Experience the world of glass at the Museum of Science and Industry

By William S. Bike and Kay McKinlay Ford

Glass is not just something we look through or that holds a beverage. Glass is used to preserve food via vacuum jars, light a room with lightbulbs, communicate through television, improve eyesight, and explore the universe through telescope lenses. Heat-tolerant glass even is used in space flight, and there have been and are thousands more uses for glass since it was created more than 4,000 years ago.

The Glass Experience, an interactive exhibit that explores the beauty, science, and craftsmanship behind glass and glassmaking, is at the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI), 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, through Labor Day.

The Corning Museum of Glass and the Botti Studio have provided personnel to entertain visitors by making glass and restoring stained glass in MSI's "hot shop." Corning employees demonstrate glassblowing by working with molten glass at 2,300 degrees F and making glass figurines from designs provided by museum-goers. Botti personnel demonstrate how to design, pattern, and assemble stained glass windows, lamps, and mosaics; they also are restoring the Chicago Cultural Center's Tiffany Dome.

Renowned glass sculptor Dale Chihuly constructed almost two dozen large, colorful glass baskets for the exhibit. Each organically shaped basket sits on a pedestal, and the pedestals’ heights vary, giving the illusion of a glass forest. A film accompanies the Chihuly portion of the exhibit.

A glass gallery illuminated with Tiffany lamps shows off Frank Lloyd Wright windows and features samples of materials, tools, and patterns as well as a film. Glass goes into the realm of science and technology in a section showing examples of industrial glass used in insulation, television, lighting, and space exploration.

“The Glass Experience explores the science and art of glass in a fun and interactive way—and there really is something for everyone here,” said Geoffrey Curley, MSI’s manager of temporary exhibits. “Kids just love watching the glassblowing demonstrations; it’s like magic how quickly a beautiful piece can be created from molten glass. Adults are fascinated by the stunning Frank Lloyd Wright and Tiffany pieces that we have on display as well. And guests of all ages enjoy watching and interacting with the artisans from Botti Studio as they create and restore stained glass right in the exhibit.”

Tickets include MSI general admission and cost $23 for adults, $22 for seniors, and $14 for children younger than 12. Tickets include a specific entry time and can be purchased at www.msichicago.org  or by calling (773) 684-1414.

The museum is celebrating its 75th anniversary by offering free general admission for dads on Father's Day, Sunday, June 15, and a buy one ticket, get one free to The Glass Experience. Online tickets are not available for this special offer, so call the number above to sign up.

ART
Alfedena Gallery, 434 W. Ontario St., offers a group exhibition curated by Jason Foumberg throughout June. Shape-shifters is the Contemporary Artist Council’s 14th annual show of emerging artists. For gallery hours and information call (312) 944- 340 or log on to www.alfedenagallery.com.

Allrise Gallery, 1542 N. Milwaukee Ave. third floor, presents I Don’t Know Any Other Way to Say This by the artist known as Sighn through Sunday, June 15. The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Call (773) 292- 255 or visit www.allrisegallery.com. 

Around the Coyote, 1425 N. Damen Ave., introduces emerging Chicago artist Sadie Harmon’s whimsical sculptures and crayon, pencil, and ink drawings on paper. The show runs through Saturday, July 5. Call (773) 342-6777 or visit www.aroundthecoyote.com  for details.

Architrouve, 1433 W. Chicago Ave., presents new works by Victoria Loeb and J.C. Steinbrunner opening Friday, June 20. The exhibition consists of mixed media drawings and photographs. Call (312) 563-1033 or visit www.thearchitrouve.com.

Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave. welcomes The Arranged Flower: Ikebana and Flora in Japanese Prints through June; the work of Mario Ybarra Jr. in a show titled Take Me Out…No Man Is an Island in Gallery 139; and a show beginning Saturday, June 14, called Collecting for Chicago: Prints, Drawings, and Patronage in galleries 124 to 127. For more information on these and other shows visit www.artic.edu/aic  or call (312) 443-3600 for details.

Caro d’Offay Gallery, 2204 W. North Ave., presents paintings by Fred Camper and Lyle Carbajal opening Saturday, June 14. Call (773) 235-7400 or visit carodoffaygallery.com  for details. Chicago Architecture Foun-dation, 224 S. Michigan Ave., presents Green with Desire: Can We Live Sustainably in our Homes? The exhibit opens Tuesday, June 24. For further information visit www.architecture.org  or call (312) 922- 3432.

Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., presents photographer Dean Sharp’s work through Sunday, June 29, in the show Photographs of the Chicago Picasso, c. 1967. Through Sunday, July 20, see E-Motion Pictures: An Exhibition of Orthopaedics in Art. Call (312) 744-6630 or visit www.egov.cityofchicago.org  for details.

Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave., presents an artists’ reception and dance party on Saturday, June 21, 7 to 10 p.m. to  celebrate the month-long program of Videodance. The party will include live dance and music performances and art demonstrations. Admission is free. Call (773) 324- 5520 or visit www.hydeparkart.org  for details.

Illinois State Museum Chicago Gallery, Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph St., Suite 2-100, presents the work of metalsmith L. Brent Kington entitled Mythic Metalsmith through June. Call (312) 814-6322 or visit www.museum.state.il.us/ismsites/chicago.com  for details.

