Museum Hours
Wednesday – Sunday | 10am–5pm. Live glassblowing demonstrations all day.
The Latest at Museum of Glass
Here’s what you need to know.
The Making of Evolution: A Lecture with Painter Alexis Rockman
April 23 | 7–8:15pm
Please join us for “The Making of Evolution,” a lecture with painter Alexis Rockman. Evolution (1992) is the first epic 8x24 foot panoramic painting of Rockman’s career, and an integral part of the current Museum of Glass exhibition Field Notes: Artists Observe Nature. The monumental work greets visitors at the entrance of the exhibition, which offers a glimpse into the changing view of nature over the last century. This lecture will discuss the conception, execution, and history of this magnum opus.
Reception with wine and light bites to follow. This event is $10 for the general public and members, and free for students.
Glass in Bloom: An Ikebana Exhibition
On view through April 6
Ikebana is the traditional Japanese art of flower arranging. Unlike Western floral design, which focuses on fullness and color, ikebana follows a more minimalist approach, using line, space, and asymmetry to create a sense of movement and natural beauty. Rooted in Zen philosophy, it often incorporates branches, leaves, and even empty space to evoke a deeper connection to nature.
Museum of Glass has collaborated with Ikebana International Chapters from Seattle and Tacoma-Olympia to select a group of glass objects from the Museum’s Permanent Collection that will serve to inspire the ikebana artists as they compose their floral arrangements on display in the Museum’s Grand Hall.
Joint Venture
Artists collaborate on soft glass pipes and borosilicate rigs in the Hot Shop
April 19 & 20
Although the Pacific Northwest is renowned for its hot glass community, a portion of these artists have sometimes been overlooked in the conversation. The greater pipe community also has its origins in the region and developed alongside the rise of soft glass. With the mission of further exploring this important corner of the glassmaking world and elevating these artists, Museum of Glass is hosting a collaboration of soft glass and borosilicate (hard glass) pipemakers in the Hot Shop for Joint Venture on April 19 and 20. The Museum will also be open late on Saturday, April 19, where artists will continue to demonstrate in the Hot Shop and visitors will have the opportunity to bid in a silent auction for a selection of the glass pipes and rigs made by the demonstrating artists.
Museum of Glass Stories
Artist interviews, program spotlights, and more.
In the Galleries
Learn more about the exhibitions currently on view.
Nancy Callan: Forces at Play
October 9, 2024 – September 1, 2025
Seeing glass through the eyes of Nancy Callan is a delight, and experiencing the material through her work is a master class in the artistic process. Her elegant, playful designs are inspired by a seemingly limitless visual vocabulary and executed with extraordinary technical expertise. Nancy Callan: Forces at Play, Callan’s first museum survey, will invite visitors to experience the multitude of ways Callan has used hot glass as a canvas for her perspectives on the world around her.
Field Notes: Artists Observe Nature
November 16, 2024 – June 15, 2025
Not surprisingly, artists have looked to the natural world for inspiration for millennia. And, since the turn of the 20th century, there have been significant moments in which artists have sought to mimic the forms and patterns of nature in glass. Field Notes: Artists Observe Nature begins with works from the Art Nouveau period, roughly between 1890 and 1910, centered in France during the Belle Époque. More than a century later, contemporary glass artists have been similarly inspired by the natural world as a focus in their work. These innately curious artists have trained their prodigious skills in glass to honor the natural world; their work reminds the viewer of the marvelous phenomena outside of the studio walls.
Spotlight on Chihuly
March 30, 2024 – January 2025
Dale Chihuly’s boundless artistic vision has elevated the Pacific Northwest to an internationally acclaimed center for glassmaking. A native of Tacoma, Chihuly was one of the first Studio Glass artists to travel to the island of Murano, Italy to observe the secretive processes of Venetian glass factories. He was struck, not only by their technical prowess, but the importance of working as a team. These two ideas: experimentation to push the limits of glass, and the importance of collaboration, have had a lasting impact on Chihuly’s career and, subsequently, the culture of glassblowing in the Pacific Northwest.
Enhance Your Experience
Take a guided tour, participate in workshops, and visit the Museum Hot Shop.
Make Your Own Art
Learn how to create your own glass art in a variety of hands-on workshops inspired by the Museum’s current exhibitions, the season, events, and more.
Details on available workshops is available here.
Take a Tour
Add a docent-led tour to your next visit to MOG and get an personal and interactive experience in the galleries. Want to really stretch your legs? Consider an outdoor walking tour and learn about the art and architecture on the Thea Foss Waterway.
See Who’s in the Hot Shop
The Museum’s Visiting Artist Residency Program hosts artists in our world-class Hot Shop to create new works in glass with our Hot Shop Team. These artists create a sense of excitement and wonder as they experiment and explore new directions in their art that may not be possible in their own studios.