Lovers of glass art were treated to a tour of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art’s recently opened “Glass Wing” to see works of influential glass artists.

Alyssa Dumire, director of education, who led the group of around 45 guests, explained that the collection officially opened in November after the museum combined three galleries into one to house its considerable glass art collection. The 50 to 60 pieces presently on display are just a small part of its collection of more than 300 works from around the world.

Many of the works came from two large collections of about 100 pieces each which were gifted to the museum in 2021. The first was from the Fendel/Rosenbach Collection and the second was the Carl and Stephanie Beling Collection. These two large gifts were the major reason for opening the “Glass Wing” to house the permanent collection. Exhibits will change as pieces are rotated in from the main collection.

All of the unique, colorful, one-of-a-kind glass works are available for public viewing Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., with an additional two hours on Thursday evenings and Sundays from noon-5 p.m. Admission to the FWMoA, 311 E. Main St., Fort Wayne, is $10 for adults, $8 for students pre-K through college, $8 for ages 65-plus, or $25 for families, with free general admission from 5-8 p.m. Thursdays. Learn more at https://fwmoa.org.

“As far as the art glass movement is concerned,” said Dumire, “it’s very new. Using glass as a medium for art rather than utilitarian vessels began in the 1960s. Three of the most utilized processes are blown glass, cast glass and flame-worked glass. Examples of all three are on display in the Glass Wing now.”

In 2010 when Charles Shepard became president and CEO, he began to enlarge the collection. Prior to the addition of the two large gifts in 2021 the museum’s collection included more than 70 glass works. Thanks to the addition of the Fendel and Beling collections, the museum now has one of the largest collections of art glass in the Midwest.

Introduction to glass art actually begins in the hall leading to the exhibit, where a five-piece, 52-foot-long example of hot-sculpted glass by well-known artist Martin Blank titled “Repose in Amber” fills the space. From there the group filed through the large, sliding, automatic glass doors into the gallery.

A work by one of today’s most influential glass artists, Dale Chilhuly, is three multi-colored modernistic flowers displayed in the second room. Also shown is a larger-than-life cast glass and paint figure by Robin Grebe that was produced in 2003.

One of the exhibits that attracted a lot of attention was a fabricated glass and mixed-media ladder standing more than 6 feet tall that was done in 1999 by artist Therman Statom.

A flame-worked piece done by Ginny Ruffner in 1993 featuring connected glass tubes was the museum’s initial studio glass acquisition in 1997. The leaping antelope made of blown and sculpted glass is from the Carl and Stephanie Beling Collection.

The Glass Wing exhibit is sponsored by PNC Bank with additional support from the Edward D. and Ione Auer Foundation.