Day Five 2016

Today, we ventured a little beyond Seattle to check out the Tacoma art scene.  We arrived at Anthem Coffee and Tea on Pacific just in time to get iced lattes, smoothies, and tea to go.  Coffees in hand, we crossed the Bridge of Glass and descended the Grand Staircase to enter the Tacoma Museum of Glass.  When we arrived at the glass museum, we were greeted by our docent who guided us into the Hot Shop where we watched live glass blowing.  Emily noted how the voyeur aspect of the audience turns it into a sort of theater; Mollie was busy looking up the melting points of glass, steel, and aluminum; and I was trying to figure out how to describe the experience in words--proof that you can take teachers out of the school, but you can't take the school out of the teachers.  We then toured the museum, examining various pieces by Dale Chihuly and other famous artists who specialize in glass blowing (most of whom attended Chihuly's Pilchuck Glass School, which is North of Seattle).  Two favorite exhibits were the Every Soil Bears Not Everything exhibition by Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora C. Mace, which focused on nature and the empty vessel, and the #bethecurator exhibition, where viewers vote for and comment on pieces and the artist who earns the most votes will receive a Visiting Artist Residency in 2017.  For more information on the glass museum, to watch live feed from the hot shop, or to read more about the various exhibits, follow this link: http://museumofglass.org/.

After a lovely lunch at Choripan Café in the Museum of Glass, we meandered back across the Bridge of Glass, admiring the Seaform Crystal Towers and the Venetian Wall, as well as the Tacoma skyline, along the way.  We ended the day at the Tacoma Art Museum where we saw more of Chihuly's work and other exhibits including: The Art of John Mix Stanley, The Mia McEldowney Jewelry Collection, and Richard Rhodes' Stone Wave.  On our way out the door, we were complimented on how well behaved and respectful the Overlake students were--no surprise to any of us teachers, but a good reminder of how fortunate we are to work at such an amazing school and to teach such amazing kids.  It was a great finish to a fantastic week of memorable arts experiences.