If you’ve never seen live glassmaking, a visit to the Hot Shop at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma is in order. Go. Now!
I went last Sunday with the fam, and they’ve got quite the sweet set-up there. Visiting artist Ann Wåhlström was conducting the insanely intricate orchestra of moving, thousand-degree parts. Over the course of creating several pieces there were anywhere from 3 to 10 people working together, each with a designated role. There’s amphitheater-style seating, and it’s possible to walk 360 degrees around the action. A narrator describes what’s happening to help us newbs understand what we’re looking at, and a large screen shows closeups.
We were so impressed that we barely made it out of the shop to run through the galleries before they closed. I did manage to sneak a peak at the breathtaking work Glimmering Gone by Beth Lipman and Ingalena Klenel.
So glad you posted this! They are so smart for doing this, so much of the magic of glass is the process.