What Not to Miss at Refract: The Seattle Glass Experience

Refract: The Seattle Glass Experience is back October 15 to 18, and this year it includes 80 events, featuring over 50 artists, spanning from Seattle to Everett, Bainbridge Island, Issaquah, and Tacoma. It’s also stacked with milestones: the 3oth anniversary of “Chihuly Over Venice,” the 35th anniversary of Seattle Glassblowing Studio, and the 50th anniversary of Pratt Fine Arts Center.

If you’ve ever been curious about Seattle’s glass art community, this is the year to explore it. Whether you’re discovering glass art for the first time, or already know your way around a hot shop, Refract offers a rich mix of experiences. Most events are free, and its four-day format makes it an easy reason to visit (or revisit) the Emerald City.

Here are a few suggestions of events we’d recommend for building a trip around Refract:

Make Something Yourself

Lean into the trend of a “skillcation” and bring a new skill home from your Refract experience. From glassblowing to glass-cutting, take advantage of the many lessons available during the glass art festival, and learn something new. Here are few classes to add to your radar.

Suggested classes (Note: Pre-registration is required for some of the classes below. Please check out the individual event links for more details, including cost.):

• Hands-On In the Hot Shop: Autumn at Seattle Glassblowing Studio – Oct. 15, 9 am – 4 pm
• Skillcation: Learn to Cut Glass (with Karen Seymour of Seymour Stained Glass) – Oct. 15, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm; free.
• Glass Blowing Lessons at Blowing Sands Glass – Oct. 15-18; 10 am – 5 pm
• Veritable Visionary Vitrograph at Northwest Art Glass, Inc (in Redmond) – Oct. 17; 10 am – 2 pm

Enjoy Special Tours and Exclusive Access

Experience Seattle’s glass art scene in a way few ever do. If you’ve admired the glass installations at SEA Airport, wonder what Dale Chihuly’s hot shop looks like, or wish you could connect directly with working glass artists, this festival brings those moments to life. Enjoy curated, behind-the-scenes experiences of the city’s most iconic studios and meet the artists shaping Seattle’s vibrant glass art community.

Suggested experiences:

• Private Tour of the Boathouse – Reserve your spot on one of the two private tours of Dale Chihuly’s working studio and hot shop, offered on October 15. Tickets sell fast, so be sure to keep an eye out when tickets go live in early October!
• Special Tour of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s Glass Collection – On October 16, take a curated tour through the airport’s glass art collection, featuring work from renowned artists Linda Beaumont, Cappy Thompson, Dick Weiss, Weston Lambert, the De La Torre Brothers, and Jeremy Bert and Jen Elek.
• Open Artists Studios – Twenty artists are opening their studios on Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, to welcome you into their world. If you’re visiting without a car, take advantage of the free shuttle service that will take you on a loop of all the studios. Keep an eye out on this page for more details.

Watch the Pros Work

Hilltop Artists teaching glass-blowing techniques to students.

If you’d rather watch than try out glassblowing yourself, there’s no shortage of live demonstrations happening all around the city. Check out some live glass-blowing demonstrations happening near you:

• Hot Shop Demo | Paul Rodrigue at Seattle Glassblowing Studio – Oct. 16
• Boyd Sugiki and Lisa Zerkowitz of Two Tone Studios Hot Shop at Pratt Fine Arts Center – Oct. 16
• Live Glassblowing at the Museum of Glass (Tacoma) – Oct. 16-18
• Demo Day in BARN’s Glass Arts Studio (Bainbridge Island) – Oct. 17
• Open Studio: Hilltop Artists Students & Mentors (Tacoma) – Oct. 18

Add These Must-Visit Exhibitions to Your Itinerary

A fish sculpture with blue Indigenous designs at Stonington Gallery.

With plenty of museums and galleries within close distance to each other, enjoy the work of some of the biggest names in the Pacific Northwest.

• Luminosity: In its fifth year, Stonington Gallery’s annual group glass exhibition highlights the works of Northwest Native glass artists Ed Archie NoiseCat, Preston Singletary, Dan Friday, Raven Skyriver, and Kelly O’Dell. Oct. 15-18
• Out of the Woods Exhibition: Pilchuck Glass School’s Stanwood campus brings this exhibit to Seattle, exploring the legacy of Pilchuck’s artistic and educational mission through notable selections from the collection. Oct. 15-18
• Dick Weiss and Granite Calimpong at Traver Gallery: Make a one-shop stop to check out the works of Dick Weiss and Granite Calimpong.

New this year: Go on a Medallion Hunt

If you happen to be in town before the festival officially starts, keep an eye out for Refract’s first-ever Medallion Hunt, taking place from Oct. 1-14. Each of the limited-edition medallions will have special prizes. Be sure to follow this page for more details.

However you spend your time at Refract, you’ll come away with a real appreciation for why Seattle is widely regarded as the glass art hub of the nation. As you plan your trip, check out these recommendations for accommodations.

And that’s just a taste of what’s happening. With over 80 events and 50 artists spread across four days, there’s plenty we didn’t cover here. Head to RefractSeattle.org for the full lineup, tickets, and updates.

About the Author

Grace Palmer

Grace Palmer is originally from Bremerton, WA, a short ferry ride from Seattle. Now a Seattleite, she loves exploring Seattle’s arts scene, from theater to galleries, hopping between local coffee shops, and spending time outdoors hiking or kayaking around the Puget Sound. She is Visit Seattle’s Public Relations Coordinator.

More Posts By Grace Palmer