“The exhibition ‘New Glass Now’ offers a global survey highlighting the innovation shown by a dynamic selection of makers. Embracing the possibilities of glass as a vital and versatile medium, the featured artists challenge the status quo and represent a modern era in glassmaking full of new voices, visions and representation.  

On view at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum from Oct. 22 to March 6, 2022, ‘New Glass Now’ features a range of objects, installations, videos and performances by 50 artists working in more than 23 countries. It highlights historically underrepresented communities within the glass world including LGBTQ+ artists, people of color and women. These makers respond to the complexities of the contemporary world through timely political commentary and explorations of the intersection between technology and creative culture. Their work challenges the very notion of what the material of glass is and what it can do.” — Renwick Gallery  

“We are pleased to present such a fresh and representative survey of contemporary glass art at the Renwick Gallery, which coincides with an exhibition in the museum’s main building that features objects from the Venetian glass revival of the late 19th century,” said Stephanie Stebich, the Margaret and Terry Stent Director at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. “‘New Glass Now’ introduces our national and international visitors to global leaders in the glass field who are working in innovative and unexpected ways. This exhibition affirms our commitment at the Renwick Gallery to celebrating the ever-changing and evolving landscape of contemporary craft.”

Installation views of “New Glass Now” at Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum. Photos by Albert Ting.

“New Glass Now” is a touring exhibition that debuted at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York, in 2019. It was curated by Aric Chen, general and artistic director of Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam; Beth Lipman, artist based in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin; Susanne Jøker Johnsen, head of exhibitions at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen; and Susie J. Silbert, curator of postwar and contemporary glass at The Corning Museum of Glass. Mary Savig, the Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft, is the coordinating curator for the “New Glass Now” presentation at the Renwick Gallery.

Title image: James Akers, The Wild One (B), 2018, neon, circuit-bent toys, custom circuitry, 61 x 97 x 69 cm, The Corning Museum of Glass, 2019.4.162. Photo courtesy of The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York, © James Akers.

Images courtesy Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum.