US Museum of Glass renovation to feature Lino Tagliapietra gallery

Washington state’s Museum of Glass in Tacoma has announced a major US$25 million renovation project, starting in Spring 2026.

The museum has been open for 25 years and hosts regular exhibitions, a permanent collection, artists’ residencies in its hot shop, plus educational programmes.

Now it needs to modernise, improve, and expand its gallery spaces to present a more thorough, interdisciplinary perspective on the art form, celebrate its pioneering artists, and exhibit more work from emerging and established artists.

A foundational component of this expansion is a new immersive gallery dedicated to the internationally renowned glass maestro Lino Tagliapietra. A collection of 175 of his works were recently gifted to the Museum by the artist, which will be the foundation of the display.

The Lino Tagliapietra Legacy Gallery will cover approximately 4,000 square feet and enable more than 50 pieces to be on view at any time. It will be the only permanent gallery in the US dedicated to Tagliapietra’s work across his career, from his roots in Murano, Italy, to a focus on the 45 transformative years he spent in the Pacific Northwest, where he inspired and mentored three generations of artists.

Museum of Glass Executive Director Debbie Lenk commented, “This project is essential for Museum of Glass. By expanding our galleries and upgrading critical infrastructure, we will strengthen the Museum for decades to come. The new state-of-the-art galleries will showcase exhibitions that highlight the story of glass art and artists from the Pacific Northwest, as well as works by artists worldwide. We are particularly excited to unveil a gallery celebrating the incredible legacy of Maestro artist Lino Tagliapietra.”

The work is expected to take six months to complete, and the non-gallery spaces will remain open during this time.

“Alongside the Lino Tagliapietra Legacy Gallery, our new space will give us new opportunities to showcase the Museum’s world-class collection and invite visitors into the still-evolving story of glass art. Behind-the-scenes improvements like lighting and HVAC are critical to the care of our growing collection and will create a dynamic backdrop for the artwork in our galleries,” said Museum of Glass Curator Katie Buckingham.

Museum of Glass is at 1801 Dock Street, Tacoma, WA 98402, USA. https://www.museumofglass.org

Image: Lino Tagliapietra demonstrating his glass talents at Museum of Glass, where he completed 19 residencies in the hot shop. Photo courtesy Museum of Glass.