National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St., presents Con Safos (With Respect), contemporary Chicano art from the Joe A. Diaz collection through Sunday, June 15. The paintings, installations, sculptures, and photographs selected for this exhibition were created over the last four decades in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org or call (312) 738-1503.

National Vietnam Veterans Museum, 1801 S. Indiana Ave, exhibits work by veterans and is seeking submissions for a show of letters, poems, and objects written during a war and sent to a sweetheart. Send digital files to Ted Stanuga at stanuga48@comcast.net. Special exhibits include work from five new artists who are veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; a show from Los Angeles about Vietnam beterans; and a reopened popular exhibition "The Things They Carried." Call (312) 326-0270 or visit www.nvvam.org for details.

Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., presents Inspired by Nature: The Garfield Park Conservatory and Chicago’s West Side on Saturday, June 14, at 11 a.m. Julia Sniderman Bachrach of the Chicago Park District and Jo Ann Nathan of the Jens Jensen Legacy Project will share how nature, urban design, and horticulture helped shape one of Chicago’s most interesting neighborhoods. For library hours call (312) 255-3700 or visit www.newberry.org.

Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, 618 S. Michigan Ave., presents Imaginary Coordinates through June, which juxtaposes images of antique maps of the Holy Land with modern maps. For more information on the institute’s many events visit www.spertus.edu or call (312) 322- 1700. Linda Warren Gallery, 1052 W. Fulton Market. Mariano Chavez exhibits works in acrylic and gouache through Friday, June 20, in a show entitled May Flowers. Call (312) 432- 9500 or visit www.lindawarrengallery.com  for details.

Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, 2320 W. Chicago Ave., offers the world’s largest collection of Ukrainian and Ukrainian- American abstract and minimalist works from the 1950s through the 1970s. Call (630) 240-7112 or visit www.uima-art.org for details.

Woman Made Gallery, 685 N. Milwaukee Ave., presents three new group shows and a solo show through Thursday, June 19. All Manner of Glass features artists who use hot glass techniques: free-blown, kiln forming, and casting. Tradition and Transformation: Art by Jewish Women and A Minyan without Men spotlight work by contemporary Jewish women. The solo show Poetic Vision features works by Beth Shadur inspired by poetry; Shadur also juried Tradition and Transformation. Visit www.womanmade.org or call (312) 738-0400 for gallery hours and details.

DANCE
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, 220 S. Michigan Ave., perform Friday and Saturday, June 6 and 7, in a choreographic workshop. Inside/Out offers a unique opportunity to see works-inprogress that may become part of Hubbard Street’s repertoire. Guarantee your spot by reserving today. Call (312) 850-9744, ext. 166, or e-mail complete order form to tickets@hubbardstreetdance.com.

MUSEUMS
Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. Lake Shore Dr., invites visitors to Shoot for the Moon with a new permanent exhibition highlighting exciting stories of space exploration and America’s bold plans to return to the Moon. Visit www.artic.edu or
call (312) 857-7161 for details.

Chinese-American Museum, 238 W, 23rd St., presents Great Wall to the Great Lakes: Chinese Immigration to the Midwest, which tells the story of Chinese immigrants, exclusion laws, and reasons for moving to various parts of the U.S. Call (312) 949-1000 or visit www.ccamuseum.org.

Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr., presents Family Field Day on Saturday, June 21, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Take part in fun and free activities in the Crown Family PlayLab and in the rest of the Field Museum or register for a family workshop that lets you be anything from a detective to a musician or scientist. For information call (866) Field-03 or visit www.fieldmuseum.org.

Museum Science and Industry, 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, presents Smart Home, which lets visitors explore a real, three-story modular and sustainable “green” house in the museum’s backyard to learn about ways to make ecofriendly living a part of your life. For more information call (773) 753- 6230 or visit www.msichicago.org.

MUSIC
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, 220 S. Michigan Ave., has a full calendar this month, with something for everyone. For a complete calendar and ticket information visit www.cso.org. or call (312) 94-3000.

Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St. in Millennium Park, invites all to enjoy the sound of 170 voices of the Red Rose Children’s Choir, directed by Sharon Augsburger and Jacquelyn Ault Negus, as they celebrate their tenth anniversary of song on Saturday, June 14, at 3 p.m. To order tickets visit www.harristheaterchicago.org  or call (312)
334-7777.

Pianoforte, Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave. Suite 825, features Naomi Kudo on piano on Saturday, May 16, 3 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for students. For more information call (312) 291-0000 or toll free (888) 291-6880 or visit www.pianofortechicago.com/blog.

Sherwood Conservatory of Music, 1312 S. Michigan Ave. offers special summer programs including a chamber music workshop, summer flute institute, and children’s opera camp. New this summer is a Latin jazz workshop and the Keys to Style piano workshop. For details visit www.colum.edu/Sherwood_conservatory/

THEATER
Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand Ave., presents a sparkling, hilarious new take on Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors with Ron West’s adaptation that sets the show in 1940 as a play within a play. Directed by Barbara Gaines, the show follows a group of actors on a London movie set during the World War II blitz as they scramble to make a movie version of The Comedy of Errors as a gift to the Allied troops while German planes periodically bomb the city. The show runs through Sunday, June 29. For times and ticket information call (312) 595-5600 or visit www.chicagoshakes.com for details.