Glass school sparks new obsession for CCAD scholarship recipient

For Allison McGovney (Fine Arts, 2020), a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend an internationally recognized center for glass art education this summer—funded by a CCAD scholarship—has sparked a newfound obsession with the medium of glassblowing.

McGovney started at Columbus College of Art & Design as an artist working primarily in two dimensions, with a focus on acrylic painting. While painting still plays a large role in her studio practice, for the moment McGovney is enamored with glassblowing.

“I love studying art at CCAD because I really love Columbus and have grown attached to the community here,” she says.

Thanks to the Pilchuck Glass Endowed Scholarship, McGovney was able to attend Pilchuck Glass School in Washington in June 2019 for a one-week course in flameworked glass and mixed media. CCAD’s scholarship paid for half the cost of tuition, while a Pilchuck Partner Scholarship covered the remaining balance. Each year, one CCAD student is chosen to attend a summer course at Pilchuck Glass School, founded in 1971 by glass artist Dale Chihuly, to complement their glass studies at CCAD. The student chosen is an underclassman, explains Dean of Studio Arts Julie Taggart, to ensure they’ll come back to campus and share what they learn with their peers.

“Pilchuck is highly respected, competitive, and provides intensive workshops that differ from the normal class routine in college,” Taggart says. “It is very impactful for anyone that attends.”

For McGovney, who had not previously experimented in flameworking, the experience was better than she could’ve imagined “I was really excited to build a new skill set in the realm of glass art.”

She describes 10-hour days blowing glass in the middle of the woods in the Pacific Northwest as a “surreal experience.”

“I’m so grateful to have received a scholarship for such an incredible experience,” says McGovney, who is majoring in Fine Art and minoring in Creative Writing, and has plans to attend grad school in the future.

“Right now, I just want to make glass forever,” she says. “Something about glassblowing is rather addictive, and it’s been a really exciting and challenging new medium.”