Double the fun! There will be 2 Guild picnics this year: first in Seattle on August 15th at 11:30 am and then in Portland on August 22nd at 4pm. To make it easy on the hosts, it will be a potluck. Bring a dish that can give 8 to 12 small portions. If you want something special to drink, please bring that too. The host will furnish plates, cups, utensils, napkins, water and ice.

We have no idea what to expect for our first in-person events: if possible, let us know in advance that you will be attending so we have enough chairs and plates out: Seattle contact Karen Seymour, Portland contact Lyn Kennison. Further details will be on the event listing in our calendar as the date gets closer.

If you are fully vaccinated, you are welcome to attend one or both picnics. We’ll try to set up a Zoom link for those far away or not yet fully vaccinated so they can share the festivities. Anyone willing to listen to us “talking glass” is welcome. You are even encouraged to bring one of your Covid-year glass projects (or a photo) to show what you’ve been up to.

2021 Open Studios Tour & Sale: September 18-19! (apply by August 15th)

We are pleased to announce that our 6th annual Open Studios Tour & Sale is happening in-person this year! There are a few changes: the event has been shifted from November to September so that we can keep our studios open to the outdoors and enjoy warmer, sunnier weather.

We need volunteers to pull this off. Please contact Carlyne Lynch to lend a hand with the event (for instance she needs volunteers to help hand out the signs).

Registration will be online only. Cost for current Guild Members to participate is $55. Registration deadline is August 15th. (If you aren’t a current member, please join the Guild by clicking Join in the menu, $45/year for individuals) Application forms and other details

Several artists in one location is fun and usually increases customer traffic. We encourage artists to join together to showcase their art. There are many advantages to doing this, particularly if you are just starting to do these.

Seattle Glass And Decor Studio tour October 16-17

The 5th annual GlassAndDecor.com studio tour in north Seattle October 16-17 is usually about 8 studios with 3 or 4 artists at each site but having to be outdoors for Covid last year limited it to 5 studios (This year we’ll hopefully all be vaccinated and it can be indoors if it rains).

There is at least 1 glass artist at each site but to get enough hosts in the area we also include interior decor artists in other media if they are willing to host. This event is part of Refract, the big 4-day Seattle area glass celebration). Please contact Karen Seymour (206-525-1577) for more information.

In-person glass events are starting up again. Here are Images from some events this spring, followed by a list of summer events and a few application deadlines.

Sorticulture in Everett WA is the NW’s largest outdoor garden art festival

Many vendors were nearly sold out of their work by Sunday afternoon. This bodes well for the coming summer

Summer starts slow with several shows still virtual, but by August most events are in-person.

Application deadlines for some fall events are also listed below:

(Guild sponsored events are bolded)

July

11 Art In The Garden, Brush Prairie (near Vancouver WA)
16-25 Salem Art Fair and Festival, usually Salem, OR but virtual this year
17 Art In The Garden, Battle Ground WA
18 Guild General Meeting: Inclusions and Reactions 2 pm via Zoom
21-Aug 4 Bellevue Art Museum Arts Festival, usually Bellevue WA but virtual this year
23-Aug 2 Sooke Fine Arts Show, usually Sooke BC but virtual this year

August

5 Portland Bead Society Bead and Creative Arts festival vendor applications due Aug 5, show is Oct 9-10.
6-8 Anacortes Arts Festival, Anacortes WA
15 Guild Picnic 11:30 am Seattle in-person (and Zoom?)
15 Portland/Vancouver area Open Studios applications due (see related article)
21-22 Fresh Paint, Everett WA
21 Guild Board Meeting
22 Guild Picnic 4pm Portland in-person (and Zoom?)
21-22 Whidbey Working Artists Summer Studio Tour, Whidbey Island WA
27-29 Edmonds Art Festival Edmonds WA
27-29? Arts In The Garden, Bellevue WA

September
4-6 Art In the Pearl, Portland OR
4-6 Bellevue Downtown Arts Market Bellevue WA
10-12 Art In The Park Boise ID
18-19 Pacific NW Glass Guild Open Studios, Portland OR (apply by August 15th, see related article)

These companies and organizations are an integral part of the glass art community. We thank our Sponsors for supporting our Guild through either generous donations or by offering discounts to our Members. Please take time to thank them for their generosity when you visit their businesses.

