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Wed-Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
right at the edge of downtown Tac town.
Love this place. Very cool to check out.
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This is a small museum, but worthwhile nonetheless. One prerequisite for maximum enjoyment here, you need to have a true love for art. If you do love art, you will love this museum.
They have cool exhibits outside as well inside. On a sunny day, the silvery and shiny Mirrored Murrelets in the plaza pond are dazzling to look at, the birds glittering in the sunshine. Upon first looking at the murrelets, I thought they were geese, but as it turns out, murrelets are small sea birds that nest mostly in the old-growth forests of Oregon and Washington. I had never heard of these birds until my latest visit to the Glass Musuem. This exhibit will be on display through December.
Inside, you will marvel at all the different things that can be created with glass, and that don't even look like glass!
And this museum caters to any scientific curiosity you may have about glass and glassmaking. It has an exhibit telling you what glass is made of - silicon dioxide plus fluxing agents (fluxing agents lower the melting point of glass) as well as other minerals that provide color and other desired characteristics. Yet other exhibits describe the different techniques for making glass. I especially like the murrine technique where colored canes of glass are "woven" into intricate designs.
I can watch the glassmakers in the Lab for hours, and I have more than once. You don't know what the finished product is going to look like and it is interesting to see how the glass piece evolves between its repeated visits back into the furnace. It's also cool to see the coordination between members of the glassmaking team. They seem to be having a good time!
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It's small, but actually a nice experience. Especially if you've never been before.
There are several highlights: the exhibit, the hot lab, the museum shop, and the bridge/area outside the museum.
***
The Exhibit:
Yes, the exhibit space is pretty small.
There are technically "four" exhibits all rolled into the same space. You can finish seeing the area in thirty minutes or so, so -- not very big. They're actually well thought out, though, and many of the pieces were quite mesmerizing.
*** Chihuly, while great, is not the only glass master. ***
***
The hot lab:
The hot lab is pretty neat. Especially so if you've never seen glass blowing. But even if you have, it's a good experience. There's just something about taking a blow torch to molten glass.
As others have noted, it is HOT inside there. So layer up, and make sure you can remove enough pieces to be able to stick around for 20 minutes or so.
***
The museum shop:
Pretty much your standard museum shop. Good to browse around, especially if you like smaller glass pieces.
***
The bridge/outside exhibit:
There's quite a bit going on outside. There's a Chihuly area, which is nice. There's an area with glass ducks/birds. There's the bridge, which currently has a "cabinet" like area that holds a bunch of glass structures, as well as two large blue things that look like big blue rock candy... :)
The tilted cone shape of the museum and the bridge in the distance make for a nice photo backdrop.
It's worth a visit, especially if you are artsy or are a fan of glass work.
People thought this was:
Don't waste your gas driving out of your way to Tacoma and your money paying for an overpriced attraction. They charge adults $12 to basically see a couple exhibit rooms and a hot lab where you can see glasswork being done. It's worth about $5 and there's nothing more than the gift shop and the cafe to entertain the kids. If you want to see the Chihuly bridge of glass, it's outside the museum and free. If you want to drop some serious cash on gifts, the gift shop is free.
Now, if you really want to see a glass museum, go to the Corning Museum of Glass. Ten times more to see and a lot of exhibits to hold the attention of the kids. They even have a hot glass lab where hids can help make glass ornaments to take home. And the kicker is the price is about the same, but kids are free.
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I've been to the Museum of Glass before but I saw more on my 2nd visit. They were giving out discounted rate of $8 because 2 of the galleries were closed. Friend had coupons so we ended up paying $6pp.
I like the Hot Shop - that were you see the guys making stuff out of glass. It's warm in their so don't wear too much.
Glass art in the gallery that was open was just ok. No photos allowed in there.
Chihuly Bridge of Glass is outdoor and FREE. Don't miss it.
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My wife wanted to visit this and the State Historical Museum. I need to start by saying I am not a huge fan of glass and the entry fee seemed a bit high for what there was.
The hot exhibit was fairly interesting. I enjoyed seeing what they do to make a glass art object.
