Tacoma hosts international glass arts conference
The Glass Art Society has chosen Tacoma for its international conference this year, attracting participants from around the world to discover the rich landscape of glass making and glass art right here at home. Happening May 18-21, the Museum of Glass will be the host site with participation from the numerous glass arts studios and glass artists locally and throughout Western Washington.
"We have a lot in the area of glass going on in Tacoma and it’s a recognition of that. It’s bringing Tacoma as a city, and the work in Tacoma in glass, to a world stage,” said MOG Executive Director Debbie Lenk.
The ticketed conference is open anyone who wishes to take part, and on Sunday, May 22, which is the day after the conference itself officially wraps up, there will be a free community festival centered at MOG. Some of the out of town conference participants will stay for the festival to join Tacoma glass studios and artists such as Area 253 Glassblowing, Tacoma Glassblowing Studio and Hilltop Artists. There will be food, music, mobile hot shop demonstrations at MOG and the internationally renowned Corning Museum of Glass from Corning, NY will set up its mobile hot shop at the LeMay Car Museum.
The 2022 GAS Conference marks the 50th Anniversary of the Glass Art Society, and it is being held in Tacoma upon MOG’s 20th anniversary this year as well. With the theme "Between Here and There,” the conference will explore the past 50 years of glass, bringing 100 unique presenters from 17 nations to discuss what the next 50 years hold for making, collecting, and educating. Expecting more than 1,000 attendees across four days of programming, the conference will include lectures, demonstrations, lecmos (lecture/demonstrations), performances, films, and exhibitions from some of the top artists, educators, researchers, and experts across the globe.
"We have gathered an outstanding line-up of presenters this year that showcases the diversity of our community and medium,” says Glass Art Society Executive Director Brandi P. Clark. "We are thrilled to be finally meeting together in person for the first time since 2019, and Tacoma has been the perfect setting to make this milestone.”
This event is a citywide effort, with Tacoma restaurants and hotels on board to accommodate all the guests traveling here, some who will be visiting Tacoma and the Northwest for the first time. Travel Tacoma partnered with Museum of Glass to bring the GAS conference to Tacoma, and it includes involvement from Tacoma Art Museum, the Washington State History Museum, LeMay: America’s Car Museum, and the Greater Tacoma Convention Center.
"Tacoma celebrates glass artists and all artists as they come together in the spirit of community and expression,” said Dean Burke, President and CEO of Travel Tacoma – Mt. Rainier Tourism and Sports. "This partnership and collaboration is a visionary one, ready to welcome the biggest names in the industry to our city.”
Lenk commented on how eagerly our city’s museums and businesses responded to the prospect of bringing an international glass conference to Tacoma.
"We have such a heavy concentration of museums and cultural assets in Tacoma and it’s great for this particular conference to be focused on glass, but many of the others are right there saying how can we support this and how can we showcase what Tacoma is really about in totality,” she said. "It’s nice the way we collaborate among organizations for things of this nature.”
MOG and Travel Tacoma started working three years ago to bring the conference to Tacoma. GAS chooses sites for its annual international conference through an application process, so Tacoma was up against many other cities in the U.S. and abroad to be the 2022 location.
"It’s been in Seattle before and we just felt like it was a really appropriate time to showcase Tacoma – to have it be centric around our region’s only glass museum and to showcase the other glass studios and artists that are down this way,” Lenk said.
One of the main reasons that the Glass Art Society conference can occur in Tacoma is because of the Museum’s Hot Shop. Lenk described it as a comprehensive shop with all the equipment necessary to handle large glassblowing projects – two glass furnaces, glory hole reheating chambers, annealing ovens and cold shop.
"Our greatest asset, however, is our glassblowing team. Their knowledge, artistry and superb craftsmanship are unparalleled.”
Every year in the Museum’s Hot Shop, the glassblowing team works with great master artists from around the world as well as emerging artists. These Tacoma artists will be actively leading conference demonstrations, and other local glassmakers will be involved in the conference as well.
For those wishing to have the complete experience, full conference passes are available and day passes provide an "a la carte” option for those who want to attend on certain days depending on what’s on the schedule.
A pre-conference reception and fundraiser on Tuesday, May 17, at Tacoma Art Museum kicks off the conference. It will be an intimate evening with appetizers, beer, wine, entertainment, full access to TAM’s art collection, and a chance to meet and mingle with other registered conference participants. The reception can be added on at registration ($150 GAS members, $200 non-members).
The closing night party on Saturday, May 21, will be held at the LeMay Car Museum and is included for conference pass holders, $50 for guests to add on at registration.
Exhibitions throughout the conference range from the "Connections 2022” GAS member exhibition and "Evolution 2022” GAS student exhibition showcasing emerging international talent, to an exploration of sustainable glass art in "Trace 2022.” Activities are plentiful with the Goblet Grab + Silent Auction; glass art portfolio reviews from gallery owners, curators, educators and artists; and research presentations.
The conference schedule with dates, times, and locations for all confirmed presentations, exhibitions, activities, and special events, and how to register, is at glassart.org.
"Museum of Glass opened nearly 20 years ago to celebrate the region’s importance in the world of glass. We host artists from around the world, introduce the public to the art of glassmaking, and inspire youth through innovative education programs,” Lenk said. "The conference is a wonderful moment to welcome the GAS community and showcase Tacoma’s place in glass history past and present.”
Story by Matt Nagle: [email protected]