Gold Level Sponsors

Silver Level Sponsors

Colour de Verre – Artifex Toolworks – Glass Alchemy – D&L Art Glass – HIS Glass Works – Bonny Doon

As you’ve guessed, due to the pandemic, the 2021 Gathering of the Guilds (GotG) will be a VIRTUAL SHOW this year, opening APRIL 30th – MAY 2nd.

45 Pacific NW Glass Guild artists and over 200 artists from five other Portland area guilds have joined forces to exhibit and sell their fine art and crafts. All items are handmade, unique and of exceptional quality!

Go to: nwguildsshowcase.com to see and purchase these beautiful pieces of artwork from:

• The Pacific NW Glass Guild (PNWglassguild.org)
• The Oregon Potters Guild (Ceramic Showcase)
• The Portland Handweavers Guild
• The Guild of Oregon Woodworkers
• The Creative Metal Arts Guild (CMAG)
• The Portland Bead Society

While many of us will miss having an in person show….this also gives us a unique chance to show off our artwork to SO many people who might not otherwise live close enough to come to the show here in Portland. The GotG site will have several photos of art for each artist plus links and info on where to see more of their artwork. Contact info will also be provided and each artist will handle their own sales.

Whether or not you decided to be in the show, we hope that everyone in the glass guild will help spread the word. By helping to promote this year’s show you will help keep the annual spring Gathering of the Guild’s Show in people’s minds and also help promote our PNW Glass Guild! PLEASE use your social media to share this info to your family and friends! The virtual nature of the show is both wonderful exposure for our glass guild and aterrific opportunity for us all to expand our customer base!

**This would also be a wonderful time for ALL Guild members to make sure you have your PNW Glass Guild website GALLERY photos posted! Also: PLEASE read the instructions about how big to make your photos because those that are too large will either not load correctly or will take far too much time to open (See the article in this issue).

The following PNW Glass Guild members are participating in this virtual show:

Do you want to meet new people, learn new skills, share the skills you have with others?

The Pacific NW Glass Guild commissioned our new website to help the glass community in the Pacific NW region stay informed and in touch. BUT… to do that we invite volunteers from all over the region to help carry the load. In return for your time we’ll help you learn new computer skills, introduce you to new friends, and learn all sorts of new things about glass.

• If you’re selling your work or have an event, we can help you (see the Communications and Gallery articles in this issue).
• If you’re just thinking about selling your work, come to one of our meetings where experienced artists share their tips on pricing, photography, studio setup etc. (or watch the video of the meeting later).
• For individualized answers, you can ask the member-only Facebook group almost anything.

Can we count you as part of the team?

We depend on folks like you to volunteer to answer a question, schedule a meeting, send an email, write a newsletter article, lead a discussion, host a Play Day, record a meeting, post a video, help keep our website running… The Guild is only as strong as the members’ commitment to keeping it going.

If you have a few hours a month or a couple of hours a week to share with your fellow glass enthusiasts, please glance through the list. Find something that interests you and contact that team. In almost all cases, if you have a computer, we can train you to do any of the tasks you dare to try (webmaster needs some WordPress background but if you have that, you’ll get an experienced coach to help expand your skills there too). If you don’t have a computer, you can help with in-person events, just contact the coordinator of the event you want to assist with. Everyone is welcome.

New friends and new skills are just a click away:
https://www.pnwglassguild.org/about-the-guild/committees/

Looking for a special piece of glass or an artist who teaches a special technique? Want to find that glass artist you met last summer? Our Members’ Gallery is meant to be an active and evolving collection that reflects the accomplishments, skills and glass experiences of all our members. Browse our Members’ Gallery located under the “Glass” menu. (Please be patient with some pages as they take longer to load but it’s worth the wait).

