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2022: The Year of Glass

In 2019, The Corning Museum of Glass, the American Ceramic Society, and the Glass Art Society worked together with the International
Commission on Glass to endorse the idea of a designated “Year of Glass” to the United Nations. On May 18, 2021, the United Nations General
Assembly formally approved a resolution declaring the year 2022 as the International Year of Glass (IYoG) to celebrate the heritage and importance
of this material in our lives.
When it comes to collectible glass, every year is the year of glass. But by highlighting exhibits within the framework of IYoG 2022, this
International Recognition brings added excitement and focus on this field of collecting.
Many of the celebratory events center around the ways in which glass has developed on a scientific level for its use in the Medical and Environmental
arenas. State-of-the-art equipment along with innovative techniques that have made improvements in these areas are also being celebrated.
“From the Romans through to the high-tech innovation of today, glass has always been by our sides as part of civilization, science, art, and
culture. It’s time to celebrate the past, present, and future of this iconic material, and reflect on how it’s driving progress towards UN Agenda 2030
goals.” – friendsofglass.com
Here are but a few examples of exhibits taking place across the country in celebration.

Bergstrom-Mahler Museum Museum of Glass,
of Glass, Neenah, WI Tacoma, WA
Paperweights in Bloom Rene Lalique: Art
www.bmmglass.com/exhibits Deco Gems
This exhibition will be on www.museumof
view through May 22, 2022, glass.org
along with the Paperweight The work of
Collector’s Association René Lalique has
Member Artist Showcase been universally hailed as representing the most chic and sophisticated
(closing May 21, 2022). qualities of French Art Deco styles. Lalique was a champion of the
strengths and possibilities of glass as an art medium, expanding its use
Corning Museum of Glass, beyond glass’ ubiquitous status as an industrial material. René Lalique:
Corning, NY Art Deco Gems from the Steven and Roslyn Shulman Collection, an
35 Centuries of Glass incredible group of nearly 200 objects, will introduce Museum of
www.cmog.org Glass guests to Lalique’s artwork and aesthetic.
The 35 Centuries of Glass
Galleries show the most Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Santa Fe,
comprehensive and cele- New Mexico
brated glass collection in the Clearly Indigenous:
world. The International Native Visions Reimagined in Glass
Year of Glass is the perfect time to wander through these galleries and www.indianartsandculture.org
rouse your curiosity about glass history and artistry. The galleries Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions
explore Near Eastern, Asian, European, and American glass and glass- Reimagined in Glass, is a groundbreaking
making from antiquity through the present day. They tell the story of exhibit of works in glass by 33 Indigenous
glass creation, from a full-scale model of an Egyptian furnace to the artists, plus leading glass artist Dale Chihuly
grand factories of Europe, and, then America, and finally, to the small- who introduced glass art to Indian Country.
scale furnaces that fueled the Studio Glass movement that began in On view through June 2022, the stunning
America in 1962. The galleries contain objects representing every art in the exhibit embodies the intellectual
country and historical period in which glassmaking has been practiced. content of Native traditions expressed in
glass. The artists have melded the aesthetics and properties inherent in
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art glass art with their cultural ways of knowing, whether re-interpreting
Museum, Wausau, WI traditional stories and designs in the medium of glass or expressing con-
Art Deco Glass from the temporary issues affecting Indigenous Nations. A companion book tells
Huchthausen Collection; these stories and includes photos of most of the works on display.
and Molten: 30 Years of
American Glass Sandwich Glass Museum,
www.lywam.org Sandwich, MA
These two exhibits coin- An Intimate View: Sandwich
cide with the 60th anniver- Through a Lens
sary of the Studio Glass www.sandwichglassmuseum.org
movement and the Explore and engage in the
International Year of Glass 2022. From seemingly traditional to wildly life of a storied, multi-genera-
abstract, glass artwork from the Woodson Art Museum highlights the tional Sandwich Family
range of studio glass experimentation from the 1970s -1990s. Molten through intimate photographs
showcases the possibilities unlocked by an ever-exploratory artistic created by original 9” x 7” glass
approach. Emerging in contrast to Art Nouveau’s ornate style amid negatives. This exhibit includes
World War I austerity, Art Deco glass fell out of favor after World War personal notations taken from
II, and regained popularity in the 1970s. Glass by iconic Art Deco studios the Jones family’s visitors log, artifacts from the period, and glass from
comprises the collection of David Huchthausen, a glass artist with the Museum collection, seen in the photos. On view through October
Wisconsin roots whose work altered the history of contemporary glass. 31, 2022.

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