Southern Glass Works is hosting the 2025 Great Glass Pumpkin Patch Oct. 25 at SIU Carbondale. (Photo by Tamarah Cook)
October 17, 2025
SIU Carbondale hosts Great Glass Pumpkin Patch sale Oct. 25
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The talents of students in Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s glass program will be on display with the annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch on Saturday, Oct. 25.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on the lawn in front of the breezeway between Pulliam Hall and the Wham Education Building. The best parking lot for patrons will be at Morris Library.
Since 2006, undergraduate and graduate students in SIU’s glass program have crafted the pumpkins for sale at this event. About 400 pumpkins will be available this year. The celebration attracts nearly 500 people from throughout the region.
Prices this year will range between $70 and $120 on average, according to Jiyong Lee, professor and head of the glass program. Credit card purchases are available this year, but organizers are encouraging patrons to pay by cash or check (with photo ID) for faster checkout.
Proceeds support students
The pumpkin sale, hosted by Southern Glass Works, the glass art student organization in the School of Art and Design, directly supports the students and their work, and it is a way to enhance students’ educational experiences.
Proceeds fund programs, including the Visiting Scholar/Artist-in-Residence Program, Visiting Artist Series, field trips and conference trips that enhance the students’ educational experiences. Proceeds from the event have also been the main funding source for building glass melting furnaces and other major glassblowing equipment.
Visiting artist
This semester, Southern Glass Works is hosting glass artist George William Bell as its artist-in-residence. Since 2010, the program has hosted semesterlong residencies, offering students the opportunity to learn from practicing artists.
Bell’s solo exhibition is Nov. 17-28 in the Vergette Gallery, and he has multiple glassblowing sessions weekly throughout the semester. His work can also be found on Instagram.
Bell’s international exhibitions include “New Glass Now” at the Corning Museum of Glass and “Glass is Tomorrow” in Stockholm, Milan and London. He has also received recognition from Danske Kunsthåndværkere & Designere in Denmark, Ung Svensk Form in Sweden and the Stanislav Libenský Award, which is an international glass exhibition.
Bell studied ceramics and glass at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Art and the Royal Danish School of Fine Art, both in Copenhagen, and Bornholm and 3D Design (ceramics) at Bath Spa University in the United Kingdom.