Members: Saturday May 1st will be the first of several member-only Play Days to assist you in creating, editing and uploading images for display in your gallery portfolio. Even if you don’t sell your work, we all look forward to seeing what you do and making more connections.

The Guild has assembled a step-by-step guide to assist you in setting up this showcase for your work. You can read it as a webpage or download the easy to follow Gallery Guide in either PDF or Word format. Look under the menu item For Members> Website help> Members’ Gallery: Adding Your Work OR you can use the search feature on the “Home” page by entering “Gallery Guide”. Here’s where you can find things like the recommended size for your art images (600px max, cover is 1000px), how to make your profile show up in the Gallery (edit My Account> Privacy “show My Profile…”) and all sorts of other tips.

Tooting your own horn: the new website has two forms to communicate your info to the Pacific NW Guild’s readership. They are under About>Contacts https://www.pnwglassguild.org/contact-us/

Anyone can use the Classifieds form (the top button) to send an ad to the membership about glass-related things for sale or to find an artist to make a window, repair something broken, teach a technique etc.

Members: log in to use the second button. Fill in the form and a volunteer will post your glass-related event onto the Events Calendar. You might also want to go to the PNWGlassGuild Members Group on Facebook and post your info yourself.

Further down the Contacts page are forms anyone can use to reach different Guild officers and teams. Of special note is the “send the Zoom link” form. Our Zoom procedures are in transition to a more secure method. Until this is finalized we may have hiccups, please be patient with us. In the meantime use this form if things don’t seem to be working and we’ll send you the link.

On the receiving end: As former OGG members may have noticed, the new PNWGlassGuild.org has 5 types of email you can subscribe to rather than just the one (see the Email help file for more info). This allows you to fine tune what you get and not lose an important event reminder at the bottom of a long Classified. Even those who are not yet members and just subscribing to the newsletter have the option to also receive the weekly Public News, usually reminders of events happening within the next week to 10 days.

Hello fellow glass artists!

It doesn’t seem possible it has been a year since Covid-19 started. We are still doing our board and general meetings online. Because we have many new members that live outside of the Portland area, we will continue to be online for these meetings as well as Play Days. Our next General Meeting will be exploring the use of Flexi-Glass on March 21st from 4-6PM. Mark your calendars and join us. Check the Event Calendar (under News and Events) for other meetings and Play Days being set up.

Our new website has launched. We will have gallery space for every member to have 9 photos of their work for people to see and buy through you. Please check out the guide on how to download and place/size your photos on the website.

Our name Oregon Glass Guild has changed to Pacific NW Glass Guild with the new website.
Stay well and keep on creating glass pieces.
Lyn Kennison,
President Pacific NW Glass Guild

To all my fellow guild members,

Over 20 years ago George Kjaer, the founder of the Oregon Glass Guild, handed me a copy of the guild’s newsletter at a Hot Glass Horizons Show and Sale event. This was the start of my very long relationship with the glass guild. As a labor of love and as an homage to George, I started a quarterly newsletter while serving as the state board’s Secretary. It was my hope that the newsletter would augment other forms of guild communication and would help to feature our guild’s artists.

After having produced the newsletter for almost five years I have come to the difficult decision that this is my last edition (with the exception of a fuller In Memoriam tribute to Roger Thomas later this month). As the newsletter has been a quarterly publication the next issue would be scheduled for June or July. If you are interested in seeing the newsletter continue and would like to become the newsletter editor/director I would be more than happy to help in the process. Doing the newsletter has been a source of joy as I have gotten to know and feature many of you.

hank you for the opportunity to celebrate both the guild and you!

With gratitude, Sharon Dunham

We didn’t know what to expect with our first online Glass Gallery show, but you all did not disappoint! We had 40 slots to fill, and we have just started a waiting list for the over flow.

