By Louise Irvine Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day was an amazing success at WMODA on Saturday, September 17. Several hundred visitors flocked to WMODA throughout the day, many experiencing the museum for the first time. They learned about the fired arts on display in our galleries, some diving deeper by scanning

By Louise Irvine A celestial utopia is depicted on this rare Della Robbia ceramic panel modeled after the sixth day of creation by Sir Edward Burne-Jones. The Pre-Raphaelite artist wanted to portray “visions and dreams and symbols for the understanding of people” and visualized heavenly angels in paintings, tapestries, and

Glass becomes glamorous in the hands of Chelsea Rousso, local glass artist, teacher, and fashion designer. Chelsea makes corsets and bikini tops of kiln-formed wearable glass which are designed to dazzle on social occasions from glittering galas to playful pool parties. Wearable glass might seem like an innovative use for

By Louise Irvine Liberty’s of London offered one of the most exciting shopping experiences of the Arts & Crafts era. The emporium was founded by Arthur Lasenby Liberty in 1875 to sell ornaments and objets d’art from Japan and the East. In the 1880s, Liberty began collaborating with distinguished designers

By Louise Irvine Glass teapots may appear to be a modern addition to the tea party but they have been with us since the Art Deco era when heat-resistant borosilicate glass was first used in domestic settings. In the US, we are most familiar with Pyrex which was introduced by

By Louise Irvine During Afternoon Tea Week, we featured some novelty teapots from the Art of Tea exhibition at WMODA. Now we are highlighting Rob Stern’s giant glass teapot and the whimsical showstopper by Christian Thirion which are on loan for our Mad Hatter’s Tea Party exhibit. Neither of these

By Louise Irvine We’re “Blown Away” by Rob Stern at WMODA and starstruck by his Constellations exhibit. The Florida glass artist recently competed in season 3 of the popular Netflix show. He didn’t win but he certainly impressed viewers with his 30 years of expertise in the hot shop. WMODA visitors

By Louise Irvine WMODA visitors will notice new QR code labels throughout the museum which will help access more information about the exhibits. Each gallery has a Quick Response matrix barcode which can be scanned by a mobile phone to learn more on the WMODA website. The QR system is