If your kids have ever wondered how a glowing blob of glass becomes a bowl, pumpkin or piece of art, this is a good weekend to show them. Refract: The Seattle Glass Experience returns Oct. 15–18, bringing glass exhibitions, demonstrations, studio tours and hands-on experiences to Seattle and surrounding communities.
The eighth annual festival arrives during a milestone year for two local glass institutions: Seattle Glassblowing Studio turns 35 and Pratt Fine Arts Center turns 50. Much of the Refract programming is free, including opportunities to watch glass artists at work. For kids who come away from festival demos wanting to try it themselves, the region also has studios offering year-round glass experiences and classes, some starting at age 5.
Sands glassblowing lessons (Image courtesy Refract)
Before you go: Not all glassmaking is glassblowing
Glassblowing starts with molten glass gathered from a furnace on the end of a metal pipe. Air blown through the pipe expands the glass, while tools and movement are used to shape it. In beginner experiences, an instructor handles the more difficult steps while the participant helps make the piece. Here’s the lingo and how it plays out for beginners:
- Glass casting or pressing uses a mold to form hot glass. Because an instructor can control much of the process, some studios offer this option to younger kids.
- Glass fusing starts cold. Kids arrange pieces of glass into a design, which is later heated in a kiln until the pieces fuse together. There’s no furnace or blowing involved.
- Flameworking, also called lampworking, uses a torch rather than a furnace to heat glass rods or tubes. It’s often used to make beads and other small pieces.
Age requirements vary not only by studio, but by activity, so check the specific class before promising your child a turn at the furnace.
See glass artists at work during Refract
The annual festival offers ample opportunities to see the pros at work, demonstrations that are sure to inspire at least a few kids, particularly tweens and teens, to give the art a try. Here’s where to find demos during the fest:
Seattle Glassblowing Studio — Seattle
- Where: 2227 Fifth Ave., Seattle
- When: Thursday, Oct. 15, 5–9 p.m., Friday, Oct. 16, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 5–9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17, noon–4 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 18, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Cost: Free demonstrations
The studio also has a hands-on autumn glassblowing experience Thursday, Oct. 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It costs $160 per piece and requires a reservation. The studio’s regular glassblowing experience starts at age 11.
Pratt Fine Arts Center — Seattle
- Where: 1902 S. Main St., Seattle
When: Thursday, Oct. 15, 2–5 p.m.
Cost: Free
Glass artists Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen and Jasen Johnsen will work in Pratt’s hot shop alongside young artists from Tacoma’s Hilltop Artists program. It’s also a chance to check out Pratt during its 50th anniversary year before considering one of its family or teen classes below.
glassybaby — Madrona
- Where: 3406 E. Union St., Seattle
When: Thursday and Friday, Oct. 15–16, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Cost: Free
Stop by the Madrona hot shop to see glassblowers making glassybaby’s signature candleholders. Kids 12 and older can go a step further during a pumpkin-making experience Friday, Oct. 16, from 4–8 p.m. The cost is $180, and reservations are required.
Blowing Sands — Ballard
- Where: 5805 14th Ave. N.W., Seattle
When: Friday, Oct. 16, 2:30–4 p.m.
Cost: Free
Artist David Smith and other glassblowers will experiment with cedar strips, driftwood, a truck shock coil and other unconventional tools to shape hot glass. The studio’s Color, Science, and Glass exhibition, open Oct. 16–18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., looks at the chemistry behind glass colors. Blowing Sands is also offering glassblowing lessons during Refract, but it does not list a minimum age or price for the festival sessions. Call 206-783-5314 before booking for a child.
Museum of Glass — Tacoma
- Where: 1801 Dock St., Tacoma
- When: Friday–Sunday, Oct. 16–18, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Cost: Museum admission; Refract lists admission at $18.
The museum’s Hot Shop Team will work with visiting artist Benjamin Cobb throughout the weekend. This is a particularly easy way for kids to get a good look at the process: They can sit and watch the artists work in the museum’s functioning hot shop rather than trying to catch a short demonstration.
Bainbridge Island Museum of Art — Bainbridge Island
- Where: 550 Winslow Way E., Bainbridge Island
- When: Oct. 15–18, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Cost: Free
This one’s for seeing the finished product rather than watching it being made. Pratt Fine Arts Center @ 50 brings together work by current and former Pratt students, instructors, staff and board members.
Make glass pumpkins at Art by Fire (Photo courtesy Art by Fire)
Where kids can make glass art themselves
They’ve watched the demonstrations and now your kids want to try glassblowing themselves. No worries, there are plenty of places in our area where kids can take a turn turning the hot glass—or at least working with glass. Here are some to get you started:
Seattle Glassblowing Studio — Seattle
- Where: 2227 Fifth Ave., Seattle
- Ages: 5+ for casting/pressing; 11+ for glassblowing
- Cost: $85–$525
- Reservations: Required
For younger kids, the Cast or Press experience starts at age 5. With an instructor’s help, participants make a molded glass paperweight. It takes about 15 minutes and costs $85 per piece. At 11, kids can move into the hot shop for Create Your Own. Participants choose from six projects and help make their piece during a roughly 30-minute session. Cost: $160.
Private glassblowing lessons are also available starting at age 11. A two-hour lesson costs $425 and a three-hour lesson $525. Those prices cover one or two participants; additional people cost extra. Students generally make three to five pieces. The studio is open daily, and no previous glass experience is required.
