Junior Curator Academy (JCA) is a virtual series of six 45-minute lessons led by Museum of Glass educators designed to inspire middle and high school students to explore the humanities through the lens of glass. JCA’s goal is to provide students with the opportunity to learn about the diverging perspectives that inspired the creation of art throughout the centuries, and to encourage students to assimilate and analyze what they’ve learned. Museum of Glass uses glass from its Permanent Collection and exhibitions that delights young learners and promotes lifelong learning. Through this program, Museum of Glass fuels the creativity of students and stimulates the conceptualization and creation of new personal works which reflect their current circumstances.

Each episode:

• Introduces physical content of art objects

• Describes visual elements, including form, decoration, surface treatments, design, materials, use of color, date of creation, title, and maker

• Encourages students to provide their own critical analyses of the piece

• Establishes markers of time — history, geography, civics, and economics

• Explores the personal meaning behind the piece according to the artist and to the student

• Ignites artistic expression in each student

To further explore the subjects discussed in each episode, MOG’s Education Team has created several hands-on projects designed for individual learners and groups to be completed at home. All JCA content is aligned with Learning Standards, as defined by the Washington State Legislature, assisting home learners and educators in fulfilling academic credits virtually.

Participants can submit completed projects to the MOG team to be featured in the Museum’s virtual gallery.

Episode 1: Stars and Stripes Teapot

Junior Curator Academy hosts David and Sophie explore Richard Marquis: Keepers, a late-career survey of a towering figure in the Studio Glass movement who was influenced by the social climate of the 1960s.

Episode 2: The Magic Flute

Join David and Sophie as they explore themes from the famous opera The Magic Flute, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and glass sculptures of the same name by artists Jerry Hovanec and Ralph Harvey.

Episode 3: Captain America II

David and Sophie are up to their usual antics while exploring Transparency: An LGBTQ+ Glass Art Exhibition. Captain America II examines superheroes, LGBTQ+ artists, the history of comic books, and mythology.

Episode 4: Victoire

Join Sophie and David as they explore the work and life of glass artist René Lalique and the way the glassmaking process was drastically changed in the twentieth century.

Episode 5: Indices del Pacifico

In this episode Junior Curator Academy hosts, Sophie and David, explore the work and life of Therman Statom and his piece Indices del Pacifico. 

Episode 6: Of Natural Causes

Of Natural Causes is an art installation by Einar and Jamex de la Torre which explores the causes and impact of climate change. This dense and impactful installation investigates the loss of human connection with nature and its mystic associations with the pagan spirit world. David and Sophie explore the influence of Mexican Baroque and ancient Aztec symbology on the art of the de la Torres.