On Fire

Cultural Cascades                                                                                   

Story Ideas

ON FIRE

It’s our volcanic nature. How else can you explain our fascination with the fire arts?

ON FIRE IN TACOMA

• Museum of Glass: International Center for Contemporary Art  – Truly a world-class facility, this stunning museum features three galleries for traveling art exhibitions, a working hot shop where visitors can watch artists create with glass, and an education studio where they can create their own art.
  

• A highlight of the Museum of Glass is its Hot Shop Amphitheater where visitors can observe artists turn molten glass into works of art. The 90-foot-high, angled silver cone was recently named one of “Seven Wonders of the World 2003” by Conde Nast Traveler. With seating for 140 visitors, the amphitheater features two furnaces, four “glory holes,” special equipment and plenty of working space for the artists.
  

• Chihuly Bridge of Glass – This landmark piece of public art reflects a partnership between the City of Tacoma and world-renowned glass artist and Tacoma native son Dale Chihuly. The 500-foot pedestrian bridge spans Interstate 705 to connect the Museum of Glass with the Washington State History Museum – and creates a magnificent new gateway into downtown Tacoma.  Light and color come together to create a dynamic visual experience through three artistic “movements” – the Venetian Wall, the Crystal Towers and the Seaform Pavillion.
  

• More Chihuly Glass – Visitors who want to see more Chihuly glass in downtown Tacoma can view a spectacular display at Union Station, Tacoma’s historic railway station. Nearby, both the Swiss Restaurant and the Sheraton Tacoma Hotel have wonderful pieces decorating their public areas. The University of Washington’s Tacoma campus and the University of Puget Sound boast more gorgeous Chihuly creations.

ON FIRE IN EUGENE

• Eugene Glass School – From flamework to fusion, the Eugene Glass School provides an opportunity to master the techniques of glass art. Courses range from hand torching a paperweight for beginners to free form sculpting for the more advanced artist. After the lesson, browse through the gallery featuring local talent including student works.
  

• Kiln Fired Works of Art – Housed in Eugene’s oldest church building, Maude Kerns Art Center gives innovative artists a place to learn and display their works. A state-of-the-art kiln allows students to perfect their ceramic and glass art while the gallery showcases exhibits ranging from Dia de los Muertos to the popular Jello Art Show. 

• “The Firefighter” – This bronze sculpture stands watch outside the Sheldon Fire Station as tribute to the bravery of firefighters. Famed metal sculptor, Frank C. Gaylord - whose most renowned work is the Korean War Memorial in Washington D.C. - designed this treasured monument.

ON FIRE IN PORTLAND

• Bullseye! – The name says it all. This innovative glass company, started in 1974 by three young glassblowers, is on target to become the leader in fusing glass art with versatile functionality. While recreating many of the 19th century American opalescent glasses for stained-glass workers, the company’s founders early on invited artists into the factory to explore less traditional glass-forming methods. Today, Bullseye’s Resource Center – known as the Bullseye Connection – is headquartered in Southeast Portland, next door to the Bullseye Factory. Travelers are welcome to visit the resource center, which combines product sales, classes, demonstrations and exhibitions in an ever-changing, high-energy environment.
  

• Awash in Kahlúa – Portland’s oldest restaurant, Huber’s Cafe, is known for two things: serving Thanksgiving dinner year-round and its trademark flaming Spanish coffees. In fact, Huber’s makes so many Spanish coffees that the restaurant is consistently ranked among the nation’s top sellers of Kahlúa, a main ingredient in the drink. In addition to flaming beverages prepared with a theatrical flourish, the 125-year-old restaurant is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its arched stained-glass skylight, brass cash register, mahogany paneling and terrazzo floor are all original fixtures installed in 1911. Today, Huber’s has matured into a cool, comfortable hangout for hipsters who’ve outgrown the garage-band club scene.
  

• Hearth-fired History – The design, style and evolution of Native American pottery is a visual record of the joys, everyday challenges and hardships faced by the indigenous peoples of North America.  The Portland Art Museum’s Grand Ronde Center for Native American Art showcases this art form, with examples ranging from simple functionality to the elaborately ceremonial.  Before the center’s opening in 2000, much of the museum’s extensive Native American collection was in storage due to lack of exhibition space.  The museum’s recent expansion and renovation retrieved these artifacts from hibernation, allowing them to illustrate the history, myths and legends of their creators.
  

ON FIRE IN SEATTLE

• Galleries for Glass – Writing in American Style magazine (spring 2003), arts journalist Robin Updike states that most curators call Seattle the nation’s glass art capital and one of the world’s most important glass centers.  Certainly the list of galleries to see great contemporary glass is extensive:  Canlis Glass, Foster/White, Friesen, Glasshouse Studio, Grover/Thurston, William Traver, Vetri, Seattle Glassblowing Studio and others showcase Northwest and international artist rosters.
  
• Public collections – Seattle is known world-wide as a center for glass art, and our legendary natural beauty is enhanced by shimmering public glass installations. From the stunning chandeliers at Benaroya Hall to the Seaforms at the Seattle Aquarium, world-famous artist Dale Chihuly’s work graces public spaces. City Centre, the Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport also feature glass installations by some of our region's talented artists, who set new standards in this historic and popular art form. 

• Glassblowing studios – See the artistry in action at one of the many studios that are open to the public, including Glasshouse Studio in historic Pioneer Square, Seattle Glassblowing Studio in the heart of downtown, Art by Fire in the charming Ballard neighborhood, or Edge of Glass in artsy Fremont. Want the whole experience? Take a hands-on approach and choose from more than 100 glass art classes and workshops offered each year at Pratt Fine Arts Center.
  
• Ceramics – Pottery studios dot Seattle’s landscape. Legendary artists like Robert Sperry influenced a new generation of ceramic artists here.  Pottery Northwest at Seattle Center and Seward Park Art Studio in South Seattle both house local artist studios, and run nearby galleries showcasing professional and student work. 
  
• Jewelry Showcases – Local, national and international jewelry artists’ creations of metal, glass, stone, ceramics and more can be admired at numerous Seattle shops and galleries, including Facere Jewelry Art, which offers work by some of the Northwest's best-known jewelry artists.  Ragazzi's Flying Shuttle, established in 1982 in the historic Pioneer Square gallery district, offers the creations of over 100 artists dedicated to desgining unique jewelry, hand-woven wearables and limited edition apparel. Fireworks Gallery, Pacini Lubel Gallery and Twist are other shops with extensive handcrafted jewelry offerings

ON FIRE IN VANCOUVER, BC

• Granville Island - Where else in the world can rusty tin-sided factories boast rebirth as a Public Market, an art school, shops, restaurants, theatres, galleries, a hotel, and a great deal more? It's a remarkable thing, this island in the middle of a city of two million. Embracing the surrounding metropolitan bustle, Granville Island's ambience is matchless; its gritty, industrial past is proudly displayed in today's people-friendly, artistic, and energetic incarnation.
  
  From the outset of its redevelopment in the late 1970s, Granville Island has been a haven for the arts. All across the Island, former empty sheds have been reawakened as studios, stages, sets and scenery for art exhibits, theatrical plays, street performers, and music shows. The fervor for creativity flourishes on Granville Island.
  
  Printmakers, glass artists, potters, and craftspeople work and show their creations around the Island. At the renowned Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, students study traditional arts such as painting and sculpting, and ultra-modern disciplines such as computer-aided design and multimedia.
• Railspur Alley - If you're looking for the beautiful and unusual, this place will be right up your alley. Innovation and quality set the standards here. Meet a host of artisans who work with glass, silk, leather, wood, clay and more.

• Crafthouse / Crafts Association of B.C.
• Gallery of BC Ceramics
  
• Joel Berman Glassworks Ltd.
  
• Kingsmill Pottery Studio
  
• Molnar Glass

#####

Revised June 2004