Tacoma, Wash. The Museum of Glass: International Center for Contemporary Art is pleased to announce a $35,000 grant award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in support of the Museum’s 2006 Visiting Artists Program. The NEA supports museums and other exhibiting institutions that serve the American public through grants for projects of the highest artistic quality. The Museum’s grant was awarded under the Access to Artistic Excellence field which recognizes organizations that “support artistic excellence, preserve our cultural heritage, and provide access to the arts for all Americans.” The Museum of Glass is the only museum in Washington State to receive an NEA grant this year.

“We are very proud of our Visiting Artist Program and are so pleased it has been recognized at the national level,” said Laurie Haag, interim director of the Museum. “The intriguing nature of working with glass makes the program an especially effective way for the Museum to engage visitors, pique their interest in viewing the gallery exhibitions and increase their overall understanding of the creative process.”

Each month, the Visiting Artists Program brings an artist or team of artists of varying disciplines and experience with glass to the Museum’s Hot Shop for a 5-day residency to create works of art in glass. These artists work with the resident Hot Shop team, exploring various techniques and showcasing the process of glassmaking in front of a live audience. The program offers Museum visitors the rare opportunity to observe an artist’s creative and technical process as a piece of art is being made, as well as providing the artists the means to experiment with new directions in their art that might not be possible in their own studios. During the Visiting Artist Summer Series, the Museum hosts a different visiting artist every week from June 16 through September 3. This special program is presented in partnership with the renowned Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA.

Since the program began in 2002, each visiting artist has gifted the Museum an artwork created during the residency. These pieces compose the ongoing exhibition of the VAP study collection, Made at the Museum, which continues the experience of the residencies by capturing the history of the program and illustrating the range of techniques the artists use.