$25M in improvements set to begin at Museum of Glass. Here’s what’s happening
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Renovation may begin as soon as next month; ~$25M to modernize galleries.
- Includes Lino Tagliapietra Legacy immersive gallery and other space reconfigs.
- About six months of substructure work will close traditional galleries; others stay open.
Tacoma’s Museum of Glass renovation plans are moving forward starting as soon as next month in its first-ever capital renovation project.
The museum, 1801 Dock St., detailed its plans this week with The News Tribune, which reported on MOG’s pre-application filed with the City of Tacoma for the project last year.
The museum has organized more than 150 exhibitions since 2002, featuring glass-art pioneers such as Dale Chihuly, Lino Tagliapietra and Preston Singletary. It counts more than 100,000 visitors each year, and the Hot Shop hosts over 50 Visiting Artist Residencies each year.
After nearly a quarter-century, MOG’s executive director Deborah Lenk said, the museum now wants to take the next step in showcasing the region’s prominence in the history of glass art with its approximately $25 million renovation.
“This project involves all of our current galleries because all of them are going to be completely upgraded with the latest lighting and technology and things that fine-art galleries have these days,” Lenk told The News Tribune.
The museum noted in an accompanying news release, “To date, about two-thirds of that amount has been raised through individuals, foundations, and government sources.”
Plans call for construction to begin as soon as next month (April) and continue until late summer/early fall of this year.
What is changing
The upgrades are intended to modernize and expand gallery spaces “to present a more thorough, interdisciplinary perspective on the art form, celebrate its pioneering artists, and exhibit more work from emerging and established artists,” according to MOG’s release detailing the changes.
The primary addition will be a new “immersive gallery” dedicated to its Lino Tagliapietra collection — 175 works gifted to the museum from the artist, who came to the Pacific Northwest in the early 1980s.
Tagliapietra completed 19 residencies in the museum Hot Shop and led numerous appearances in person as well as around the world through livestream. Over the years, the museum has organized and hosted several installations and three major exhibitions of his work.
“Telling the story of the world’s foremost glassblower will secure Museum of Glass as a destination glass experience, as it will be the only gallery of its kind in the United States,” MOG said in its release.
The museum’s theater will be converted into additional gallery space to make room for rotating exhibitions, and existing gallery space will be upgraded to hold the Lino Tagliapietra Legacy Gallery.
The upgrades, Lenk noted, will “keep us strong for the next 25 years, allowing us to deepen our programming for the community, and allows us to really honor this great maestro artist (who) has been so instrumental to this area.”
The museum is also tackling repairs “in a facility where some of the infrastructure is just failing,” Lenk added.
“A good example is our air conditioning unit,” she said, which has required frequent maintenance because of leaks in the compressors.
Additionally, she said, “Our control system for the full HVAC system is 25 years old, and it’s run on a computer that’s 25 years old. The software isn’t supported any longer, and if that computer were to fail, we actually have a backup computer that’s 25 years old that we just keep in case.”
New lighting and casework is coming, along with interactive audio/visual components, improved environmental controls, new on-site storage to help grow its permanent collection, and more.
The museum plans to reconfigure its Grand Hall and relocate internal workshops, including the wood shop and metal shop, and non-art storage to garage level. The changes will mean a loss of some parking spaces, a tradeoff to gain more usable space for the museum, she noted.
“Because our garage is owned by the city, the city approved us building out the far back of the garage for storage for our wood shop or metal shop,” she explained. “So yes, we will be reducing parking spaces in the end by 30 to 40 stalls.”
She added that “Most days that space back in there is not being used. People don’t necessarily like to park back there because it’s darker, it’s more out of the way. So on a typical day, those spaces won’t be missed.”
Timeline and operations during construction
According to the museum’s release, substructure work to support additions and to protect site construction is expected to take about six months, “during which time Museum of Glass traditional gallery spaces will be closed. The Hot Shop, smaller exhibitions, and educational programming will continue throughout construction.”
MOG’s non-gallery spaces will operate without disruption, and much of the work will take place in the evening, according to the museum.
“The Hot Shop will host its full lineup of Visiting Artists and the Education Studio will continue to offer workshops, Family Days, and other programming,” it stated. “The Museum Store and Museum Cafe will be open.”
MOG will use the Grand Hall space to hold smaller exhibitions, and noted, “During select weeks throughout the summer, the museum hopes to park the Mobile Hot Shop on the Grand Plaza in front of the museum and offer additional workshops.”
Lenk said that the plan is to scale admission prices to what is available to visitors at the museum at the time.
“We are planning on reducing admission price somewhat for not having the gallery spaces. And there might be times when we have a lot more going on where we’ll adjust that a bit,” she said. “But we want people to come and feel like they have a great experience for the amount of money they’re paying, and hopefully learn about what we’re doing.”
The museum plans periodic updates on its website regarding the timeline for reopening the gallery spaces, and will host various events to celebrate the reopening and introduction of the new Lino Tagliapietra Legacy Gallery.
“I feel so grateful that things have come together,” Lenk said. “Because I really feel like it’s time for the Museum of Glass to make these upgrades and to continue to grow.”
The project’s design work was completed by James Carpenter Design Associates and Studio Unseen Light PLLC. The Museum’s architect is Bassetti Architects and the general contractor is BNBuilders.
Fundraising continues for the project. To learn more about how to get involved, contact the Museum Development Department at development@museumofglass.org.
