Suspended in Air

Presented by the student curators in Curator High

Installation Overview

This summer, in partnership with Jobs 253 (Tacoma Public Schools), Museum of Glass held its third year of Curator High, a program for students interested in learning more about the curatorial and administrative processes at museums. Working closely with the Museum's Education and Curatorial departments, the students designed a display for the Grand Hall with works from the Museum’s Permanent Collection. The high school curators determined the display’s topic and content, wrote interpretive content for the case, and worked with all departments in the Museum to not only realize their vision, but to learn and understand the division of labor in a Museum. Read below for more from the current student curators about Suspended in Air, opening August 31, 2025.

From the Curators:

Step into a dream where glass breathes and time is still. The illusion of flight seen through glass illustrates the desire to transcend limits and capture the beauty of flight as seen in nature. Glass can make things look like they are flying even though they are without movement. This exhibition is meant to inspire a new perspective on the motion involved in glass art.

Glass is a naturally light and airy medium, which allows flight to be expressed in interesting ways. One example is Lilac Bouquet Orb with Honeybees by Paul Stankard, where a sculpted bee suspended in clear glass seems to eternally hover above the ground and suggest a story of honeybees thriving and soaring. The bee appears to be captured within the glass like a fly in amber. The rush of air and fragile beauty are isolated and viewed through the transparency of the glass. Within these pieces, the temporary state of flight is frozen into a static sculpture.

Suspended in Air uses line, light, and shape both representationally and through abstraction to hold on to ephemeral moments. Flight is often very quick and temporary. The best glass artists can communicate this type of midair passage through their work. These works preserve that feeling of motion. Any real movement that exists in the making of the pieces is cut short and must be invoked within the viewer’s mind through the artist’s skilled manipulation of the medium.

Curators: Sammy Altamimy, Lyric Milligan, Mia Walker

Suspended in Air Opening Reception
Sunday, August 31, 2024 • 1-4pm

Mingle with Curator High participants and ask them about the piece they selected for Suspended in Air. Refreshments and finger food will be served.

Artistic crafts and activities related to the exhibition will take place in the Education Studio 1-4pm. Regular Museum admission required.