Ron Desmett has been working with glass for over three decades. Although he once focused on functional glass vessels such as goblets and bowls, for the last few years his work has been inspired by nature's landscape. Desmett says his use of hollowed out walnut trees as glass molds allows him to "infuse nature that has lost its life with life anew."  During his residency, Desmett will continue his exploration of glass and wood mold process.

                                The husband and wife team of Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen and Jasen Johnsen are known for the high level of realism in their work.  Combining technical mastery with a love for glass and nature, these artists use sculpted glass to explore an entirely new territory.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 31, 2010 Media Contacts: Susan Newsom, Communications Manager, 253.284.4732, snewsom@museumofglass.org Julie Pisto, Director of Marketing & Communications, 253.284.2129, jpisto@museumofglass.org Museum of Glass Calendar Highlights for September, 2010 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): 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 Labor Day, Monday, September 6 and Tuesday, September 7 Closed September 11, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day Museum Store closed July 28 for inventory FALL-WINTER-SPRING HOURS (begin September 12): 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. Events RED HOT PARTY & AUCTION Saturday, September 11 5 - 10:30 p.m. Support the Museum of Glass education, exhibition and Hot Shop programs at the Museum's annual auction with our first-ever juried art awards. Revel in the opulence of stunning glass art, savor fine food and premium wines at the Museum's first-ever juried art awards and auction. For more information, contact Ashley Taulbee at 253.284.4715 or rsvp@museumofglass.org. NOTE: The Museum will close at 3 p.m. on Friday, September 10 and all day September 11 to prepare for Red Hot 2010. Museum of Glass Accreditation Celebration: FREE Admission Saturday, September 25 Celebrate the Museum's newly-acquired distinction as an American Association of Museum (AAM) accredited institution on National Museum Day. Free admission for all visitors. Public Programs Third Thursday ArtWalk Thursday, September 16 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 Courtyard by Marriott / Tacoma Downtown The Museum's Visiting Artist Program hosts internationally known and emerging artists in our world-class Hot Shop to create new works in glass with our professional team of artists <http://www.museumofglass.org/live-glassmaking/about-the-team/> . We invite artists whose work is exhibited (or will be exhibited) in the Museum galleries or whose work is thematically or technically linked to the exhibition program. One piece created during the residency is selected by the artist and Museum staff to be added to the Museum's permanent collection. September 1 - 5 Ron Desmett, Oakdale, PA Ron Desmett has been working with glass for over three decades. Although he once focused on functional glass vessels such as goblets and bowls, for the last few years his work has been inspired by nature's landscape. Desmett says his use of hollowed out walnut trees as glass molds allows him to "infuse nature that has lost its life with life anew." During his residency, Desmett will continue his exploration of glass and wood mold process. September 6 - 7 Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen and Jasen Johnsen, Bow, WA The husband and wife team of Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen and Jasen Johnsen are known for the high level of realism in their work. Combining technical mastery with a love for glass and nature, these artists use sculpted glass to explore an entirely new territory. September 15 - 19 Laura de Santillana and Alessandro Diaz de Santillana, Venice, Italy and 22 - 26 Siblings Laura and Alessandro Diaz de Santillana have a rich history in art and design. Grandchildren of Paolo Venini, founder of the Venini glasswork company in Murano, Italy, both are respected artists in the international studio glass movement. During this residency, they will collaborate on works for a future Museum of Glass exhibition, Scapes, opening in 2011. 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 HEHair@aol.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 KeyBank /Key Foundation and the Muckleshoot Charity Fund Ongoing 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. The first 52 Kids Design Glass creatures are currently featured in an exhibition. Lectures Conversations with the Artists Sponsored by PONCHO Sundays at 2 p.m. in the Hot Shop September 5 Ron Desmett 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 Preston Singletary: Echoes, Fire, and Shadows Organized by Museum of Glass Presented by Alaska Airlines Sponsored by Leonard and Norma Klorfine Foundation, Windgate Charitable Foundation, JoAnn McGrath, Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, The Seattle Times, City Arts Magazine, KUOW Public Radio and Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund Closes September 19, 2010 Echoes, Fire, and Shadows is a mid-career survey of Preston Singletary's work which combines two of the Northwest's most prominent artistic influences-traditional Native American designs and the medium of glass. For nearly two decades, Singletary has melded the symbols, patterns and legends of his Tlingit heritage with the dynamism of the Studio Glass movement, creating a distinctive and powerful body of work. The exhibition comprises 54 works including icons of Singletary's oeuvre and examples of his significant collaborative experiences. The signature piece of the exhibition is Clan House, a 16 x 10 foot cast-glass triptych commissioned for the Museum's Permanent Collection. Birds by Toikka September 15, 2010 - January 10, 2011 Organized by Museum of Glass Birds by Toikka, a display organized by the Museum of Glass, is a collection of Oiva Toikka's most well known works-his glass birds-spanning the five decades of his design career with Finland's Iittala, Inc.. The selected birds, which include rare prototypes and pieces from the Museum's collection and other private collections, showcase an extensive range of glass technique and style, demonstrating a remarkable breadth of work. 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. 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 Boeing Company, the City of Tacoma Arts Commission, Dimmer Family Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Sequoia Foundation, the Forest Foundation, the Ben B. Cheney Foundation and Puget Sound Energy 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 11, 2010, 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> Julie Pisto, Director of Marketing & Communications, 253.284.2129, jpisto@museumofglass.org ###