Red Hot Auction & Gala

The Museum of Glass Red Hot Auction & Gala is the Museum’s signature annual fundraiser, featuring live and silent auctions, the presentation of the Museum’s Coney Awards to donating artists, gourmet dinner and cocktails, and live glassblowing in the Hot Shop. Both celebratory and mission-driven, the event raises critical support for the Museum’s exhibitions, Hot Shop residencies, and educational programs while placing artists and their stories at the center of the experience.

You’re invited!

We invite our community of collectors, artists, and patrons to join us September 19 for a Venetian-inspired evening in celebration of the museum’s radiant future. Your formal invitation is coming soon. Secure your tickets and tables now by clicking below!

Purchase Tickets and Tables →

Details

Date and Time: September 19, 2026 | 5pm
Location: Museum of Glass | 1801 Dock Street | Tacoma, WA 98402
Attire: Black tie optional
RSVP: Please RSVP to Lindsay Carlisle by September 2 at lcarlisle@museumofglass.org or 253.284.4708

Schedule

5pm: Check-In Opens • Cocktail Reception • Silent Auction • Mystery Bags • Flameworking Demo by Artist Emily Martin
6:30pm: Dinner • Program • Live Auction
9pm: After Party with Featured Artist John Kiley

Every Red Hot Auction & Gala features an after party with live glassblowing from one of the previous year’s donating artists. This year’s artist, John Kiley, will make one piece to be auctioned live off-the-pipe!

Can't join us in person?

You can still donate, purchase our 2026 Signature Goblets and Decanters, or bid on a limited selection of our Silent Auction! Goblets and Decanters will go on sale September 9 and the Silent Auction will open on September 14.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Museum of Glass invites you to become a sponsor of Red Hot 2026! Since its inception in 2002, the Red Hot Auction & Gala has raised more than $11 million in support of Museum of Glass. As a sponsor of Red Hot, you will have the unique opportunity to market your company to our high-profile audience of business and community leaders from the greater Northwest region and to host your guests at our most anticipated event of the year. Click below to learn more about sponsorship or contact Lindsay Carlisle, Development Events Manager, for more details.

Sponsorship Details →

Red Hot 2026 After Party Featured Artist

John Kiley

John Kiley uses primary geometric forms as the architecture for his glass sculptures. In his spherical forms, juxtaposed colors and carved optic passageways create a separation of space, allowing the viewer to peer into and through the form. Often his sculptures are balanced on edge seeming to defy gravity. His Fractograph series takes a more conceptual approach to the material. Different methods including impact and thermal shock are used to shatter a perfectly polished optic blocks. The sometimes-powerful explosion are filmed in slow motion and exhibited along with the reconstructed blocks.

John’s work has been exhibited at galleries and museums around the world. He has been a visiting instructor at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland, The Bezalel Academy of Art And Design in Jerusalem, Israel, The Pittsburgh Glass Center, and Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle, WA. He has worked and demonstrated in Finland, Ireland, Mexico, Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, China, Australia, Brazil and Turkey.

johnkiley.com
@johnkileystudio

Moments from Red Hot 2025

The Museum of Glass Story

View the 2025 Auction Catalog

Thank you to our 2026 Sponsors!

Museum of Glass is immensely grateful to you all for fueling this evening and for your ongoing support of our mission to ignite creativity, fuel discovery, and enrich lives through glass and glassmaking. Thank you for investing in the arts and in your community.