Mildred Howard is known for her mixed media assemblage and installation work that combines recycled materials to reference African-American folk culture. Her Blackbird in a Red Sky (a.k.a. Fall of the Blood House) was one of the Museum's acclaimed inaugural outdoor art installations displayed on the Mezzanine Plaza in 2002. During her residency, she will work with the Hot Shop Team to make a collection of glass punctuation marks that will be used in a new installation that will open at the Museum of Glass in July.

                                Darin Denison has been active in the Pacific Northwest glass scene for nearly two decades. He has appeared as a featured artist in the MOG Hot Shop on numerous occasions, and his blown glass birds have been a favorite among Museum visitors.

Museum of Glass Calendar Highlights for February, 2011 All events are included with admission to the Museum unless otherwise noted. Calendar listings are subject to change. For updated information, please visit our website at www.museumofglass.org or call the information line at 253.284.4750 or 1.866.4MUSEUM. FALL-WINTER-SPRING HOURS: Museum open Presidents Day (Monday, February 15) Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Third Thursdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Museum Store also open Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Public Programs Family Day: Viva Valentines Saturday, February 12 1 - 4 p.m. Create uniquely spectacular Valentines to give to your loved one with artist Jennifer Adams. Dashel Milligan will share fairy tales of love as St. Valentine's jester to provide inspiration. Third Thursday ArtWalk Thursday, February 17 Free admission 5 - 8 p.m. sponsored by City of Tacoma Arts Commission and Columbia Bank Hot Shop Feel the heat as you watch art come alive! Every day, artists demonstrate the intriguing process of creating works of art from molten glass on the amphitheater stage, giving visitors a birds-eye view of their activities. Expert commentary and a state-of-the-art audiovisual system enhance the experience by providing insight into the glassblowing process as well as the science, culture and historical aspects of glass. February 9 - 13 Mildred Howard, Berkeley, CA Mildred Howard is known for her mixed media assemblage and installation work that combines recycled materials to reference African-American folk culture. Her Blackbird in a Red Sky (a.k.a. Fall of the Blood House) was one of the Museum's acclaimed inaugural outdoor art installations displayed on the Mezzanine Plaza in 2002. During her residency, she will work with the Hot Shop Team to make a collection of glass punctuation marks that will be used in a new installation that will open at the Museum of Glass in July. February 21 Darin Dension, Shorline, WA Darin Denison has been active in the Pacific Northwest glass scene for nearly two decades. He has appeared as a featured artist in the MOG Hot Shop on numerous occasions, and his blown glass birds have been a favorite among Museum visitors. Hot Lunch Fridays, 12 - 1 p.m. Celebrate Friday at the Museum of Glass! Enjoy a box lunch from Gallucci's Glass Café while watching a featured or visiting artist at work in the Hot Shop. Cost: $12 per person plus Museum admission. Please call 253.826.1799 or email ron@galluccis.com to order your lunch by 3 p.m. Thursday. For more information, visit www.museumofglass.org <http://www.museumofglass.org/> . Studio Weekdays 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Saturdays 12 - 4 p.m.; Sundays 1 - 4 p.m. The Studio is an interactive, experiential learning space that provides visitors with creative opportunities for hands-on engagement with the ideas behind the glass. Activities are designed to engage all visitors, from toddlers to senior citizens. Each month a new hands-on art activity is presented that relates to a particular exhibition or Hot Shop application. Kids Design Glass Sponsored by Key Foundation, a foundation funded by KeyBank, and the Muckleshoot Charity Fund Ongoing Children under the age of 12 Our Kids Design Glass program invites children 12 and under who visit the Museum or are patients at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital to design a glass sculpture. Each month, one entry is selected by the MOG Hot Shop team. Two sculptures are created-one for the child designer and one for the Museum's Permanent Collection. A selection of Kids Design Glass creatures is currently on display in the Leonard and Norma Klorfine Gallery and Art Alley. Selected designs will be created in the Hot Shop Sunday, February 27. Lectures History of Glass Lecture Series Sundays, 2 - 5 p.m. in the Hot Shop Led by renowned, artist, teacher and historian Walter Lieberman, this informative and lively presentation series chronicles the history of glassmaking from Roman times to today's Studio Glass movement. Each session includes a 45-minute lecture followed by two hours of hot glassmaking demonstrations in the Hot Shop. February 6 The Glass of Rome February 20 The History of Venetian Glass March 6 The History of Stained Glass March 13 19th Century Glass April 3 Art Nouveau Glass April 10 Art Deco Glass May 1 Scandinavian Glass May 15 The History of Studio Glass Theater Documentaries Every day, visitors can view original documentary films to expand their understanding of the artwork in the galleries, gain insight into the artistic process of a particular artist, or review the techniques and history of glassmaking. Films repeat throughout the day. Ongoing Exhibitions Masters of Studio Glass: Richard Craig Meitner Organized by Corning Museum of Glass Through June 19, 2011 Masters of Studio Glass showcases the work of American artist Richard Craig Meitner who is known for creating intellectual, poetic and eccentric glass objects embellished with rust, enamel, bronze, tile, paint and print. Drawing from a range