This year’s REFRACT celebration turns the Glass Arts Studio into both an exhibition space and a gathering place. Events include a new exhibition in the Commons, a social hour and documentary screening, and a day of demonstrations. REFRACT is a regional festival celebrating the Pacific Northwest’s vibrant glass art community Oct. 15-18.

Exhibition: Birds of a Feather, PNW Glass Takes Flight

Wednesday, Oct. 7 – Friday, Oct. 30  |  BARN Commons: Glasswork from our studio, plus collaborations with other BARN studios, fills the Commons for three and a half weeks. Stop by anytime during open hours to see what our makers have been creating.

Free Screening of Holy Frit

Thursday, Oct. 15, 4 – 7 PM: Join us for a social hour with drinks, cheese, and crackers, an introduction from Aspire Glass artist Debra Arend, and the film itself (with popcorn!). This 2021 documentary follows glass artist Tim Carey’s race to design and build the world’s largest stained glass window (Note: May not be appropriate for children under 14).

Demo Day in the Glass Arts Studio

Saturday, Oct. 17, 10 AM – 3 PM: Four rounds of live demonstrations from artists and makers covering torchwork, stained glass, mosaics, and fused glass, plus a look at student classwork in each discipline. Free and open to the public.

Classes We Think You’ll Love

Glass Cutting

Monday, Sept. 28, 4:30 – 6:30 PM: Get comfortable with glass cutting fundamentals, plus a few tricks veteran cutters swear by. You’ll leave ready to shape glass for fusing, stained glass, and mosaic projects to come.

Table Art: Mosaic Trivets

Sunday, Sept. 27, 1 – 5 PM: Design, cut, and grout your way to a trivet that’s as functional as it is beautiful. You’ll walk away with core mosaic skills you can apply to bigger projects down the road.

Introduction to Torchwork: Borosilicate Marbles

Friday, Oct. 9, 2:30 – 6:30 PM: Step up to the propane and oxygen torches and learn to shape borosilicate glass into your own marbles. It’s the perfect entry point if you’ve been curious about torchwork but haven’t picked up the flame yet.

Introduction to Lampworked Sculpture: Pumpkins

Sunday, Oct. 11, 10 AM – 1 PM: Turn the torch into a pumpkin patch, shaping borosilicate glass into small sculptural pumpkins. A fun, festive way to build your torchwork skills before Halloween.

Introduction to Torchwork: Beadmaking

2 meetings, beginning Saturday, Oct. 31, 10 AM – 4 PM: Consider this beadmaking boot camp: two focused sessions to get you making torchworked beads with confidence. A great next step once you’ve got basic torch time under your belt.