The glass exbit areas were OK. I enjoyed looking at the northwest Native American section. The history of art glass was OK too. As I said, I am not a big fan of glass, and more of a history buff. I would only go back if my wife dragged me again, but not on my own.
I'm going to give it 4 stars but it totally matters what the temporary exhibit is and who is demonstrating in the hot shop. I would probably pay 30 dollars to go to a strictly Dale Chihuly Museum, but there are a lot of amazing pieces on permanent display here, both inside and TONS outside. The bridge of glass is awesome.
On my most recent visit, the demo artist had some amazing pieces on display but her presentation was zzzzzzzz, Oh, sorry, I just fell asleep while thinking about it. I was more entertained by one of the side guys making a unicorn in like two moves. And the exhibit was all white glass. Sure, the artist accomplished some feats that looked like they would never be possible because of scientific rules but when it came down to it, it was quite boring. (obviously this is subjective)
But I give it four stars because it is unique, there is a lot of Chihuly stuff (my fave), the gift shop sells a lot of cool glass art, and I like the atmosphere.
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A bunch of great glass pieces and going to watch them make some glass pieces is really cool. Try to park across the freeway so you can walk thru the glass bridge to the museum. We probably should have went to the art museum first and then walked across to the glass one but we did it backwards.
I visited the museum on a donation day, which means its technically free, but it cost me $10. This is my second visit. I really enjoy the architect + art of the museum. The hot shop is always interesting. We were the last group to view the project, so we got to see a 90% complete vase.
The Hot Spot was outside demonstrating color glass. Very cool stuff.
Have to say that the price of admission is not worth it due to the fact there is plenty of art outside the museum to enjoy. The Hot Shop is interesting to watch for a few minutes. But it's really hot in there (duh) and ultimately not the greatest way to spend time in a museum. They had half of the museum closed down when I went (and reduced the price of admission accordingly), but still, it wasn't worth my money to see the Hot Shop and view the small installation. Save your money on admission and just hit the gift shop after you've enjoyed the outdoor installations.
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Wow, what a letdown. The museum does feature a single Chihuly chandelier in the gallery that's quite impressive, but rest of the exhibit is not-Chihuly and much too small to justify the $10 admission price. I think the gift shop may have had more space allocated to it than the exhibit hall.
The museum also features a working glass-blowing workshop, outfitted with bleachers for spectators to watch visiting artists at work. It was interesting to see the glass going in and out of the ovens, but the designated commentator for the event was not feeling very talky that day and we just had to sit and wonder what was going on.
I found the glass exhibits on the bridge to be much more rewarding. And it's free!
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First off the Museum of Glass if FREE the third Thursday of each month from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, I suggest if you want to visit go during their free time and take the Tacoma Link http://www.yelp.com/bi... in.
For free the Museum of Glass is nice, for $10.00 it's not so nice. The outside Chihuly Bridge of Glass is enjoyable but than again it's free and you don't have to pay $10.00 to see. The exhibits are small and some what interesting but not enough to get me excited or want to come back. The Hot Shop, which I was looking forward to checking out; was standing room only unfortunately I was too short to see anything except what they where showing on the screen and that wasn't exciting at all. If the museum was bigger and had more actual Chihuly in it I might have enjoyed it but it really didn't do anything for me.
I say skip the museum and just visit the Chihuly Bridge of Glass for free.
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Tacoma is a long way to walk for this tiny museum.
If it's a Sunday, and if you're in the area type of thing... not a "We are making a special outing" type of thing you'll be fine...
Watching the glass artisans blow glass is cool, but the rest of the facility, as interesting as it is, could be more.
Small.
People thought this was:
Between the entertaining Hot Shop, the captivating Chihuly bridge and the exhibit du jour (or du mois, more accurately), I really enjoyed the Glass Museum.
Visit the Hot Shop first - it's right off of the ticket counter area/lobby. It's the large gray cone seen from the outside and it's where a collection of artists are actively working on their various pieces. Stadium seating and camera/large project screen allows you to see all the action.
The bridge is little more than a walk-through on the way there or the way out, but it has tons of bright, colorful pieces to keep your attention. "Woooooooow!" as the little 2 year old girl I was standing next to said. I couldn't agree more with her.
