The Museum of Glass pulls in $630,000 at Red Hot

MOG founders Dr. Phil and Gwen Phibbs and Leslie and Dale Chihuly enjoy the after party. Photo courtesy of MOG

Kudos to the Museum of Glass for raising over $630,000 at its  Annual Red Hot Party & Auction, and for awarding $20,000 to outstanding artists! More than 300 artists and art lovers attended Red Hot, MOG’s big annual fundraiser – and 10th birthday party – that took place in September. The bidding was hot and heavy during the live and silent auctions which featured 114 works of glass art, plus a slew of wine packages, jewelry art and “experiences.” The event raised more than $630,000 to support the Museum’s exhibition, education and visiting artist programs.

Event co-chairs John Xitco and Hollie Bostrom. Photo courtesy of MOG

“We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the donors, friends and artists who support Museum of Glass,” stated Museum of Glass Executive Director Susan Warner.  “The funds we raised from this fabulous event will help us build on our success by embracing a bold strategy for innovation for the next decade and beyond.  Cheers to the next 10 years at MOG!”

Dale Chihuly and Team Chihuly creating a soft cylinder during the After Party. Photo courtesy of MOG

An evening highlight was the first-ever after party in the hot shop, featuring Dale Chihuly. Chihuly, along with artists Joey Kirkpatrick, Flora C. Mace and James Mongrain, provided live theater by creating a “Soft Cylinder” for Red Hot nightowls. The piece was auctioned off the pipe with proceeds benefiting the museum.

Ian MacNeil, owner of Glass Distillery donated vodka that filled the limited-edition decanters that made up the table centerpieces. Photo courtesy of MOG

In recognition of the museum’s 10th anniversary, the guest tables featured centerpieces of limited-edition liquor decanters stamped with a commemorative medallion made by the hot shop team. Each decanter was filled, appropriately, with Glass Vodka provided by Ian MacNeil of Seattle’s Glass Distillery.

Red Hot 2012 once again featured a juried art auction. Jurors included independent curator Margery Aronson; Linda Tesner, director and curator of the Ronna and Eric Hoffman Gallery of Contemporary Art, Lewis & Clark College; and Patricia Watkinson, retired executive director of Pilchuck Glass School.  The judges evaluated the artwork and awarded the Red Hot 2012 Artist Grand Prize to Armelle Bouchet O’Neill from Seattle. Bouchet O’Neill earned a $10,000 cash prize and a week-long Visiting Artist Residency in the museum’s hot shop.

Event co-chairs Rachel and Scott Carroll. Photo courtesy of MOG

Two additional awards were presented: Artists’ Choice, which was determined by votes from Red Hot contributing artists, and People’s Choice voted by the evening’s guests.  Raven Skyriver from Stanwood, WA, was took both the honors, earning two $5,000 cash awards and two week-long hot shop residencies.

Congratulations, Museum of Glass and participating artists!

Tweet if you love Toikka bird sculptures, exclusively at MoG

MOG GOES TO THE BIRDS!
9th Annual Bird Lovers’ Weekend Starts Tomorrow

Ah, we love the contemporary collection of Toikka bird sculptures made exclusively for the Museum of Glass and eagerly await the arrival of each new avian species at the museum store. For three days each October, the MoG is dedicated to birds and bird lovers, and this Friday through Sunday, October 5-7, you can be among the first to purchase one of the Western Tanagers by Oiva Toikka, available ONLY through the Museum of Glass Store. These one-of-a-kind birds are collected worldwide and this year only 250 Western Tanagers are available. Birds by Toikka are individually hand-blown and sculpted from molten glass; each year Professor Toikka designs a new, limited-edition bird for the Museum of Glass that is debuted at this event.

Come and see artists Tero Valimaa and Heikki Hiukkamaki work in the hot shop and create a selection of Toikka’s elegant bird designs. Other activities include live bird visits from Pt. Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, bird-related art activities and a lecture by studio glass historian and artist, Walter Lieberman.

