Tacoma, Wash. (June 13, 2007)— The Museum of Glass announces plans to commemorate its fifth anniversary with a weekend full of art demonstrations, activities, performances and experiences throughout the Museum. Visitors can join in all celebratory activities for a special admission price of $5 per person. This offer is extended to adults, seniors and students; children ages 6 – 12 are $4 (under 6 are free). In acknowledgment of this milestone, Tacoma Art Museum and Washington State History Museum will also offer $5 admission Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 6, 7 and 8, 2007.

The Museum opened its doors to the public to wide acclaim on July 6, 2002, welcoming more than 10,000 visitors during its first weekend and nearly 300,000 visitors during the first year, including guests from all 50 states and more than 60 countries. The one-millionth visitor is anticipated to walk through the doors later this summer.

“We’ve had a fantastic first five years with numerous memorable exhibitions, artist visits and events that have earned the Museum a reputation for being a place of high energy and creative inspiration,” comments Museum director and CEO Timothy Close. “We expect this trend to continue as the institution matures. As we enter our sixth year of operation, we do so with a clarified mission that focuses exclusively on glass, a lineup of exceptional glass exhibitions, a full schedule of innovative visiting artists, and continued outstanding educational programming that will augment the artwork in the galleries.”

Highlights for the weekend include Mining Glass, the Museum’s fifth anniversary exhibition, which features nine large-scale installations by eight internationally distinguished and influential contemporary artists, including Maya Lin, Kiki Smith and Fred Wilson. The Museum’s new mobile hot shop will be fired up for the first time on July 6. This new educational vehicle will hit the road this summer, bringing the excitement, science and art of glassmaking to schools and communities around the region. Artist Martin Blank, formerly an integral member of Dale Chihuly’s glassblowing team, will be the featured artist in the Hot Shop. Blank will also deliver a slide presentation and lecture, as will fellow Northwest glass master, Preston Singletary. Anniversary cake will be served on the plaza at 1 p.m. on Friday. Hands-on art activities, original Museum of Glass documentaries, dramatic performances and the Museum Store’s annual tent sale are also scheduled.

The Museum of Glass Fifth Anniversary Celebration will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 12 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. .

Museum of Glass Fifth Anniversary Celebration Schedule of Events
July 6 – 8, 2007
All events are included with regular Museum admission.

EXHIBITIONS

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 12 – 5 p.m. Sunday
Docent-led tours scheduled throughout the day

Mining Glass (Fifth Anniversary Exhibition)
Organized by the Museum of Glass
June 16, 2007 – February 3, 2008
Sponsored by The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation; Board of Trustees, Museum of Glass; Russell Investment Group; the National Endowment for the Arts; Click! Network; the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass; and Selden’s Home Furnishings

In celebration of its Fifth Anniversary, the Museum of Glass presents Mining Glass, a new exhibition that explores how the medium of glass has gained prominence in 21st century contemporary art outside the Studio Glass movement. The exhibition comprises nine installations from eight internationally distinguished and influential contemporary artists who address different narrative themes and utilize glass in a unique way. Two of the installations feature glass elements created by the artists in the Museum’s Hot Shop. Contributing artists: Wim Delvoye, Teresita Fernandez, Mona Hatoum, Maya Lin, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Kiki Smith, Fred Wilson and Chen Zhen

Contrasts: A Glass Primer
Organized by the Museum of Glass
Through November 2009
Sponsored by the Ben B. Cheney Foundation, the Gottfried and Mary Fuchs Foundation, The Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

A captivating introduction to the medium of glass, Contrasts includes international, historically important and visually stunning works of art that are grouped to illustrate opposing ideas, techniques and styles. The exhibition provides a visual feast of more than 50 objects. Contributing artists include Rene Lalique, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Frank Lloyd Wright, Stanislav Libenský, Jaroslava Brychtová, Harvey Littleton, Dale Chihuly, Richard Marquis, Ginny Ruffner, Dante Marioni, Sonja Blomdahl, Flora Mace, Joey Kirkpatrick, Susan Plum, and Robbie Miller, among others.

Made at the Museum: The Visiting Artist Collection
Organized by the Museum of Glass
Ongoing

The Visiting Artist Program brings artists from the region and around the world to the Museum of Glass to work with the Hot Shop team to explore, invent and create with glass. After each residency the Museum and the artist select one work of art to be included in the Visiting Artist Study Collection. These objects are rotated on and off display throughout the year as new works are created.