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I was visiting my cousin last week and she took me to the Museum of Glass. The place was amazing...every single aspect of it was just awe inspiring.
We first went to the Hot Spot and watched the resident artist perform his craft. We were there more than an hour as we watched him and his crew form art out of basically sand.
We then went into the museum and viewed a most spectacular Chihuly chandelier installation. The expression on most everyone's face was that of awe. The detail and the grandeur of it is something that one must experience because words really kind of fail describing it.
The rest of the the exhibits were just amazing. Though there were only four or five rooms, my cousin and I spent another hour viewing the pieces.
Of course, I couldn't get outta there without a visit to the Museum Store. Great art with glass pieces by artists from all over...even the SF Bay Area.
I would definitely recommend the Museum of Glass to anyone appreciates art and the labor that goes into creating it.
A good backup option if the rain happens to spoil your plans outdoors.
I went during the bird lovers weekend, so they were making really cool glass birds in the Hot Shop. Yes, you should go here first. It's probably the coolest part of the museum since you can watch glass artists either from theater style seats, or from the catwalk that overlooks the work space. The auditorium itself is a really cool conical structure that can't be missed as you approach the museum from outside. Don't forget to look up while you're in the auditorium. Plus, the Hot Shop is one of the few places that cameras are allowed! So take tons of pics here because you won't be able to take any in the main gallery.
The main gallery has rotating exhibits and was pretty cool. One of them was educational, and explained how different types of glass pieces are made. Another was more minimalist, and the last was a huge Chihuly chandelier structure consisting of two hanging pieces and three floor pieces. Simply awesome.
If you're super cheap, you can at least see the auditorium exterior and the bridge of glass for free. The bridge of glass has a huge enclosed wall of Chihuly sculptures and also a huge ceiling case of sea-themed glass pieces.
The museum has a cafe and a theater room to screen movies.
People thought this was:
Skip the exhibits and head straight for the Hot Shop. When the glassblowers and artists are working it is truly an amazing sight. If you think you can enjoy whiling away an hour or two watching artists who can totally take the heat fashion works of art out of hot colored blobs of molten glass, then the $10 admission price is completely justified. If you are coming here to view Chihuly's artwork you will be disappointed - the only Chihuly I saw was in the Bridge of Glass and that is free. I understand there is a Chihuly chandelier somewhere in the museum but they have one of those in Vegas, and probably other cities as well - you don't need to go to Tacoma for that.
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Very unique and fun. I really enjoyed it...especially if you go in to the show where you can watch them making glass stuff in front of your eyes. A lot of interesting and unique things to see (not all glass items). Definitely worth the trip out.
Gift shop is waaaay overpriced, but you can skip it. Parking was a little odd and confusing.
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Nothing too impressive here at the Museum of Glass boasting a single gallery that ones breezes by in two minutes. I found the exterior of the building's view of the water and boats more enchanting than the glass goodies inside.
We were able to catch glass artists at work creating a vase. I thought I would see amazing glass blowing, but it was all tedious work and no show. Where's the excitement? Even the emcee seemed bored.
However, you can't beat the price. On Sundays, students get in free!
Honestly I was a bit disappointed. Maybe the museum had just been built up in my mind but I was surprised to find that there was really just one gallery. I expected there to be more.
The hot shop however, is great. I could sit in there for hours and watch. I also like the architecture and the outdoor art including the bridge of glass.
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My sister, brother-in-law and I headed for Tacoma. Our mission was to see Lino Tagliapietra, one of the most important living glass artists in the world. This is the guy who essentially taught people like Dale Chihuly their craft. He started blowing glass in Venice in 1934 when he was 10. The museum has a large retrospect of his work from over fifty years. It is absolutely incredible. If they weren't so strict about photographing the pieces then I would have tons of pictures to show you. The size, color and undulating lines of these pieces are amazing. I think I could have spent a lot of time staring at each one trying to discover how it was created.
The best part of the museum is the Hot Shop. A massive cone-shaped space that looks like something created by NASA. It is a wide open area that has four ovens (in the glass world they are called glory holes....no I am not kidding.). There are artists working at different stations at various stages of glassblowing. If we had gotten there earlier I think we would have stayed in the hot shop for hours just watching. The stadium seating and piped in music definitely makes it seem like the museum wouldn't mind if you did. Watching artist create such intricate and beautiful things right before you is so inspiring. It infuses people with creativity....at least it did for me.
