Tacoma, Wash. (December 14, 2007)— The Museum of Glass is pleased to welcome internationally acclaimed performance artist Sha Sha Higby for a special presentation of her original work, The Glass Jungle.  Two performance are scheduled for December 28 and 29 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Museum of Glass Theater.  A mask making community workshop is also scheduled for Sunday, December 30 from 12 to 5 p.m.

Sha Sha Higby is known for her evocative and haunting one-woman performances as well as the exotic sculptural costumes she creates.  Wood, leaves, paper, silk, lacquer, ceramics and gold leaf form her fantastical costumes inspired by Noh theatre, Butoh and shadow puppetry.  In The Glass Jungle, Higby incorporates dance, puppetry and music with her elaborate costumes and masks to evoke the desert atmosphere of glass as well as the different seasons of the year.  The story was inspired by a trip to Burma where Higby saw a Buddha with a glass eye.  “The eyes were blown at a factory in the jungle,” she explains. “There was glass everywhere.”

The production combines Higby’s White Ash on Water costume (2004) and her new Glass Jungle costume, a skeletal design created from fine metal, bamboo and felt.  As Higby’s character transforms from one costume to the next, a masked head will float down from the ceiling “like a flower emerging, blooming, fading, dissolving, returning.  I want my audience to feel all these emotions,” states Higby.  “My work is never linear. It’s very open so people can interpret it differently.”

Tickets for the performances can be purchased in person at the Museum of Glass admissions desk or by calling 253.284.4719.  Prices are $10 for Museum of Glass members, $15 for general admission, and $12 for seniors and students.  The performance is recommended for ages 8 and above.

On Sunday, December 30, Higby will continue her session at the Museum with an Imaginary Mask Community Workshop.  Museum visitors are invited to join Higby to construct a simple paper mask sculpture with exaggerated facial features that will “grow” in any direction. This workshop is suitable for visitors age 14 and above.  Cost is included with Museum admission.

About the Artist:
Higby began making dolls and pursued the art of puppetry and sculpture at a young age. She once sewed a dress with 25 petticoats of different colors so she could lift each skirt and transform herself into a different character. In 1971, she traveled to Japan to study the art of Noh mask making and theater.  She later received a Fulbright-Hayes Scholarship to study dance, shadow puppet making and performance art in Indonesia. She also received an Indo-American Fellowship to study the textile arts of India and a Travel Grants Fund from Arts International to study in Bhutan.  Recently, Higby studied lacquer arts in Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan.  She has performed her unique body of work throughout the world.