HOT SHOP

Live Glassblowing Demonstrations with Visiting Artist Martin Blank
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 12 – 5 p.m. Sunday
(No demonstrations 1 – 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday or 2 – 3 p.m. Sunday)

Martin Blank has admired the grace and flow of the human form since his childhood when he dug into clay at the Boston Museum of Fine Art at age thirteen, and his work reflects the subtle yet powerful resonance of human landscapes. After earning a BFA at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1984, Blank began his professional career as a member of Dale Chihuly’s glassblowing team, where he was an integral member of Team Chihuly for eleven years before opening his own studio in Seattle. He has since emerged as one of North America’s premiere figurative sculptors. His work is exhibited in galleries worldwide.

During his Museum of Glass residency, Blank will begin fabrication of glass prototypes for a future water installation.

Hot Lunch with Martin Blank
12 – 1 p.m. Friday
Enjoy a box lunch from Gallucci’s Catering while watching Martin Blank at work in the Hot Shop. Cost: $9 per person plus Museum admission. Please call 253.284.4737 by 4 p.m. on July 3. Menu choices are listed on www.museumofglass.org/hot-lunch.

THEATER
Films will repeat throughout the weekend.

Fire Gods: A Short Animated History of Glass
Fire Gods is a 10-minute film that traces the history of glassmaking from its inception more than 2000 years ago up to today’s contemporary glass. Two bantering-but-lovable fire gods, Ash and Burnie, serve as tour guides who highlight many of the transitional moments in the history of glass, such as the advent of glassblowing in the Roman period. As each historical innovation is revealed, the cutting edge animation gives way to beautiful hand-rendered drawings of seminal glass works representative of the period. Appropriate for children of all ages.

Mining Glass Artist Documentaries: Maya Lin and Jean-Michel Othoniel
These two Museum of Glass-produced short films take viewers onto the Hot Shop floor to experience the intricate process and visionary ideas behind the stunning works created by Maya Lin and Jean-Michel Othoniel during their Museum of Glass Visiting Artist residencies.

LECTURES

Preston Singletary: A Foot in Two Worlds
4 p.m. Saturday
Preston Singletary uses his Native American heritage as inspiration for his unique sculptural art. During this presentation, he will discuss his current work and the connection that brings the glass art world and Native American culture together.

A Conversation with the Artist: Martin Blank
2 p.m. Sunday
Martin Blank will show slides and discuss major milestones from his career and events that have influenced his work.

ART ACTIVITIES

Memory Block Activity
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday; 12 – 5 p.m. Sunday
Join artist Theresa Neinas and create a one-of-a-kind block print inspired by the artwork in Mining Glass

Cone Heads
1 – 4 p.m. Friday – Sunday
What’s a celebration without party hats? Get creative and decorate a cone head party hat using a variety of colorful and glitzy materials.

DEMONSTRATIONS

Flameworking Demonstrations with Karen Buhler
1 – 4 p.m. Friday – Sunday
Join >artist Karen Buhler as she demonstrates the technique of creating small sculptures from glass rods to create beads, small vessels, and sculptures over a small flame.

Mobile Hot Shop Demonstrations
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 12 – 5 p.m. Sunday
Main Plaza
Watch the Museum’s new mobile hot shop fire up for the first time! A team of local artists will demonstrate the potential of this fiery new outreach tool.

PERFORMANCES

Storytelling with Arts Connect and Rebecca Hom
1 and 3 p.m. Friday
Hear the young women of Arts Connect, under the guidance of professional storyteller Rebecca Hom, tell poignant and personal tales inspired by international folktales. Accompanying the performances will be an exhibition of fused glass artworks that embodies wishes for personal transformation.

Gallery Readings with Dashell Milligan
1 and 3 pm Friday – Sunday
Much of the artwork in Mining Glass was inspired by traditional fairy tales. Dramatist Damian Gennette will deliver readings of some of these stories, highlighting the narrative themes depicted in the installations.

Fab5 Break Dancing
2 and 4 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday
The goal of the Fab5 is to foster and cultivate the youths’ various talents in break dancing, emceeing, disc jockeying and graffiti art. Their performances at the Museum will begin with exciting demonstrations followed by opportunities for audience participation.

MUSEUM STORE

Fourth Annual Tent Sale
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday
Come to the tent for the Museum Store’s annual sale on the plaza. Great savings on select Hot Shop glass and special discounts on closeout store merchandise. Shop early for the best selection.