The History Farm also records the unique local history of the Pilchuck Glass School (“PGS”) that in 1972, 3 miles to the NW of the Farm and Gardens, ignited the Modern Studio Glass Art Movement. The Farm and Gardens honor this Movement with unique collections of PGS annual auction centerpieces as we record the artists’ universal transparency, sharing,
and kindness … the voluntary gathering of techniques from many countries, and example legacy art pieces of its founders and legacy artists’ life works, beginning with Ruth Tamura and Dale Chihuly. PGS is so close-by; visitors are directed to the campus, “East at Exit 215, you drive by the little white church.” Historically open to the public only twice a year, the school sits among tall trees on 54 acres, anchored by a large lodge overlooking Puget Sound with 60 buildings hidden among the trees. For a traditional history (unlike the Farm’s native plants and cultures’ focus), we recommend Tina Oldknow’s, Pilchuck: A Glass School, Washington Press, 1996. Interviewing 125 participants (staff, artists, patrons), Tina documented the evolution of tents, tree houses, and a makeshift workshop into a School that is world-renown. Her history ends ~1995; our history at the Farm will end 2014, the last year of PGS’s annual auction table centerpieces. (The School is very much in business, operating under a summer camp zoning Conditional Use Permit astride 2 county boundaries, a historic fact of some significance during the later years of the Flower Age). We start our history with 2 PGS alumni’s concept/proposal presented to London’s Kew Gardens: “encase 250,000 of the Earth’s native plant species within glass, with a bottom corner containing a DNA reservoir.” Joey & Flora (2 legacy artists to be covered in a later post) prepared this Douglas/Oregon/Tough leaf Iris found now in our preschool. This writer visited Kew Gardens and left a native NW Tiger Lily for their Board’s consideration as Joey and Flora have started preserving Cascadia’s 904 native species, knowing that the magnesium atom at the center of each chlorophyll molecule detaches to be replaced by hydrogen atoms at 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant colors are tough to preserve in melted glass! Truly amazing!
http://kirkpatrick-mace.com
https://www.plc215.org/100-glass-artists/
https://www.plc215.org/pilchuck-glass-school-collections/
https://www.amazon.com/Pilchuck-Glass-School-Tina-Oldknow/dp/0295975598
https://www.plc215.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pilchuck-Glass-School.pdf
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