So as someone who only like to leave Seattle to go on vacation, I think the museum is definitely worth a trip out of the city limits. I didn't get to spend too much time in the other exhibits but they hold their own, especially Contrasts: A Glass Primer.
Tagliapietra will be back in June so at least go check it out then if not earlier.
People thought this was:
hmmmm....not too impressed. The hot shop is kinda cool...but I've got ADD and could not sit there that long without getting bored. The gallery is pretty small and was just ok. I think $10 is a bit much for this place.
I was a bit bored, to be honest. I was really excited to see some interesting, crazy, unusual glass art, but what I got was a lot of similar pieces. I'm sure if I knew more about glass I might have appreciated it more, but even then I don't need to see the same vase in 3 different colors. I thought the section on contrasts was cool, and I really liked it that they included a piece of glass equipment meant to be used in a lab. There were a couple of pieces made out of very very thin "strings" of glass that were absolutely beautiful.
I think what I was most disappointed in was the fact that I payed to get in when what I really wanted to see was the bridge of glass, which is open to the public. The bridge (which is incredible--you HAVE to see this thing it is beyond words) would lead one to expect to see more crazy wonderful things inside, but it sets you up for a let down.
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This riew is for the outside space, I did not make it inside.
I was given a brief tour of Tacoma in 2004 + the prize of that tour was this museum. Amazing use of space + architecture. I remeber feeling as though I could have sat by the water + the sculptures for hours.
I don't have much else to say about it (I don't remember much else) but next time I am in Seattle I think I'll make a trip to visit the museum again.
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Not worth it.
And I'm an actual glass artist.
Sigh.
This was a HUGE disappointment. I was really excited about this museum. I love glass and everything to do with glass. I had heard about the bridge and demos and great collections that rotate. All exaggerated.
First off the fee is steep. So we did the best thing and hooked up with 5 people in line to get the 10 person group discount. Screw me, I screw you back!
The first exhibit was amazing. Glass sculpture of dresses without models. Imaginative, romantic, mysterious. Absolutely breathtaking. I was so excited about the rest of the gallery after this first morsel. But all I got was rotten leftovers. Most of the other exhibits weren't glass and were just plain awful. No imagination, boring, and more along the lines of "every bowel movement can be art". I felt like I had been duped. And what pissed me off the most, no stained glass in sight. Not one window. wtf!?
We went to the glass demonstration. Wow was that a waste. I was actually hoping to see glass being blown or some imaginative sculpture. No. Instead I got a huge chunk of glass made into a giant heavy shrimp. Boring, unimaginative and ugly. It basically looked like a project some beginner would make accidentally.
So we go outside to find the glass bridge. Somewhat redeeming but not enough. The glass vases were beautiful and the decorative ceiling was beautiful. The rock candy sculpture were a little out of place. But overall it was a nice display. Too bad the bridge isn't actually made out of glass!
To top it off, there were these crazy groupies for this Italian glass blower annoying patrons and asking them to join their cult. We had to tell them 3 times and threaten bodily harm before they made a run for it.
Overall, an offensive and depressing experience. I can only give the one star because the first exhibit was beautiful and the vases on the bridge were beautiful. But I recommend just skipping this one.
Seriously, don't waste your time or money on the pretentious people that run this place or love this place. It's clear they think it smells like roses.
People thought this was:
I have to agree with the other reviewers, this place was a disappointment.
Although the glass blowing studio was fascinating, the arena-like setting with the walkways seemed a bit overwhelming.
The exhibits were okay, a little too artsy-fartsy, but I too would have appreciated some historical info and perhaps some cross-cultural references to glass.
It was raining the day we went so we really couldn't appreciate the Glass Bridge.
Zero stars for the poor signage. We could see the museum but it is rather confusing to figure out how to get there. You have to go past and behind the Tacoma Art Museum and drive over a bridge and down an alley. There might have been an easier route through their website but at the time we did not have computer access.
