aesthetic and was purpose-built to accommodate the various materials and processes incorporated in his work.
Studio Accessibility:
The studio is located behind Madison’s house in the Crown Hill neighborhood of Seattle, WA. Access is via a paved driveway that slopes up to the studio. There is one step up across the threshold to enter the main studio space where the majority of the studio experience will be focused. He frequently puts a ramp in place to wheel large items in and out of the studio and this could be installed during the open studio event if so desired.
An upstairs area accessible by stairs will feature an ancillary collection of works and the area where his work is photographed. It is sort of bonus content if you will.
The studio can be seen from the street and signage will make its location clear to visitors.
Event Capacity: TBD
Working with glass for Karen Seymour, allows her to give functional form to the light and color that she finds in nature. She created her first stained glass table in 1998 and then all her friends wanted one too. She has been teaching the process for over 20 years and has written a couple of books on it. Getting a kiln in 2013 allowed her to add fused tabletops, mirrors, vessels, and lamps to her portfolio. She currently serves on the board of the Pacific Northwest Glass Guild.
Studio Accessibility: Seymour Stained Glass is one block west of the Woodland Park Zoo. The studio is located 1 block west of the Zoo at 55th. It has 3 shallow steps, please let us know in advance and we can put in the wheelchair ramp.
Event Capacity: 10
Carol Milne knits glass. Although she’d like to say she knits with molten glass, alas, her work is cast, using the lost wax casting process. The process involves wax working (knitting, pouring and soldering), mold making using plaster and refractories, a kiln, dental tools and coldworking. Her most recent work incorporates LED lights to create illuminated sculptures.
Studio Accessibility: The house is orange with red trim. Studio entry is through the door under the carport on the south side of the house. It is on the ground floor with no stairs, so wheelchair accessible. There is parking in the driveway for 3 or 4 cars. There is no street parking on 1st Ave NE.
Event Capacity: 10
After growing up in Eugene, Oregon Carrie Grey decided to head north to the big city and attend college at the University of Washington. Although the intent was to be an engineer or an architect, Carrie took a graphic design elective and found herself more at home in the School of Art where she graduated with a degree in Multidisciplinary Art in 1996.
The path to stained glass was circuitous, but most certainly cemented after a trip to Grace Cathedral in San Francisco in the Summer of 2006. There, the beauty of the windows transformed the way she saw light and color and inspired her to take a class as soon as she returned home.
In November of 2016, Carrie made art a priority in her life. She sold her home and moved into a studio in the historic Old Rainier Brewery. In the last five years, she has made over 300 windows and has started showing consistently at local galleries.
Studio Accessibility: Parking is available.
My entrance is up behind the building, near the freeway. My studio is wheelchair accessible and can hold 20+ people at one time. Attendees will need to call 206.859.1837 when they arrive to be let in.
Event Capacity: 20+
Milo Snyder is a second-generation glass artist who combines ancient techniques of lost-wax casting with cutting-edge digital design and fabrication techniques to produce novel illuminated glass sculptures.
Milo has always had a deep affinity for engineering and the arts. He was born and raised in Seattle by two glass artists, where he learned firsthand of the emotional power of the arts, but also of the challenges, careful planning, and resilience that is required.
Milo currently works out of a backyard studio in Green Lake, Seattle where live demos of 3D printing and kiln casting will be on display.
Milo is focused on building a community of glass and metal fabricators, interior decorators, and people who “just think glass and light are cool!”. He is currently accepting commission work and is eager to expand the avenues by which he can share his work with the public.
Milo has always had a deep affinity for engineering and the arts. He was born and raised in Seattle by two glass artists, where he learned firsthand of the emotional power of the arts, but also of the challenges, careful planning, and resilience that is required.
Milo currently works out of a backyard studio in Green Lake, Seattle where live demos of 3D printing and kiln casting will be on display. Milo is focused on building a community of glass and metal fabricators, interior decorators, and people who “just think glass and light are cool!”. He is currently accepting commission work and is eager to expand the avenues by which he can share his work with the public.
Studio Accessibility: The studio is located in the garden of a Seattle bungalow in the Green Lake neighborhood with free parking on the street. The studio can be easily accessed (no stairs) from the alley.
Event Capacity: 10
Milo Snyder is a second-generation glass artist who combines ancient techniques of lost-wax casting with cutting-edge digital design and fabrication techniques to produce novel illuminated glass sculptures.
Milo has always had a deep affinity for engineering and the arts. He was born and raised in Seattle by two glass artists, where he learned firsthand of the emotional power of the arts, but also of the challenges, careful planning, and resilience that is required.
Milo currently works out of a backyard studio in Green Lake, Seattle where live demos of 3D printing and kiln casting will be on display.
Milo is focused on building a community of glass and metal fabricators, interior decorators, and people who “just think glass and light are cool!”. He is currently accepting commission work and is eager to expand the avenues by which he can share his work with the public.
