A prosthetic eyeball and Pyrex cookware may not appear to have much in common with fine pieces of Venetian and Murano glass, but they each have had a significant impact on society, according to a new exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry.
The “Glass Experience,” which opened Wednesday, includes more than 200 artifacts lent from more than 50 collectors, representing the best in the world, said Geoffrey Curley, manager of temporary exhibits and events for the museum in Hyde Park.
“The medium of glass has affected us in many ways,” Curley said. “This exhibit not only showcases glass inventions, but it shows how the inventions came about. This represents the cream of the crop when it comes down to glass.”
The museum spent about 8 months putting together the exhibit, which also includes the renowned Botti Studio of Architectural Arts at work.
The Evanston-based studio will be restoring pieces of the Chicago Cultural Center’s Tiffany dome as one of the main attractions of the exhibit.
“This is not conservation. It’s not new work, it’s preservation,” said Chris Botti, owner of the studio.
The restoration project is an initiative of the City of Chicago and will be the first time the dome has been restored in 100 years, Botti said. The goal is to preserve the original work by fixing hairline cracks in the glass, cleaning the panes and repairing the “cames” or steel moldings that hold the pieces of glass together.
“We will be using the same company that was used 100 years ago to create the glass,” said Botti, whose family, beginning in Italy, has been in the stained-glass business for 600 years.
The Corning Museum of Glass is demonstrating the art and science of hot glass blowing. Visitors can sketch designs and Corning’s glass blowers will pick out a few to bring to life each day for the duration of the exhibit, Curley said.
Annette Sheppard has been blowing glass for 7 years.
“Even though I went to classes for this and picked it up in a few weeks, I always learn new techniques as I go along,” she said. “This is a lifelong process.”
The glass exhibit also features the “Macchia Forest,” designed by Dale Chihuly. It includes 20 large hand-blown glass sculptures of various colors that gives the illusion of a forest of glass.
Visitors also can learn about optical glass, bulletproof glass and an induction stove that cooks food on a glass-ceramic surface but is cool to the touch.
The “Glass Experience” will run through September and is sponsored by Baxter International Inc.
The exhibit costs $10, plus the cost of admission to the museum.
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dawilliams@tribune.com
