Richard Royal has pushed the limits of large-scale blown glass sculpture for nearly thirty years. He has worked on the glassblowing teams of Dale Chihuly and Benjamin Moore and currently is a full-time professional artist. "My work is an expression of self exploration and realizations, that life is a reflection of our core being and that people, places and things around us come from or are attracted to that core self."

                                Michael Schunke began blowing glass while attending the Tyler School of Art in Elkins Park, PA, and later at Rhode Island School of Design where he learned traditional Venetian glassblowing techniques.  Currently, he owns and operates Nine Irons Studios where he creates colorful custom works of glass inspired by historical Italian designs. 

                                John Miller is an assistant professor of glass at Illinois State University.  He creates large-scale sculptures of everyday objects-key chains, cheeseburgers and fries, goblets-that are assembled from blown-glass parts.  An exhibition of Miller's oversized goblets, created in collaboration with a select group of contemporary glass artists, will open at the Museum of Glass this fall.

                                NOTE:  The Museum is closed Saturday, July 30.  However, John Miller will be broadcast live on the Museum's website from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on this date.

Museum of Glass Calendar Highlights for July, 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. SUMMER HOURS (Memorial Day through Labor Day): Begin Monday, May 30 Monday 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. Open Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day Closed July 30, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day Exhibition Opening TOMORROW! Parenthetically Speaking: It's Only a Figure of Speech Organized by Museum of Glass, Mildred Howard and Gallery Paule Anglim July 2, 2011 - April 29, 2012 Parenthetically Speaking: It's Only a Figure of Speech is a new collection of work by San Francisco-based artist Mildred Howard comprising more than 40 glass punctuation marks, proofreading symbols and musical notes. The work is inspired by At the End, a poem by Howard's friend and Peabody Award-winner Quincy Troupe. Both the poem and the exhibition reference punctuation as a metaphor for the passage of time. Events Member and Artist Reception: Parenthetically Speaking: It's Just a Figure of Speech TOMORROW! Saturday, July 2 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Celebrate the opening of the Museum's newest exhibition. FREE for Museum of Glass Members; general admission price for non-members. For membership information, contact Sarah McAtee at 253.284.4715 or membership@museumofglass.org Museum Store Annual Tent Sale TOMORROW! July 2 - 3 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday; 12 - 5 p.m. Sunday The Museum Store's annual sale on the plaza features an assortment of glass-related items as well as special discounts on closeout merchandise. Shop early for the best selection! RED HOT 2011 Summer Party & Auction Saturday, July 30 5 - 11 p.m. Join artists and art lovers for a RED HOT summer night! Revel in the opulence of glass while enjoying alluring entertainment, delectable dishes, premium wine and signature cocktails. Bid on more than 100 glass and glass-related items and see who wins the $10,000 Grand Prize, $5,000 People's Choice and $5,000 Artists' Choice awards at the Museum's second annual juried auction. Tickets: $250-$500; seating is limited. For more information, contact Diana Bergseth at 253.284.4711 or <mailto:rsvp@museumofglass.org> rsvp@museumofglass.org. NOTE: The Museum will close at 3 p.m. on Friday, July 29 and all day July 30 to prepare for Red Hot 2011. Public Programs Family Day: Summer Safari Saturday, July 9 1 - 4 p.m. Jennifer Adams will lead participants in creating a mini creature using corks and an assortment of vibrant materials! Dancers from the YMCA and Charisma Dance will delight visitors with performances in the Grand Hall. Sponsored by City of Tacoma Arts Commission Third Thursday ArtWalk Thursday, July 21 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. Hot Shop Visiting Artist Program Sponsored by Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, City of Tacoma Arts Commission, Windgate Charitable Foundation, Courtyard by Marriott / Tacoma Downtown and City Arts Magazine Watch contemporary glass history in the making! From emerging to internationally renowned, Visiting Artists come to the Hot Shop to create new glass works in collaboration with the Museum's Hot Shop Team. This program offers Museum visitors a unique opportunity to view the diverse creative processes of glass masters who do not regularly work in venues open for public observation. During the summer, the Museum presents the Visiting Artist Summer Series (VASS) which presents a different artist each week. Many of these artists come from around the world in conjunction with their artist residencies at Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA. July 4 - 5, 11 - 12, Granite Calimpong, Seattle, WA 18 - 19, 25 - 26 Granite Calimpong was first introduced to glass while studying at the University of California, San Diego. He grew up in a household surrounded by handmade objects and the interplay of form and function continue to influence his work. July 6 - 10 Richard Royal, Seattle, WA Richard Royal has pushed the limits of large-scale blown glass sculpture for nearly thirty years. He has worked on the glassblowing teams of Dale Chihuly and Benjamin Moore and currently is a full-time professional artist. "My work is an expression of self exploration and realizations, that life is a reflection of our core being and that people, places and things around us come from or are attracted to that core self." July 20 - 24 Michael Schunke, West Grove, PA Michael Schunke began blowing glass while attending the Tyler School of Art in Elkins Park, PA, and later at Rhode Island School of Design where he learned traditional Venetian glassblowing techniques. Currently, he owns and operates Nine Irons Studios where he creates colorful custom works of glass inspired by historical Italian designs. July 27 - 31 John Miller, Normal, IL John Miller is an assistant professor of glass at Illinois State University. He creates large-scale sculptures of everyday objects-key chains, cheeseburgers and fries, goblets-that are assembled from blown-glass parts. An exhibition of Miller's oversized goblets, created in collaboration with a select group of contemporary glass artists, will open at the Museum of Glass this fall. NOTE: The Museum is closed Saturday, July 30. However, John Miller will be broadcast live on the Museum's website from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on this date. 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 253.572.9593 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/> . Hands-on Glass Experiences Education Studio Weekdays 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Saturdays 12 - 4 p.m.; Sundays 1 - 4 p.m. The Education 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. Make Your Own Glass: Glass Fusing Workshops Saturdays, 11 am - 4 pm; Sundays, 1 - 5 pm Use colorful glass shards, stringers and frit to create a one-of-a-kind glass tile that can be used for a coaster. Workshops start on the hour (45 minute duration); last session begins at 3 pm on Saturdays, 4 pm on Sundays. Cost: $38 / $32 members (price does not include Museum admission). Suitable for ages 6 to adult Reservations: 253.284.4719. Make Your Own Glass: Bead Making Experiences Weekdays (beginning July 6, 2011), 10:30 am - 4:30 pm Flame-worker Keiko leads participants in the art of a unique glass bead with glass rods and a torch. Workshops begin at the bottom of the hour; last session begins at 3:30 pm (45 minute duration). Cost: $38 / $32 members (includes all material costs, instruction and shipping; does not include Museum admission). Suitable for ages 12 to adult. Reservations: 253.284.4719. 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. Lectures Conversations with the Artists Sponsored by PONCHO Sundays at 2 p.m. in the Hot Shop July 3 Jeffry Mitchell July 10 Richard Royal July 24 Michael Schunke July 31 John Miller 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 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 March 2012 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. 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. Museum of Glass is sponsored in part by Ben B. Cheney Foundation, The Boeing Company Charitable Foundation, City of Tacoma Arts Commission, Forest Foundation, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and Sequoia 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 July 30, 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/> <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tacoma-WA/Museum-of-Glass/62210295931?ref=sgm> <http://twitter.com/#!/MOGTacoma> <http://www.youtube.com/museumofglass> For more information about Museum of Glass: Susan Newsom, Communications Manager, 253.284.4732, snewsom@museumofglass.org <mailto:jpisto@museumofglass.org> ###