A special treat is the Bird Lovers’ Brunch on Sunday, 11 am – 1 pm. Enjoy a brunch and no-host bar and be among the first to purchase select Birds by Toikka specimens created in the Museum of Glass Hot Shop. Artists Tero Välimaaand Heikki Hiukkämki will be present to sign these rare creations. $12 general | FREE for MOG members.

More information at http://www.museumofglass.org.

10 in 10: 2002 Museum of Glass Transforms Tacoma Skyline

(This piece concludes our 10 in 10 series spotlighting 10 of the top people, ideas and organizations to hit Tacoma in the past decade. 10 in 10 was conceived in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Art at Work Month, Tacoma’s premier annual cultural event, and a month-long celebration of the arts.)

"Cone Study No. 3," the tilted cone at the Museum of Glass. Photo: Sharon Styer

The Museum of Glass opened its doors in 2002 and Tacoma instantly won a place on the international art map. This spectacular, world-class museum grew out of a conversation 10 years earlier between Phil Phibbs, recently retired president of the University of Puget Sound; and Tacoma native, glass visionary, and co-founder of the Pilchuck Glass School, Dale Chihuly. The two agreed that the emergent Studio Glass Movement deserved its own showcase, and that Tacoma should be its nexus. The idea would unfold over the next several years, achieving undreamed of success with its opening in 2002.

"The Glass Ceiling," the Chihuly Bridge of Glass. Photo: Sharon Styer

Today, the Museum of Glass forms the most recognizable silhouette on the Tacoma skyline. The MoG operates a top-flight learning facility for glass artists, with a Hot Shop Amphitheatre located inside its 90′-high tilted cone. Master glass artists from all over the world teach and exhibit at the MoG, and artists from other mediums are also represented in the galleries. The Chihuly Bridge of Glass, connecting the museum to downtown Pacific Ave.,  is a tribute to the glass artist who helped make an incredible vision a reality, and elevated Tacoma’s status as an art center.

Photographs of the Museum of Glass and art by Sharon Styer.

Enjoy past stories in our 10-in-10 Series:

10 in 10: 2003 New Tacoma Art Museum Unveiled
10 in 10: 2004 Scattered Ephemera
10 in 10: 2006 City Arts Magazine Hits Tacoma
10 in 10: 2001 Free Ya Mind
10 in 10: 2006 the Broadway Center Shines Anew
10 in 10: 2001 The Birth of Tacoma’s Very Own Volcano
10 in 10: 2005 The AMOCAT Awards
10 in 10: The F.W. Woolworth Building
10 in 10: 2001 Tacoma Gets Smart (UW-Tacoma and SOTA)

Say Your Piece – NPR’s StoryCorps Comes to Tacoma

What: StoryCorps, the groundbreaking oral history organization, is coming to Tacoma
When: Sept. 8 – Oct. 3, 2011. Reservations for recording sessions will be available starting Aug. 25; call StoryCorps’ 24-hour, toll-free reservation line at 1-800-850-4406.
Where: Museum of Glass parking lot, 1801 Dock Street, Tacoma WA 98402
Admission: $25 suggested donation for participants having their stories recorded and archived
Information: www.storycorps.org; www.museumofglass.org

Oral histories provide a richly textured portrait of America through the personal voices and intertwined stories of its citizens. StoryCorps, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of Americans from all backgrounds, is coming to Tacoma for four weeks starting Sept. 8, to collect the stories of residents of the South Puget Sound area. Northwest Public Radio (NWPR) 90.9FM, a listener-supported public radio service, will host StoryCorps during the local portion of its cross-country tour.

Recording will take place in StoryCorps’ customized MobileBooth. Like an updated and digitized successor to the kitchen table or the front-porch swing – places where people traditionally gathered to talk – StoryCorps’ state-of-the-art Airstream trailer, outfitted with a recording studio, will be parked at the Museum of Glass (1801 Dock Street, Tacoma, WA) through Oct. 3.

Here’s how the program works: StoryCorps’ MobileBooth interviews are conducted between two people who know and care about each other. A trained StoryCorps facilitator guides participants through the interview process. At the end of each 40-minute recording session, participants receive a complimentary CD copy of their interview. With participant permission, a second copy is archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for future generations to hear.