Museum of Glass exhibition designed to engage children with glass

The US-based Museum of Glass has launched a glass exhibition with opportunities alongside each exhibit for children to create, move and play. The show, ‘Illuminate: Glass Art for Early Learners’, is on now until Spring 2024.

Illuminate is an exhibition for kids and their grown-ups that explores what makes glass a unique art material – the ability to capture and manipulate light. Visitors can create their own design with a large, illuminated peg board, make art from shadows, and discover what makes glass glow in the dark.

Museum curator Katie Buckingham commented, “The most important part of early learning is that it is fuelled by exploring together. As someone who became a parent during the pandemic, I relish opportunities to be out exploring the world with my own toddler. It is such a privilege to look at the Museum’s collection from this perspective. Glass might seem too fragile for early learners, but its ability to work with light opens space for all ages to learn about the world around them. I hope that this exhibition is a space where visitors of all ages, especially kids, can experience glass and be creative.”

The exhibition will unfold through artworks created by Dan Bancila, Heike Brachlow, Dale Chihuly, Nikola Dimitrijevic, Etsuko Ichikawa, John Kiley, Dominick Labino, Flora C Mace, Richard Royal, Lisabeth Sterling, Susan Stinsmuehlen-Amend, Meredith Wenzel, Veruska Vagen, František Vizner and more.

“While glass is fine art, and delicate, it can also be an invaluable teaching medium for early learners and their families,” said Museum of Glass executive director Debbie Lenk.

The Illuminate exhibition has been developed in consultation with Alysia Jines, programme manager at non-profit Greentrike for the Children’s Museum of Tacoma. In partnership with the Museum of Glass, the Children’s Museum of Tacoma will display a temporary exhibition featuring artwork from the Museum of Glass Kids Design Glass programme for the duration of Illuminate.

Children’s Museum child visitors can submit drawings for Kids Design Glass consideration. On 28 October 2023, the Museum of Glass hot shop team will blow a piece inspired by one of these drawings.

The Museum of Glass is at: 1801 Dock Street, Tacoma, WA 98402, USA. Find out more via the website.

Image: Susan Stinsmuehlen-Amend’s ‘Pro Rata Lyricism’ features handblown roundels, etched glass, lead fabrication with overlays and metals in an ash frame. It is part of the collection of the Museum of Glass (gift of David Huchthausen). Photo courtesy of the artist.