The Bullseye Story |
In the summer of 1974, three recent art school graduates set up a glass factory in the backyard of a ramshackle house in Portland, Oregon, to make colored sheets for the stained glass trade. A chance encounter with artist Klaus Moje in 1979 inspired them to do something that had never been done before: produce a palette of tested-compatible glasses for creating works in a kiln. Four decades later, that humble backyard factory has expanded to cover most of the block, but two things remain the same:
And the story continues...
Bullseye Through the Years1974![]() Dan Schwoerer, Ray Ahlgren, and Boyce Lundstrom found the company. 1981![]() The world's first line of "Tested Compatible" glass designed specifically for fusing delivered to artist Klaus Moje. Read The Klaus Moje Connection: How Bullseye Came to Develop Compatible Glass 1980s - present![]() Numerous artist residencies. Artists have included Narcissus Quagliata, Rafael Carduro, Bertil Vallien, Jun Kaneko, Giles Bettison, Richard Whiteley, Dante Marioni, and many others. 1990![]() Department of Research & Education formalized 1993![]() Bullseye Research Director Rudi Gritsch develops the Vitrigraph kiln for a Narcissus Quagliata project 2000![]() Bullseye receives its first liturgical commission: Narcissus Quagliata's The Gift. A tall window in the north transept of San Francisco's Grace Cathedral, The Gift is one of 68 windows by five artists, done in three different techniques. 2001![]() Warm Glass @ Bullseye (wg@be), a juried exhibition for emerging artists working in kiln-glass, held at the Bullseye Resource Center in Portland. This will grow into a biennial event renamed Emerge. 2003![]() BECon 2003, our first international conference on kilnforming, held in Portland — Keynote address by Richard Whiteley. 2004![]() Bullseye Resource Center relocates to current location adjacent to the Factory Emerge 2004: WG@BE3 — winners included Judith Conway, Rachel Ravenscroft, and Nathan Sandberg 2006![]() Emerge 2006 — Winners/finalists included Cobi Cockburn, Jaqueline Cooley, and Joseph Cavalieri Bullseye Research & Education Studios move into new facility adjacent to the Factory Bullseye begins developing a dedicated fabrication studio that can make kilnformed glass available to artists and architects working with large scale projects. 2008![]() Bullseye Online Store opens Emerge 2008 — Winners/finalists included Sabine Rosenberger, Saman Kalantari, and Heike Brachlow 2010![]() Bullseye Resource Center Santa Fe opens Emerge 2010 — Winners/finalists include Kate Baker, Shannon Brunskill, and Joseph Harrington 2012![]() Bullseye Resource Center Bay Area opens Emerge 2012 — Winners/finalists included Émilie Haman, Miri Admoni, Amanda Simmons 2013![]() Bullseye Resource Center New York opens BECon 2013: CHROMA-CULTURE — Keynote address by Beverly Fishman 2015![]() Bullseye Gallery renamed Bullseye Projects — In addition to local and touring art exhibitions, its evolving scope now includes a child-focused Glass Lab and expanded artist residency and studio fabrication programs. 2016![]() Bullseye officially names its fabrication department, Bullseye Studio. 2020![]() Bullseye Studio completes its second collaboration with artist Lynn Basa, with the successful installation of a 71' x 25' kiln-glass mural. A Percent for Art project, the artwork was commissioned by the Regional Arts and Culture Council for the new Multnomah County Central Courthouse in downtown Portland, OR. |