Milo has always had a deep affinity for engineering and the arts. He was born and raised in Seattle by two glass artists, where he learned firsthand of the emotional power of the arts, but also of the challenges, careful planning, and resilience that is required.
Milo currently works out of a backyard studio in Green Lake, Seattle where live demos of 3D printing and kiln casting will be on display. Milo is focused on building a community of glass and metal fabricators, interior decorators, and people who “just think glass and light are cool!”. He is currently accepting commission work and is eager to expand the avenues by which he can share his work with the public.
Studio Accessibility: The studio is located in the garden of a Seattle bungalow in the Green Lake neighborhood with free parking on the street. The studio can be easily accessed (no stairs) from the alley.
Event Capacity: 10
Chihuly Studio is the working studio of artist Dale Chihuly. The Studio supports the artist’s unyielding creativity, which has spanned more than five decades. Known for its bold colors and eccentric forms, Chihuly’s work is included in more than 200 museum collections and has been exhibited in fine art institutions, historic cities, and gardens worldwide. Major exhibitions include Chihuly Over Venice (1995-96), Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem (1999), de Young Museum in San Francisco (2008), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2011), Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond (2012), Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Canada (2013), Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada (2016), Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas (2017), Groninger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands (2018), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, U.K (2019), Gardens by the Bay, Singapore (2020), and Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona (2021). www.chihuly.com.
Studio Accessibility: Enter through the teal door on the East side of the building. Please wear closed-toe shoes.
Event Capacity: TBD
Kait Rhoads is a sculptor that works with glass. Her foundation is through Italian glassworking and patterning, but her sculpture focuses mainly on growth systems in nature. She creates utilitarian work, sculpture, public art, and a limited line of fine art jewelry. Kait received her BFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 1993, her MFA from Alfred University in 2001 as well as a Fulbright grant to study sculpture in Murano, Italy. She maintains a studio in Seattle, WA. Her studio is in her house in West Seattle, half of her 2020 sq. ft. house is dedicated to showing off her sculptures and design work.
Studio Accessibility: Studio Accessibility: There are stairs going to my front door and stairs in my house as well. Please email me if you have issues with steps as I can accommodate you. Please email kait@kaitrhoads.com to make an appointment.
Event Capacity: 10
Escape to W Seattle and experience a celebration of glass art at Refract Seattle. Stay with us and play in the Emerald City, the nation’s leading regional hub for glass art.
From October 13, 2022 – October 16, 2022, W Seattle, an Official Hotel Partner of Refract, will be your home base as you tour artists’ studios, watch live glass demonstrations, and learn what makes this glass art community so special. Your escape includes a Spectacular Room you’ll love, two cool cocktails, a hardcover book featuring work and /or collections of artist Dale Chihuly, a 10% discount in the Chihuly Garden and Glass gift shop for non-fine art items, and 50% off tickets to Gather (based on availability).
Access the very best of Seattle’s annual Glass Art Celebration. Book the Refract experience package to receive:
*Terms apply, select inclusions subject to availability. See special offer page for more details.
As part of the package, guests are invited to Chihuly Artwork Showcase Cocktail Hour on October 13, a cocktail party hosted by hotel General Manager Callette Nielsen who will provide a guided tour of the various glass artwork located throughout the hotel by Dale Chihuly and the Pilchuck Glass School. The event will begin at 4pm and guests will be provided with complimentary glass artwork-inspired cocktails and small bites.
Guests will received a $30 credit to Fountain and can order a specialty cocktail engineered by our award-winning culinary staff to replicate a blown-glass sculpture.
Half price tickets to Gather, the official opening night party. Includes access to the entire Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibition, plus live glass demonstrations, tours, and live music. Bites and drinks included. Subject to capacity limitations, advance purchase required.
A hard cover book featuring work and/or collections of artist Dale Chihuly.
Book any room type to receive complimentary valet parking and “The Cherry”, a glass inspired show stopping dessert offered through In-Room Dining and delivered at your convenience.
With our Refract Seattle package you’ll enjoy overnight accommodations in our premier guest room, waived nightly Destination Fee ($20 value), and in room luxury chocolate amenity. Valid for stays from September 15, 2022 – December 30, 2022.
During Refract, Electric 13 will be open Thursday-Sunday, 11-4pm. Visitors will be invited to tour the neon shop, discover one of a kind glass jewelry pieces, and see a new exhibit of mixed media, neon art!
Inna Peck works with detritus and scraps to enshrine the abandoned and discarded. Currently, her primary glass technique is flameworking and incorporating glass as a sculptural element into mixed media work.
Yale Wolf is a fabricator working with neon, he is interested in the scientific attributes of neon along with signs and sculptural art.
Studio Accessibility: The entrance to the studio is on Spokane Street, a double grey door on the southeast side of a brown building. The studio is ADA accessible and you can follow the neon signs to the entrance. For parking there is a triangle shaped parking lot west of the building and parking available on the street.
