Walter Lieberman: Are you the guy who does the chalk drawings in the Hot Shop?

April 26, 2025 - January 2026

Exhibition Overview

“For me, drawing has always been the most fundamental way of engaging the world. I’m convinced that it is only through drawing that I actually look at things carefully. The act of drawing makes me conscious of what I’m looking at. If I wasn’t drawing, I sense that I would not be seeing.” - Milton Glaser

In traditional glassblowing, it is common for artists to make chalk drawings on a hot shop floor to serve as guides to the glassblowers for the exact look of the final piece. For many, this is a crucial part of the process. It is a way to map out the methods they will use, consider composition, and lock in the overall design.

World-renowned illustrator Walter Lieberman has provided a unique layer of artistry and education to Museum of Glass as Hot Shop Emcee for over a decade. Lieberman takes the practical tradition of floor chalk drawings to a new level – using his detailed, instructive sketches to educate and engage the public and share the intricate techniques being used by the glassblowers. These works of art allow audiences to better follow along with the glassblowing process. His art is often a live demonstration, mirroring the Hot Shop Team’s work, with chalk as his medium.

Lieberman’s drawings don’t just explain the process — they bring it to life, acting as visual performances that parallel the live glassblowing demonstrations. This exhibition views his chalk drawings as artworks in their own right. Like ephemeral chalk outlines left on the floor, they hint at the artistry and effort of each day’s work in the Hot Shop, remaining as faint reminders after the pieces are complete. In this new gallery context, his drawings are paired with the glass objects whose process they once recorded, reversing the drawings’ original purpose. Now, the glass objects illustrate Lieberman’s works, giving them the spotlight as art pieces and lasting evidence of the craft they served to explain.

Artists Featured:

Sonja Blomdahl, James Carpenter, Walter Lieberman, Benjamin Moore, Anthony Schafermayer, Michael Schunke, Mateo Seguso, David Walters, WD40+, Dick Weiss. Drawings by Walter Lieberman.

Walter Lieberman (American, born 1954). Goblet Assembling. Chalk on concrete/ Photo courtesy of the artist.

Michael Schunke (American, born 1969). Wavy Cane Blue Goblets. Blown glass; 10 1/2 × 3 1/4 in. Collection of Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington, gift of the Robert M. Minkoff Foundation (2021.31.198).

“Rarely is there a maker space inside a museum, and even more rare is having someone like Walter, with a breadth of knowledge from over 40 years of working in the medium, explaining the details to an audience in a live setting. Walter’s chalk drawings, originally created as transitory tools to guide the Hot Shop Team and educate audiences, possess intrinsic artistic value as stand-alone art objects. This exhibition recontextualizes these drawings as lasting works that document the creative process – elevating their fleeting nature and emphasizing that the artistic journey – from concept to completion – deserves recognition and celebration alongside the finished glass pieces. It is a declaration that Walter Lieberman is a permanent artist in residence.”
— Jabari Owens-Bailey, Curator
 

Featured Images

 

Image Credits

  1. Walter Lieberman (American, born 1954). Cane Pick-up. Chalk on concrete. Photo courtesy of the artist.

  2. Claire Kelly (American, born 1970). Anthony Schafermeyer (American, born 1974). Pandora’s Box, Made at the Museum in 2004. Blown glass, cane pick-ups; 17 1/2 x 6 x 6 in. Collection of Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington, gift of the artists (VA.2004.9). Photo courtesy of the artists.

  3. Walter Lieberman (American, born 1954). Incalmo. Chalk on concrete. Photo courtesy of the artist.

  4. Sonja Blomdahl (American, born 1952). Sienna/Blue, Made at the Museum in 2003. Blown glass; 8 1/2 × 15 in. Collection of Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington, gift of the artist (VA.2003.6). Photo courtesy of the artist.

  5. Walter Lieberman (American, born 1954). Drawing for Unhinged, Made at the Museum in 2023. Chalk and graphite on paper; 17 × 14 in. Collection of Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington, gift of the artist.

  6. Walter Lieberman (American, born 1954). Unhinged, Made at the Museum in 2023. Blown glass; 12 × 8 3/4 in. Collection of Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington, gift of the artist.

  7. Walter Lieberman (American, born 1954). Puntying Up. Chalk on concrete. Photo courtesy of the artist.

  8. Matteo Seguso (Italian, born 1973). Untitled, Made at the Museum in 2019. Blown glass with applied engraved bits; 9 1/2 × 9 3/4 × 6 3/4 in. Collection of Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington, gift of the artist (VA.2022.21).

  9. Walter Lieberman (American, born 1954). Roller Wrap. Chalk on concrete. Photo courtesy of the artist.

  10. Benjamin Moore (American, 1952-2021). Interior Fold Platter (Cranberry Red), Made at the Museum in 2003. Blown glass; 4 1/2 × 21 7/8 in. Collection of Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington, gift of the artist (VA.2003.9). Photo courtesy of the artist.

  11. Walter Lieberman (American, born 1954). Rondel. Chalk on concrete. Photo courtesy of the artist.

  12. James Carpenter (American, born 1949). Horizon Lens, 2 of 3, 2011-2015. Clear anodized machined aluminum, chemically etched and blown glass; 34 1/2 × 34 1/2 × 6 in. Collection of Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington, gift of the artist (VA.2016.8). Photo courtesy of the artist.

 

Exhibition Credit

Curated by Jabari Owens-Bailey. Organized by Museum of Glass.