2 0 1 4 P I L C H U C K C E L E B R AT E S
CELEBRATING FRED TSCHIDA 2014 Libenský | Brychtová Award Recipient Pilchuck Celebrates continues the school’s long-standing tradition of recognizing extraordinary contributions to the field of contemporary glass by honoring Fred Tschida as the 16th recipient of the Libenský | Brychtová Award. In 1970, Fred began his exploration in glass with Eriks Rudans at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. While at St. Cloud, he interned with Dale Chihuly at the Rhode Island School of Design where Dale taught him to work with neon. As a MFA candidate at the University of Minnesota he built the school’s first neon studio. He graduated in 1977 and, since that time, his work has been nationally exhibited and is represented in major public and private collections. In 1985, Fred was invited by Dale Chihuly to teach at Pilchuck and establish the school’s neon shop. Along with Deborah Dohne, Fred designed and built a permanent luminous tube fabrication facility in the flat shop. Fred has returned to Pilchuck a dozen times as an artist in residence and instructor. Today, Fred is acclaimed as a leading pioneer of neon as an expressive medium — propelling it through experimentation and creating important artistic innovations. As Professor of Glass Design and Director of the Museum of Luminous Phenomena at Alfred University in New York, he is widely acknowledged as an influential educator. As a leader in Alfred’s renowned glass program and through numerous national workshops and symposia, Fred has inspired new generations of glass artists. 12