Over the next month, Sharon and I will be working with the 40 artists who have signed up so far. If “something happens” and we have an opening, we will start at the top of the waiting list so if you think you might want to participate, please fill out the google form (link below) as soon as possible.
https://forms.gle/3Gr2DYYxoNwmwgBT9

The Gathering of the Guilds web site is still in development but I am attaching a draft image of the home page so you can see how lovely it will be. The most important thing for us will be to present the best images we can of our work to get customers excited about purchasing!

This year’s Glass Gallery at the Gathering of the Guilds will be a bit different since it is on-line rather than in person but it will still be well worth your time to visit. In fact, a virtual show is even easier to see.

Check-out what your fellow glass artists have been doing during the pandemic. Spot techniques you may want to try. Find a new piece for your wall, garden, or as a gift. The show begins April 30th; check it out at https://www.nwguildsshowcase.com/
Questions? For more information contact Serena Smith at serenasmith@embarqmail.com

We are pleased to announce that the Oregon Glass Guild is now the Pacific Northwest Glass Guild in recognition of our more regional focus. With our new name comes a brand new website, PNWglassguild.org.

Why join the Guild?

Keep learning new skills: The Guild has expanded its online presence with Zoom meetings, Play Days, videos, classes, and much more. In-person Play Days, classes and other learning opportunities will resume as soon as it is safe to do so.

Socialize with other glass enthusiasts at Guild sponsored events: In the post-Covid days ahead we’ll continue both in-person and virtual events:
Join the Members Facebook page for glass discussions with other Members.
This year Gathering of the Guilds is virtual.
Hopefully, come this summer we can begin to have in-person events: Open Studio Tours, our member only Summer Picnic, Holiday Party, and Vendor Fair. The Vendor Fair is our Annual Meeting when we elect new officers.
We hope to add events in other regions, such as sponsoring Seattle’s GlassAndDecor.com Studio Tour. As other areas of the Northwest gather members, we are open to having events in other regions.

Show off your work: The new site has an improved Member Gallery. Members can upload photos and captions of their work in addition to their artist contact information. Together, we can reach more glass collectors, potential students and possible new members. After you join or renew you will receive an email with detailed instructions for creating your gallery and making it public.

Publicize YOUR events: We are posting member shows and classes on our events calendar and our new Facebook page. You can also join our members-only Facebook discussion group and tell people about yourself.

Participate in Gathering of the Guilds: We had 40 slots to fill, and we have just started a waiting list for the over flow. See page 3 to get on the wait list.

Even if you are registered on the OGG website, you will need to fill out your information again on the new PNWglassguild.org website. Go to the Join page and follow the instructions as if you are a new member (not as a renewal). You can pay by credit card or check. Do not click on Renew because we are all NEW members to the PNW Glass Guild website.

If you haven’t signed up in the new website, you are a new member

Please click Join now!

Go to http://pnwglassguild.org/ to continue your exciting journey as a member of the Pacific Northwest Glass Guild! Log in and go to the Welcome page for help using your new benefits.

Regards,
Margie Rieff, Membership Chair PNW Glass Guild

The New PNWglassguild.org Website Has Launched!

The new website will help tie together the wider Pacific NW region of glass enthusiasts, making it easier for you to find people in your area who share your passion.

The calendar shows a list view of all upcoming events, making it easy to scroll through to find things of interest to you throughout the region, including glass-related events submitted by members. To submit your show, class or event, log-in and use the form on the About > Contacts page.

You and the general public can scan through the Members’ Gallery to find artists and instructors in your area of interest. Clicking the artist brings up a page of up to 9 images and a short description of what they do. Participation in the Gallery is optional. For instructions, log in, and choose For Members > Website Help from the menu, scroll down to “Members’ Gallery”. OR try using the search feature on the home page by entering “Gallery Guide”.

If you’re participating in the virtual Gathering of the Guilds show which begins April 30th (see page 3 for details), be sure to upload your images here so we see YOU in the Members’ Gallery as well.

“1-Welcome to the Guild” at the top of Website Help has links to help with these and other membership benefits.