I wish we had gone to the History Museum instead, This place was not worth the time or money.
http://www.museumofgla.../
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If i could give this place five stars for the best place to sleep/nap, i would. Their kiln is so warm and toasty that the slight tug that you felt on your eyelid become lead weights. It's serioulsy the best.
BUT the rest of the museum... not so much fun. It is beautiful, and it is great, but i think i could get as much out of a glass store as i did in the museum. Perhaps its because i went to Chihuly's studio during my highschool art history class school trip that made this trip to the museum uneventful and unfulfilling. At my school trip, we had a personal tour guide and got to meet the glass blowers and were able to touch the art work, not just stare at them. What's more, the security guards are nazi's about photos. i was texting and the sec.lady thought i was taking a picture. I thought that she might be Zsa Zsa because she kept on saying, "no pictures. no pictures!" sheesh. o.k. lady, we got it!!
The bridge walk is grand and i was walking fast, but that's because i'm a fast walker. and i didn't think the glass work was that amazing.
I give it three stars because of the kiln nap. Other than that, i would give it 2 maybe 1.
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Pretty cool place. From what I understand its better now than it has been in the past. I would rank this as one of the top museums in the Seattle area, and I would say... shocking I know, that's its more interesting than the SAM. What you get for your money $10 for adults during normal hours, is a decent sized rotating collection of class from around the world. You also get to visit the Hot Shop, where you can watch the artists blowing glass live.
The collection was amazing. For someone who doesn't know anything about glass, but has an appreciation for beauty and art, this was too cool. Some pieces made my jaw drop, because not only were they visually stunning, but as you got up closer I couldn't even imagine how it was made. A painting is one thing, but to form something with that when heated becomes liquid, changes color, and is shaped at over 2000, is an art.
The Hot Shop is cool. Great for kids. You are sitting about 20 feet away from the ovens, and in between you and the ovens are the 6-7 artists producing glass art. The whole time while there working there is an announcer explaining whats going on and answering questions. Unlike many other live exhibits (zoo's, art lectures, etc) they don't just have certain times they are blowing glass, its done ALL day.
Getting to and parking at the museum can be a little annoying if you don't know your way around Tacoma. I got lost twice, once due to a train that was blocking one of two entrances. Due to the area where the museum is located the parking options are limited to the $2/hour pay lot or the 20 spots on the street (hehe I got a street spot).
I would make the trip to Tacoma just for this museum, but if you want to check out more things to do in Tacoma, check out my Tacoma list.
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The museum was a little small and I don't know if I would go again (not enough pieces to make the trip) but it's good for a beginning viewer of glass. It's very informative with lots of displays and examples of types of glass and glassblowing styles. The hot shop was also cool because you could watch the artist at work. This museum is a nice starting point to see Dale Chihuly's art (all over Tacoma and in other parts of Washington).
SOOO much better than the Tacoma Art Museum.
My friend and I came here when I came to visit her last year. She knows that I really like Chihuly and have gone to quite of few of his exhibits around the country.
You start your trip by walking over the Chihuly bridge - that is absolutely breath taking! It was a rainy day when we visited but we still stayed outside for ever looking at everything.
We came into the museum about 40 mins before they were taking a break in the hot shop so that was our first visit. It was very interesting to watch. The artist that were working had so much skill and they were nice enough to answer everyones questions.
We spent the rest of the time walking through the exhibits that were so different from each other yet it was all glass. The special exhibit they were showing was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. It was a spider web that was suspended from the ceiling that went all th way to a few inches from the ground. It has glass balls attached to the spider web. The one piece took up a whole room.
Definitely worth a trip to Tacoma for this!
Jesus, what does it take to impress you people?! Maybe if the other ignorant Yelpers would take some time to research where they were going before they visited the place/ wrote reviews, they could save themselves from such 'disappointments.' First of all, the museum is called, "The Museum of International Contemporary Art and Glass," so why are people so shocked that the museum exhibits (gasp) contemporary art! Open up your mind people! If you don't want to be challenged by conceptual art, why don't you save yourself some money and take a self guided tour of Seattle's Pigs on Parade or something?