Martin Blank’s work is about carving space. From the commanding musculature of a male torso, to the sensuous curve of a vibrant scarlet abstract element, to the placid elegance of monumental glass trees, Martin Blank’s creations evoke a direct connection to natural forms. He has created multiple installations in prestigious corporate lobbies and continues to provide impressive public art installations, one of which, Fluent Steps, can be seen at the Tacoma Museum of Glass. Fluent Steps is a 200-f00t long outdoor sculpture. Martin Blank continues to push the boundaries of glass as a material in contemporary fine art.
Studio Accessibility: Street Parking
Event Capacity: 20
Dave Walters uses blown glass forms to serve as a reference, as well as a virtual canvas, to the stories he illustrates on them. He works mostly with characters from fairy tales and children’s stories, primarily for their familiar associations. He tries to incorporate into these cautionary tales a sense of his own history or personal experience in an effort to give them a more contemporary and personal relevance. After he blows these unconventional forms and teapots, he brings them back to his studio at the Bemis Building to paint vitreous enamels onto them.
Studio Accessibility: Dave Walters Studio is located in the historic Bemis building in the SODO District, a block and a half west of T-Mobile Park. The Bemis building is a multi-media residential artist studio building. There is handicap access and an elevator as well as staircase to the 4th floor where the studio is located. Phone box is at the main entrance to either get buzzed in or have someone come and escort you in.
Event Capacity: 20
Seattle artist Kelsey Fernkopf’s BIG NEON sculptures highlight the linear and luminous qualities of neon glass tubing, using a single continuous tube technique uniquely his own. His work manifests the gigantic, contrasting the fragility of glass with bold design. Illuminated line and curve emanate strength while interacting with their environment both as freestanding sculpture or in play with the architecture of walls and floors around them. Often creating single continuous tubes reaching 30 linear feet in length or more, Fernkopf’s BIG NEON challenges the boundaries of the luminous tube medium. Kelsey’s Neon Studios Neon studio in the heart of Ballard, at City lights Sign Co.
Studio Accessibility: Street Parking, fully accessible
Event Capacity: 20
Cappy Thompson is an internationally recognized Seattle artist known for her mytho-poetic narratives on glass using the grisaille (or gray-tonal) painting technique.
Her pieces are included in museum, corporate and private collections worldwide, with large scale, commissioned installations at SEA Airport, the Museum of Glass, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, and The Evergreen State College. Her honors include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and Artist Trust as well as Pilchuck’s Libensky Award for contributions in glass.
Studio Accessibility: Cappy’s studio is a large live-work space in one of Seattle’s first artist-owned cooperatives, the Sunny Arms. It is a fourth floor walk-up, which is not ADA compliant. You’ll find it nestled between UPS and FedEX in the Industrial District. Please park on the street.
Event Capacity: 10
Crista Matteson’s multimedia art speaks of her love for wild spaces and deep connection to the Pacific Northwest. She allows her finely-honed intuition to guide spontaneous sculpting of natural world observations and uses technical mold-making skills to create exact replicas of found botanical forms. Crista will be demonstrating her lost wax, kiln casting process and have her glass, ceramic, and bronze sculptures on view.
Ahead of Refract 2021, Catch Crista on a podcast interview with Talking Out Your Glass.
Studio Accessibility: The studio is located northeast of Greenlake, just off Interstate 5, in the Meadowbrook neighborhood. Ample parking is available. Access to the studio is along a wide grass, slightly sloped path. A video tour can be found below for those who can’t attend in person.
Includes one Refract cocktail per stay at our Fireside Cafe Bar. Rate includes one ticket to Gather, the opening night party, includes access to the entire Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibition, plus live glassblowing demonstrations and tours.
Explore why Seattle is the heart of the US studio glass art movement. The region’s luminaries of glass art come out to shine with special events, epic exhibitions, parties, studio tours, demonstrations and more! We’ve teamed up with the Refract festival to offer this special hotel package.
Refract Festival Hotel Package is available for the nights of October 14-17, 2021
Tickets for Gather, the official opening night party (October 14) are available for 50% off exclusively for Refract hotel partners. Tickets are $17.50 plus tax and include access to the entire Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibition plus live glassblowing demonstrations and tours. Please email us directly at mayflowerpark@mayflowerpark.com to request tickets. Tickets are limited and are available on a first come first serve basis. Please request tickets by Thursday, September 23, 2021.
Enjoy an authentic, personalized local experience at Refract | The Seattle Glass Experience!
Get an intimate understanding of Seattle and the Refract Glass Experience from a genuine local perspective and discover the enticing secrets and hidden gems that will stay with you long after you leave. From October 14-17, 2021.
Package Includes:
Immerse yourself in all that Seattle has to offer. Indulge with a stay at The Charter Hotel Seattle and experience the Fog Room offering a sultry, chic ambiance for a unique rooftop setting. Package includes luxurious accommodation in a King or Double Queen room and a F&B credit per night that you can use towards our cocktail special in the Fog Room – “The Refraction”
