Tacoma Museum of Glass intertwines beauty of nature and glasswork in newest exhibition

The new TAM exhibition features both local and global artists capturing the beauty of the natural world in their chosen medium.

On Nov. 16, Tacoma’s Museum of Glass opened their newest exhibition “Field Notes: Artists Observe Nature.” The exhibition ranges from glass models of insects to two-dimensional portraits to human-scale trees, all reflecting the intricate details of nature. 

Some of the oldest artwork ranges back to the Art Nouveau period (1890-1910) which originated in France. The period was defined by a focus on insects, birds and blossoms in a style to revolt against the previous century. Notable artists include Émile Gallé, René Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany, the latter of whom worked primarily with stained glass. 

The exhibition features modern artists such as Vittorio Costantini and Joey Kirkpatrick, who were inspired by the forms in nature seen in the style of Art Nouveau artists. Modern artists included in the exhibition focused more on realism than Art Nouveau artists, with Costantini creating hundreds of life-sized anatomically correct insects. 

“Artists observing nature is a theme as old as time” said Guest Curator Linda Tesner in a press release to The Ledger. “The ideas conveyed in this exhibition have been rattling around in my head for a very long time.” 

In the following week after the exhibition opened, I visited the Museum of Glass to examine “Field Notes: Artists Observe Nature.” The artwork was stunning and each piece from each artist was uniquely different from the other artists. Each installation had a description next to it which featured the artist along with details on their life, career and the art piece. 

As soon as you enter the exhibit, you are greeted by Alexis Rockman’s monumental painting “Evolution.” It details the ecosystem of an Anthropocene swamp where visitors can view modern animals, prehistoric animals and hybrid creatures across the panoramic piece. The painting was later translated to glass when Rockman commissioned flameworker Vittorio Costantini to replicate the insects in the painting, resulting in over three hundred glass insects, some of which are displayed in a glass box in front of “Evolution.” 

Local artist Raven Skyriver is responsible for creating one of my favorite installations in the exhibit. Raised in the San Juan Islands, Skyriver’s upbringing surrounded by water heavily inspires his work, with many pieces displaying varying aquatic animals. “Black Mouth” and “Rosy (rockfish)” are a pair of freehand-sculpted glass fish that are beautifully detailed, including fins, gills and lifelike coloring. Additional glass pieces from Skyriver include Repose (Octopus), Bolt (Squid) and Adrift (Sea Turtle), all of which capture the beauty of nature and detail within the glass. 

“Field Notes” offers visitors the opportunity to appreciate the Pacific Northwest during a time of year surrounded by rain, clouds and most recently a bomb cyclone. The exhibition ranges from winter themes featuring plum trees to spring themes of bees encased in glass spheres with flowers. 

“While we are surrounded by the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, it is not often we get to welcome nature into the Museum,” said Museum of Glass Curator Katie Buckingham in a press release to the Ledger. “Field Notes is an engaging opportunity for those that love being outdoors to see how artists render natural details in glass.” 

The range of artwork in the exhibition showcases the diverse ways artists implement detail into their work, with “The Bird Pages” by Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora C. Mace being one of the most striking examples. Beginning as sketches on paper by Kirkpatrick, she worked with Mace to frame glass powder drawings into powerful images of owls that contain immense levels of depth and detail, down to the feathers. 

Lastly, another favorite masterpiece of mine dates back over 100 years, with the work of Amalric Walter putting a twist on bowls, dishes and paperweights. Walter is a lesser-known French glass master of Art Nouveau, who worked for the Cristalleries Daum. This was ran by famous Art Nouveau artists in the Daum family and later was attended by famous artist Salvador Dalí. Walter’s paperweights featured detailed moths, lobsters and chameleons providing an artistic alternative to a once common household appliance.  

The Museum of Glass’s newest exhibition is a wonderfully diverse collection of artworks, intertwining the beauty of the natural world with the intricacies of glasswork. With each artist’s installation differing greatly from the last, the exhibition efficiently and effectively shows visitors the talent and effort of artists over the last century. 

I highly recommend a visit to the exhibition for anyone interested, as the ability to see artwork from around the world is a unique and breathtaking opportunity. 

Tickets to the Museum of Glass are available for purchase online and in person.