From internationally renowned visiting artists in the hot shop (Maya Lin was there two months ago!) to cutting edge exhibitions and performances, the museum truly has something exciting for everyone. Their 'Education Studio' is open all day offering free workshops for children and adults, taught by a stellar lineup of visual artists. Recently, the museum created an interdisciplinary program entitled "Science of Art" to not only rejoin the connections between science and art, but also connect them to other core subjects. If this isn't enough to get you down there, the museum also supports Arts Connect, an incredible two-stage transitional program for girls aged 11 - 17 who are incarcerated and on probation in Pierce County. Arts Connect supports individual girls and their families as they work together to find ways to live a healthy, sustainable life within the community.
Re: Signs, Location and Access -- I don't know how much more clearcut the signage could be -- there are signs EVERYWHERE, at least five from the freeway exit to the museum, with arrows! As if the signs with arrows were not enough, the museum's architecture is very unique and can be easily followed. Here's a novel idea, why not ride the bus to the museum?! For a mere $1.50 from downtown Seattle, you can be dropped off in front of the space! Furthermore, the museum is indeed accessible, through elevators and paved walkways.
SO NOT a disappointment.
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Noah liked it fine, but I thought it was just ok. You can watch them make glass things in their giant smoke stack room (technical term), which was his favorite part.
I liked the glass bridge over the train tracks pretty well, but the exhibits were a bit too small. Also, the security guard made me take Noah off my shoulders. I had him up there so he wouldn't break stuff, but whatever.
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I could spend hours here- especially in the Hot Shop watching them make things.
It's so inspiring, though I could never blow glass. I am an artist, so it's a definate motivation.
Not much more I can except I would go back again in a heartbeat.
Fantastic.
You begin your trip by walking on the glass bridge featuring works by Dale Chihuly. The museum itself is a leaning cone shaped building, built upon steel and glass (of course). There are some amazing pieces in the museum - ranging from a variety of styles and techniques.
The best part is the working glass workshop (hence the cone shaped building). The museum has glass blowing demonstrations throughout the day. It is pretty amazing. At one point, the artists spun a tall piece of glass to demonstrate the importance of controlled cooling. Over the course of several minutes, you could hear cracks one by one, until the whole structure came tumbling down in a great shatter. It's really worth going to one of these shows. You may even win a glass piece.
review 3/23/2008
I.M.Y.
People thought this was:
My experience is similar to that of people who previously reviewed this place. I, too, was disappointed that the glass exhibits were limited to one small room. The exhibits, however, were interesting. There was a red house with hundreds of glass apples all over the floor, as well as thin glass strands attached together to look like a shiny DNA strand. But the other nonglass examples (videos, paintings, a sculpture of what looked like a dead horse) were not impressive.
We watched a video of an artist who created glass busts wearing glass "clothing" with intricate folds. That was pretty interesting, although I always get sleepy if you put me in a warm, dark room.
I did enjoy the "Hot Shop," where visitors can watch the glassblowers work. The day we went, they were creating glass characters that had been drawn by children. The child who created the character the guys were working on was there, so every so often, the glassblowers would stop and ask him for his approval. Cute. But the glassblowers are pretty far away from the audience, so you have to watch video screens for a closeup. I prefer visiting smaller glassblowing studios where you can get a much closer view.
The bridge was probably the highlight. We visited on a beautiful, clear day, so we spent a lot of time taking pictures of the museum exterior and the bridge where Chihuly's work was displayed.
I wouldn't go to the museum again, but I would probably take visitors to the bridge and to the waterfront if we were outside of the Seattle area.
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I had such high hopes when this opened. The site is fantastic and I love the architecture and use of the outdoor space - really worth a visit just for that. The Pacific Northwest is one of the important areas for art glass and I was proud that Tacoma was going to host "The Museum of Glass" which WAS the original name and not "The Museum of International Contemporary Art and Glass".
In addition to the site (which I love to visit), the special exhibits and Hot Shop are worth a trip.
In many ways, Tacoma's a tough town for the arts. My family moved there in the early 60's and although we took a 10-year break to live in Vancouver, B.C., our ties remained close and strong. All of my immediate family lives there, or in the vicinity.
