LECTURES

STUFFY? BORING? NOT AT MOG!

Thought-provoking lectures and interactive presentations at Museum of Glass give you a chance to dialog with an artist, learn from experts and engage art in new ways.

Almost every week, the Museum presents popular lectures by Visiting Artists doing residencies in the Hot Shop and experts in a wide variety of subjects. Whether a multimedia presentation, a panel discussion or other format, we always make time for you to ask questions and participate in the discussion.

 

HISTORY OF GLASS LECTURE &
DEMONSTRATION SERIES
Select Sundays from 2 to 5pm in the Hot Shop

Each winter, MOG presents the History of Glass Lecture & Demonstration Series, a comprehensive program chronicling the evolution of glassmaking from ancient Rome through today’s Studio Glass movement, led by renowned artist, teacher and historian Walter Lieberman. Sessions consist of a 45-minute lecture and slideshow of some of the most exceptional pieces from each time period followed by glassmaking demonstrations by the Hot Shop Team who will make glass objects using the techniques and styles of the time period while Lieberman continues to narrate and answer questions.

 

 

The Glass of Rome

FEBRUARY 6

For 2000 years before the time of the Roman Empire, glass was a luxury item made only for the rich and powerful. The invention of glassblowing made glass cheap and accessible to everyday people. This is the time when glass windows, glass bottles and drinking glasses become part of everyday life.
 

The History of Venetian Glass

FEBRUARY 20

Venice was a most unlikely place to make the finest glass the world has ever known. It had none of the natural resources needed to make glass at all. Yet for 400 years it had no rival in technical refinement or beauty. The story of Venetian glass is one of art, war, commerce and intrigue.
 

The History of Stained Glass

MARCH 6

Born of faith, fire and light, stained glass has enlivened our sacred spaces for a thousand years. It moved on to our great civic buildings and eventually into our homes. It was even transformed into lamps by the great Louis Comfort Tiffany. In this lecture we will chart its progress, see some of its best examples and discuss it relationship to the society in which it was made.
 

19th Century Glass

MARCH 13

The 19th century was a time of great invention in glass. Elaborate designs based on historical styles were combined with new technical innovations. Glassmaking becomes a thriving industry in America, and Venetian glass undergoes a revival.
 

Art Nouveau Glass

APRIL 3

Art Nouveau (or the New Art) was an extravagant style inspired by nature. It began in the 1880s and ended with the First World War. Master glass artists like Tiffany and Émile Gallé combined swirling plant forms and iridescent colors with the styles of Japanese art (which had only recently become known to the West). We will delight in this beautiful glass and explore the societal forces that influenced it.
 

Art Deco Glass

APRIL 10

Art Deco was a style for a new age. The world was changing from a world of rural living and handmade objects to one of urban living with streamlined airplanes, trains and automobiles. Artists like René Lalique and Paolo Venini met this challenge and gave the glass world a new aesthetic that suited these changing times. The glass was simple, beautiful and, above all, modern.
 

Scandinavian Glass

MAY 1

The dense forests of Scandinavia were ideal places to make glass, with a cool climate and plenty of trees to power the glass furnaces. The Scandinavians are famous as masters of modern design and their glass has been central to that reputation. Prestigious factories like Iitaala and Orrefors made Scandinavian crystal famous all over the world.
 

The History of Studio Glass

May 15

The ‘60s gave us hippies, rock and roll, and political protests. This revolutionary spirit also gave us an art movement called Studio Glass. The center of creativity shifted from traditional glass factories to independent glass artists. Rules were meant to be broken and experimentation became the norm. This movement continues strongly right up until today. Today’s great glass artists like Dale Chihuly, Preston Singletary and the Venetian master Lino Tagliapietra are an important part of this movement

LEARN  MORE

Check our Event Calendar for specific lecture topics and times.

 

Visiting Artist Lecture Series sponsored by

PONCHO

 

Image credits:
THE GLASS OF ROME: Ribbon glass cup, Roman Empire, about 25 B.C.-A.D. 50, mosaic glass, Diam. 8.6 cm.  Collection of The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY
VENETIAN GLASS: Dragon-stem goblet, perhaps Venice, 17th Century, Blown (knops in optic mold), applied, tooled, H. 26.2 cm.  Collection of The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY
19TH CENTURY GLASS: Beaker with a view of Meissen, Austria, Vienna, enameled by Gottlob Samuel Mohn, about 1810-1815, blown, enamled, gilded, H. 10.3 cm.  Collection of The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY
ART NOUVEAU: Gold Aurene vase with tooled decoration, United States, Corning, NY, Steuben Glass Works, designed by Frederick Carder, about 1910, Blown, tooled, iridized, H. 17.3 cm.  Collection of The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY
ART DECO: Reuben Haley (American, 1872-1933), Ruba Rombic Vase, 1928-20. Molded, blown and acid-etched glass, 16 ½ x 8 7/8 x 8 7/8 inches. Collection of Toledo Museum of Art
SCANDINAVIAN GLASS: Oiva Toikka (Finnish, born 1931), Pheasant (Birds by Toikka), 1980, hot-sculpted glass, 6 x 9 1/2 inches.  Courtesy of iittala, Inc.
STUDIO GLASS: Stanislav Libenský (1921-2002) and Jaroslava Brychtová (b. 1924), Imprint of an Angel II, Czech Republic, Zelezný Brod, 1999, mold-melted glass; steel pedestal, H. 77.5 cm.  Collection of The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY


1801 Dock St. Tacoma, WA 98402-3217
866.4MUSEUM (866.468.7386)
    

© Museum of Glass, 2002-2011.  All rights reserved.
Privacy/Security Policy