Art by Fire — Issaquah
- Where: 195 Front St. N., Issaquah
Ages: 5+ for most family experiences; 16+ for flutter bowls
Cost: $234–$295 per private session
Reservations: Required
Because these are private sessions rather than per-person classes, Art by Fire can work particularly well for siblings or a family group. Kids 5 and older can participate in several projects:
- Ornaments or floats: $235 for a one-hour session producing five pieces for up to five participants. Additional participants are $47 each. Sculpted paperweights: $234 for three pieces and up to three participants. Choose round, heart or egg shapes. Additional participants are $78 each.
- Glass pumpkins: $234 for three pumpkins and up to three participants. Additional participants are $78 each. What-Not bowls: $234 for three small blown-glass bowls and up to three participants.
- Flutter bowls: Ages 16 and older; $295 to make two bowls. Finished work needs time to cool and can be picked up later or shipped.
Pratt Fine Arts Center — Seattle
- Where: 1902 S. Main St., Seattle
- Ages: Varies by technique, starting at 9
- Reservations: Required
Pratt is the place on this list for kids who want more instruction than a quick make-a-piece experience.
- Family and Me: Glassblowing: Ages 13+. The four-hour workshop pairs a child with an adult and introduces gathering molten glass and making a paperweight. Cost: $260 per pair plus a $60 supply fee, or $320 total.
- Teen Glassblowing: Ages 13–18. This five-week beginner course covers gathering, blowing and shaping glass. Cost: $480 plus a $60 supply fee, or $540 total.
- Family and Me: Glass Fusing: Ages 9+. A child and adult work with glass sheets, powders and other materials, with the finished work fired afterward. Cost: $260 per pair plus $10 for supplies.
- Family and Me: Flameworking: Ages 12+. This workshop trades the furnace for a torch. Cost: $190 per pair plus a $15 supply fee.
Pratt offers financial assistance for youth programs.
Schack Art Center — Everett
- Where: 2921 Hoyt Ave., Everett
- Ages: 8+
- Cost: $125 per pumpkin
- Reservations: Required
Schack’s seasonal Make It Now: Glass Pumpkin sessions let kids choose their colors and work with a glassblower to create a pumpkin. Allow about 30 minutes or less for the experience.
Upcoming dates include Oct. 24, 25 and 31 and Nov. 1, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15, 21, 22 and 28. Hours vary by date, so choose a specific time through Schack’s reservation calendar.
Only one participant is allowed for each reserved time slot. Wear cotton clothing and closed-toe shoes. Finished pumpkins are generally ready for pickup the following Tuesday.
Tacoma Glassblowing Studio — Tacoma
- Glassblowing: 114 S. 23rd St., Tacoma
- Glass fusing: 2621 N. Proctor St., Suite B, Tacoma
- Ages: 8+
- Cost: $95–$150 for glassblowing; $65 for glass fusing, plus tax
- Reservations: Required
Kids 8 and older can choose from 15 glassblowing projects, including paperweights, hearts, eggs, pumpkins, bowls, vases and ornaments. Prices range from $95 to $150, and sessions take about 30 minutes per participant. For kids who would rather skip the furnace, the studio’s Proctor location offers glass fusing for the same minimum age. The $65 workshop provides up to two hours to arrange pieces of colored glass into a design that will later be kiln-fired.
For glassblowing, arrive 30 minutes early for waivers and to choose a project, colors and design. Finished blown-glass pieces are generally ready the following Tuesday; fused pieces take about a week. Shipping is available for an additional charge. Adults can watch without purchasing their own session.
Museum of Glass — Tacoma
- Where: 1801 Dock St., Tacoma
- Ages: 6+ for glass fusing; 12+ for the hot shop
- Cost: $25–$95
- Reservations: Required for hot-shop experiences and recommended for other workshops
At age 12, kids can get onto the hot-shop floor for By the Furnace, a hands-on experience taught by Hilltop Artists instructors. Participants choose their colors and help shape a piece of molten glass. Cost is $95, or $90 for museum members, including museum admission. Dates are offered periodically. Younger kids can start with glass fusing at age 6:
- Fused-glass pendant: $25.
- Full-fused glass tile: $45, or $40 for members.
- Tack-fused glass tile: $45, or $40 for members.
- Slumped glass dish: $45, or $40 for members.
Museum admission is included with the workshops. Finished pendants and tiles are generally ready the following Saturday; dishes take about two weeks.
Glassmaking demonstration at Refract: The Seattle Glass Experience (Photo courtesy Refract)
Parent advice
Hot glass and small kids obviously require a different level of supervision than a typical craft class. In short introductory experiences, the professional glassblower remains in control of the process while the child participates in age-appropriate steps.
Check clothing requirements before leaving home. Closed-toe shoes are standard for hot shops, and some studios specifically require natural-fiber or cotton clothing. And don’t promise the kids they’ll be carrying their masterpiece home. Hot glass has to cool slowly, while fused pieces still need to go through the kiln. Pickup may be the next day or a week or more later.
Finally, pay attention to how each studio prices its sessions. A $235 class might cover five family members and five pieces, while another studio’s listed price may be for one participant making one piece.
Not sure whether your kid will want to try it? Start with one of the Refract demonstrations. Watching a glassblower pull a glowing gather from the furnace should answer that question pretty quickly.
See the full Refract 2026 schedule: refractseattle.org/events