Tacoma people hate to hear this, but Tacoma has, still and will probably always suffer from being in the arts and culture shadow of Seattle which is understandable given the geography, economy and history. IMHO (okay, not so humble). I think this fact, as well as the problems the museum had with management soon after it opened has contributed to many folks' dissatisfaction with the lack of, well, glass.
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I don't go to many museums, certainly not in recent history, but I was really enamored with everything in the Museum of Glass. The rest of my party kept moving on without me like they were trying to win a race, and as some previous reviewers have noted, the free displays on the glass bridge and surrounding waterworks / architecture are DEFINITELY worth taking in.
The museum admission wasn't expensive for us, mostly because there was a section closed for revision. They have a basic / introductory gallery that I liked because it gave me a better idea of the variety of contrasting styles and techniques of glass-working, and I walked out feeling like I'd gained a small measure of sophistication.
There was a little area for kids and crafty types to mess about, which I wasn't really interested in, a "glass alley" with a handful of displays from resident artists with a video display nearby giving some context to them. At the end of the alley are some locked doors, and walking back from there are the restrooms and then the door to a theater area.
The theater was REALLY dark, especially since that door opens to the front of the hall from a brightly sunlit hallway. After we found seats people would occasionally come in the same way, and I'd be irritated by the distraction the picture getting bled out by invading sunshine.
The theater was screening an interesting explanation of where glass came from and its history narrated by a pair of the most patronizing, annoying cartoon characters. It was reminiscent of the scene in Jurassic Park, with Mr. DNA or whatever that thing was. Totally lame, unless it was actually a snarky rebuttal to Rinky N's claim that the museum lacks "some historical info and perhaps some cross-cultural references to glass." If that is indeed the case, my hat is off to you, Museum of glass: Well played. Well played indeed.
And then on to the hot shop, for the live glass blowing. They had another movie in here showing a Chihuly piece being put together, which was fascinating, but then in the live show they just put together some goblets. That was rather tedious. Between that and the heat, one of our party fell asleep, and I felt like I was learning, but not in a fun way.
After that, we checked out the gift shop, and everyone else dragged me out before I could see the main gallery or buy anything.
All in all, the glass bridge and nearby Union Station are DEFINITELY worth checking out, and I felt I got my money's worth from the visit, but I probably wouldn't want to frequent it more than a zoo. As in, very, very seldomly.
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I really enjoyed this museum. It's a little light on exhibits, but the real selling point is the Hot Shop, where you can watch artists work with glass and ask questions. It's worth seeing the exhibits, then going into the Hot Shop to see how it works, and then going back to the exhibits. The cafe is actually very good, but museum-expensive. I'd also recommend walking across the bridge and enjoying the structure of the museum. That part's free and definitely worth it, especially on a sunny day!
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Colleen, you are SO right! What DOES it take?
First off, my wife is in a wheelchair. This place is SO accessible! The signage is great, if someone would just bother to read it! We came across the glass bridge (a MUST), and chose to go down the ramps. Well worth if because we got a great visual tour of the amazing architecture of the building.
Leaving, we went back up the elevator - an employee has to enable it - and ended up back on the roof by the bridge.
The museum is amazing.
If you don't like glass, don't go.
If you don't like contemporary art, don't go.
If you actually use terms like "artsy-fartsy," don't go.
There is some old glass on exhibit right now, like a Frank Lloyd Wright stained-glass window, an 1800 year-old glass container, and others, so it's not all contemporary.
BUT, it is the "contemporary" art museum as Colleen pointed out.
AND, if you want to see the hot glass studio, bother to check the website or call to see if it's going to be in operation. I assume Yelpers can use that new-fangled Internet-thingy and a telephone.
A GREAT MUSEUM!
People thought this was:
I was a little disappointed by this museum. It is quite small and it takes about 30 minutes to get through it. Perhaps if I went during the presentations I would be a bit more impressed. But I didn't, so I wasn't.
My suggestion is that they expand their permanent collection so there's a bit more to see during off hours.
BTW - Be sure to visit the Traver Gallery next door. They have a lot of glass work by Chihuly as well as a number of mediums by lots of area and world renowned artists.
Tacoma, WA
Category: Museums
Tacoma, WA
Category: Museums
Tacoma, WA
Category: Cinema
Tacoma, WA
Category: Parks
Tacoma, WA
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