The parting glass

Gift shop 1

Some of the prettiest glass I saw at the Museum of Glass was for sale in the museum gift shop. Had my pockets been deeper the only hard part would have been choosing which of many gorgeous pieces would have come home with me.

Gift shop 2

This one was pretty spectacular.

Gift shop 3

This one was beautiful, too.

More Chihuly

Chihuly pillars

It’s a short walk from the Museum of Glass in Tacoma to see more Dale Chihuly work. Some, like the pillars above, is displayed on a bridge that leads across Interstate 705 from the glass museum to several other nearby museums. (Rain discouraged much outdoor photography.)

Courthouse

We chose to have a look at Union Station (now a federal courthouse). The station was designed by Reed and Stem, architects of Grand Central Station in New York City, and opened in 1911. You may see a hint of one Chihuly display in the large arched window.

Rotunda

There are four large Chihuly pieces on display in the station rotunda, a great location for pieces of this scale. To give you a sense of its size, this shot was taken from the second floor, looking across the rotunda.

Chihuly circle

Here’s a shot looking through the big, round piece in the last photo.

Chihuly poppies 1

Each end of the station has a large, arched window. This one looks back toward the glass museum. You might see the turquoise Chihuly pillars from my first shot, above, in the background.

Chihuly poppies 2

These poppies are probably about two feet wide. They’re radiant.

Dale Chihuly on paper

Chihuly dwg 1

Though he has work exhibited worldwide, the exuberant glass of Dale Chihuly is synonymous with the Pacific Northwest. A Tacoma native, the Museum of Glass in Tacoma currently exhibits a large collection of his two dimensional work on paper.

Chihuly dwg 2

The works are as wild and vivid as their execution in glass. Tomorrow I’ll show you some of his glass on display.

Patra Passage

Patra passage 3

I’m bringing you back to the Museum of Glass in Tacoma for a few more days.

The exhibit where this vessel is displayed is called “Patra Passage” and is a mixture of art, community involvement, and meditation. The word “patra” in Sanskrit means “the vessel that never goes empty” and served as inspiration for this exhibit which includes 108 ceramic bowls created by artist Lynda Lowe. Like alms bowls carried by monks in many cultures, the bowls represent the acts of giving and receiving; for monks it is the meditation that whatever is received in the bowl is enough for the day.

Patra passage 1

Each of the 108 Petra bowls began a one year journey at the Museum of Glass in late September 2013 as they were given to individuals who kept them for up to four months and then in turn gave them to someone else.

Patra passage 2

The bowls moved through the hands of 496 people, given as gifts and then regifted until it was time for them to return to the museum. They now are available for purchase and the proceeds will be given to local and international charities. The exhibit closes May 10.

Kids Design Glass Too

Kids and glass

One of the current exhibits at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma is “Kids Design Glass Too.” School children submit drawings of concepts they’d like to see in glass and artists in the Museum hot shop execute the ideas. Many of the ones on display are a hoot.

Corn dog 1

This is “Corn Dog,” a concept submitted by an 11 year-old girl.

Corn dog 2

The creator explains, “This corn dog makes more sense than a breaded dog. Farmers plant this kind of corn in the fields to bark at crows and scare them away from the fields.” Why didn’t I think of that?

Potato destiny

“A Potato’s Destiny” was the brainchild of a 10 year-old girl. “I love Potatos [sic] and a Potato’s destiny is to get eaten.

Day trippin’

Glass museum 2

Who doesn’t like a change of scene occasionally? A few buddies and I went to the Museum of Glass in Tacoma last week. Tacoma is about a two hour drive from Sequim and offered a nice “big city” hit for a day trip. Above is the entrance of the museum. The silver dome towering above the building is the building’s “hot shop,” the largest in the world, where artists blow glass and their work is showcased and described in real time. Click here for a link to a live video camera in the hot shop.

Glass museum 1

The plaza has a reflecting pond that contains “Fluent Steps” by Martin Blank. Click on the link to see other views and lighting of this glass art.

I’ll share more from the Tacoma trip in the coming days.