Fired Up: Contemporary Glass by Women Artists

The discovery of glass as a serious artistic medium in the 1960s – sparked during the Studio Glass Movement that originated at the Toledo Museum of Art – was monumental. Yet in its earliest decades, women faced an uphill battle in their demand for fair recognition of their contributions and work. 

In Fired Up: Contemporary Glass by Women Artists, more than 50 objects showcase the women who now rank among the most innovative and celebrated glass artists. Drawn from the Toledo Museum of Art’s renowned glass collection, with notable loans from private collectors, the works document nearly six decades of underappreciated influence, from the art that helped women forge a path in the Studio Glass Movement of the ‘60s to the ingenuity of 21st-century installations.  

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.    

Image: Sonja Blomdahl (American, born 1952), Celadon/Scarlet. Non-lead glass, blown, two bubbles joined hot (incalmo technique), ground, and polished, 2004. H. 6.5 in. (16.5 cm); Diam. 11.5 in. (29.2 cm). Toledo Museum of Art, Gift of Devra Breslow, 2009.361