of diverse influences including Italian painting, Japanese textiles, German Expressionism, science and nature, Meitner uses his art as a language to "visually speak" to his audience. The exhibition comprises work from 23 years of Meitner's career (1978-2001) and reflects his interest in glass for its qualities of mystery, fragility, and preciousness. Glimmering Gone: Ingalena Klenell and Beth Lipman Organized by Museum of Glass Sponsored by Russell Investments, the Robert M. Minkoff Foundation, Linda & Gerry Nordberg, the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, and KUOW Public Radio Through September 6, 2011 Glimmering Gone is an exhibition conceived and created by American artist Beth Lipman and Swedish artist Ingalena Klenell that comprises three large-scale installations of colorless and white glass-Landscape, Mementos and Artifacts. Experiential and interrelated, the artwork was produced by the artists individually in their home studios and collaboratively during a two-week Hot Shop residency at the Museum of Glass in January, 2010. The installations present a metaphor for material culture, landscape and life. Fertile Ground: Recent Masterworks from the Visiting Artist Residency Program Organized by Museum of Glass Through October 16, 2011 The Museum of Glass Hot Shop serves as an incubator for ideas for a multigenerational community of glassblowers. Fertile Ground showcases 32 works made by artists from around the world with the expert assistance of the Museum's Hot Shop Team. The exhibition documents the artistry and craftsmanship, focused determination and physical stamina, camaraderie and shared commitment of the artists as they created these masterful works. Kids Design Glass Organized by Museum of Glass Sponsored by Russell Investments, Key Bank/Key Foundation, Muckleshoot Charity Fund, Dale Chihuly and Leslie Jackson Chihuly, Carl and Jan Fisher, Janet and Mike Halvorson, Leonard and Norma Klorfine Foundation, Randall and Joyce Lert, Mr. and Mrs. George H. Weyerhaeuser, Sr., The News Tribune and Click! Cable TV Through October 31, 2011 Kids Design Glass celebrates the imagination of children with 52 glass sculptures designed by kids and crafted by professional artists in the Museum of Glass Hot Shop. The Kids Design Glass education program, from which these creations originated, illustrates the symbiotic relationship between designer and glassblower. A child draws a design-generally a fantastical creature-names it, and writes a brief explanation or story. The Museum's Hot Shop Team selects one design each month and transforms the two-dimensional drawing into a three-dimensional sculpture. As the designer, the child directs the artists as they make two sculptures-one for the child to take home and one for the Museum's Permanent Collection. The children's drawings and artist statements are displayed alongside each piece. Made at the Museum: The Visiting Artist Collection Organized by Museum of Glass Ongoing The Visiting Artist Program brings artists from the region and around the world to the Museum of Glass to work with the Hot Shop team to explore, invent and create with glass. After each residency the Museum and the artist select one work of art to be included in the Permanent Collection. These objects are rotated on and off display throughout the year as new works are created. Martin Blank (American, born 1962) Fluent Steps, 2009 Hot-sculpted glass, steel Museum of Glass Permanent Collection Main Plaza Reflecting Pool Martin Blank's Fluent Steps captures the essence of water. Fluent Steps spans the entire length of the 210-foot-long Main Plaza reflecting pool and rises from water level to fifteen feet in height. It consists of 754 individually hand-sculpted pieces of glass, most created in the Museum's Hot Shop during Blank's 45-day Visiting Artist residency in 2008. These forms are arranged into several islands that capture the fluidity, light, motion and transparency of water in clear glass. "Water can be placid, sublime and in an instant a tremendous surge of raw power. This installation is a visual exploration capturing the chase between the macro and micro qualities of water using glass as a conduit to translate my thoughts." - Martin Blank The Museum of Glass provides a dynamic learning environment to appreciate the medium of glass through creative experiences, collections and exhibitions. In addition to the Hot Shop Amphitheater where visitors can watch artists work, the facilities include galleries, outdoor exhibition areas, a theater, hands-on art studio, grand hall, café and store. The Museum of Glass is sponsored in part by ArtsFund, the City of Tacoma Arts Commission and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. Hours and Admission Open Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Third Thursdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Store is also open Tuesdays 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Summer hours (Memorial Day through Labor Day): also open Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed September 12, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free for members, $12 general, $10 seniors, military and students (13+ with ID), $10 groups of 10 or more, $5 children (6-12) years old. Children under 6 are admitted free. Admission is free every third Thursday of the month from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Info Line 253-284-4750/ 1-866-4MUSEUM Museum of Glass, 1801 Dock Street Tacoma, WA 98402 www.museumofglass.org <http://www.museumofglass.org/> For more information about the Museum of Glass: Susan Newsom, Communications Manager, 253.284.4732, snewsom@museumofglass.org <mailto:jpisto@museumofglass.org> <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tacoma-WA/Museum-of-Glass/62210295931?ref=sgm> <http://twitter.com/#!/MOGTacoma> <http://www.youtube.com/museumofglass> ###