Watching this laughable documentary, one would think that glass art in the US had its start and major hub in Seattle. One would be surprised that Seattle's galleries tend to sell a lot of Chihuly knockoffs and that glass art is distributed all over the country, with the best museum installations in established glass making areas like Toledo, upstate NY, and southern NJ. Chihuly was one of a number people who were students when the studio glass movement was launched through a series of seminars at the Toledo Museum of Art back in the 60s. The leaders were Dominic Labino, an engineering trained glass artists who worked for Toledo's industrial glass makers and Harvey Littleton, a professor and studio artist at U Wisconsin-Madison (and Chihuly's mentor). The combination of studio artists and people familiar with the materials science of glass was what launched the field. Instead of this rich history that launched many different styles of art, this documentary blathers on about Pilchuk and Seattle in the manner of a chamber of commerce puff piece. I'd give it no starts, but at least one is able to see some nice glass pieces. Chihuly has been phoning it in for years and the glory days of glass art's appreciation have ended (which is obliquely mentioned here) and a much better documentary would have looked forward toward the future.
4 Reviews
A dance is the perfect description
mmackey-8666930 August 2020
This is a beautiful film about a magical place. I have been watching glassblowers at work for 30+ years now, and am also a ballet fan. I never get tired of watching what is literally, to me, a dance - not choreographed, but the strength and beauty of the team wielding heavy metal poles with essentially molten lava on the end, and each moving in ways that never impede the others to create objects of such amazing beauty... And then at Pilchuck Glass School in particular, in the forest with the stars blazing at night where such groundbreaking works have begun, with students from all over the world, it is nothing less than thrilling. This movie captures the stories of so many people who were integral to the creation of the school and its evolution over almost 50 years now. It's not to be missed.
A well told history of Pilchuck and Studio Glass!
taylorarts2 September 2020
The story of the studio glass movement wouldn't be the same without Pilchuck Glass School. This is an excellent introduction to the global glass community. Along the way, you get to know the visionary artist Dale Chihuly, the generous co-founders John and Anne Hauberg, the founding group of artists, gallery owners, and generations of artists and collectors that conspired to make Seattle a world headquarters of glass. If that wasn't enough, the sound track is probably one of the best I've heard in a documentary! The songs bring the founding years back to life!
How a school fueled an art movement
jamesbakerstudio3 September 2020
This film tells a great story told mainly through first hand accounts about a small school in the rural woods of the Pacific Northwest and how it helped the medium of glass grow into an art form. Among glass makers the school is legendary -- it started as an experiment and fueled an art movement. What is so interesting is how the school is basically run by artists and how well they planned and developed the school to become a major influence not only for artists from the United States but from all over the world. Introducing artists from other media who had never tried working with glass, developing the quality of programs led by the world's leading glass makers and creating a strong sense of community are some of the reasons why. When I shared watching this with friends who had no previous knowledge about glass as an art form they immediately became fascinated. Beautifully filmed and narrated by Jeff Bridges -- aka 'The Dude' -- help make the film very appealing and accessible.
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