At the recently opened expansion of the Perry Glass Studio at the Chrysler Museum, art and architecture combine to create a space that celebrates the collaborative performance of glassmaking
As transparent as the sparkling works of glass coaxed from molten sand by fire and breath, so are the processes employed by the team of artistic alchemists in the newly expanded Perry Glass Studio, a jewel in the crown of Norfolk’s Chrysler Museum of Art.
And this is by design, according to Thom White, Design Principal, WPA, architects for the project. White is quick to credit Rob Crawshaw, lead project architect, and partner, Mel Price, a key client liaison, with the layers of design decisions that “put the process on display.” Expansive windows emit as much daylight as possible, connect spaces visually and conceptually, and link the studio with its urban environment, including the Chrysler Museum and The Hague.
“It has all of our hearts…everything about what those artists do is magic,” says Price of the expanded Glass Studio, which opened to the public in September 2024 but will celebrate its grand opening with a weekend of festivities that includes the Glass & Glitz Grand Gathering and Auction on March 29.
And the windows, including in the sleek, open stairwells, not only frame views to the outside but allow passersby to see the magic happening within. Though the studio is a working space rather than a museum, exhibiting inspiring work from the Chrysler’s permanent collection—as well as that of teaching faculty and visiting artists—is critical to the mission, and these windows also function as monumental display cases, visible from both inside and out.
Why glass and why a major expansion? In 1999 and 2009, the Chrysler played a leading role in two major regional exhibitions entitled Art of Glass which stoked the passion for glass in Coastal Virginia. Soon after, the original incarnation of the Glass Studio opened in 2011 named after major benefactors, Pat and Doug Perry.
This “hot” destination was, according to White, bursting at the seams almost upon opening. Though its glassblowing classes and demonstrations were wildly popular, the staff wanted to expand the hot shop and eventually teach flameworking, flatwork, neon and more, concurrently turning up the heat on the performative potential of glass.
While WPA had been working with the Chrysler on master planning and small projects, they began moving toward an expansion in 2016 after responding to an RFP, getting shortlisted, earning an interview, and, ultimately, being selected. In 2017, says White, the Chrysler was “put on the map in the glass making world” when they hosted the Glass Art Society (GAS) Conference, with Norfolk taking its place alongside other conference host sites like Corning, Murano and Seattle, cities synonymous with art glass.
Plans gained steam, COVID happened, the project went on the shelf while they “figured out” fundraising and the impact of the pandemic, and then it got moving again in earnest. Essentially, two central needs moved to the fore: the space to accommodate different processes and more classes and a better performance space for mesmerizing interdisciplinary experiences. In addition, the Glass Studio wanted to be able to house events—meetings, receptions and parties—that weren’t necessarily glass related.
Conversations among the architects and key Chrysler representatives from the director to the glass curator to the studio glass team, along with peer reviews, studio visits, and best practice research from coast to coast resulted in the functional, versatile and beautiful expanded facility.
Its clean and contemporary lines are meant to complement nearby mid-century architecture with International Style leanings. The team also sought harmony with the existing museum while establishing “a new language.” So, for example, while both have ample terraces and courtyards, the Chrysler’s are more Italianate and the Glass Studio’s more modern.
Overall, the latter’s aesthetics are a balance between the industrial aspects of the process from glory holes to annealing furnaces and a museum context with what White describes as “a higher level of finish and presentation.”
The materials palette—brick masonry, a light terracotta rainscreen, glass, aluminum panel cladding, polished concrete floors and steel handrails—was chosen to complement the original studio which was located in an old bank building.
At the same time, the expanded facility had to respond to flooding challenges. The new building is four feet higher than the existing building, which required ramping and on-site storm water management via a slightly bowl-shaped parking lot that channels run-off into a handsome rain garden.
Inside, Robin and Julia Rogers, partners at work and in life, were instrumental in shaping the design of the two-story facility with a third level for storage and a catwalk. Robin serves as Glass Studio Manager and Program Director and Julia as Higher Education Outreach Coordinator. Together, they lead a team of some 25 full-, part-time, and contract artists, including six to eight assistants who come from all over the world to hone their chops for six months at a time.
The Rogers also manage seven shops—cold, hot, flat, flame, mold, metal and wood—and exhibition, classroom, meeting and office spaces. Within these interconnected spaces, the staff teach a mind-blowing array of classes for colleges and universities—ODU now offers a BFA in glass—as well for children, adults, families and community organizations like Teens with a Purpose.
But the most sizzling new addition to the Glass Studio is surely the hot shop theater, officially named the Penny and Peter J. Meredith Jr. Theater, which seats 200 on two levels with space for another 80 people standing.
From these vantage points, audiences can be immersed in dazzling multi-media performances like Glass After Dark and Vitreous Theatre that fuse glass, dance, lighting and sound. Stage lighting and curtains, a sound board, large screens, acoustic panels, and a catwalk ensure performances that refract, reflect and rivet with the highest level of professionalism.
Chrysler Museum of Art’s Perry Glass Studio is open to the public Tuesday-Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and offers free demonstrations at noon as well as an ongoing schedule of classes and special events.
Learn more at chrysler.org/glass.
Glass & Glitz: Grand Gathering and Auction
Perry Glass Studio
March 29, 6-10 p.m.
Celebrate the grand opening of the newly expanded Perry Glass Studio at Glass & Glitz: Grand Gathering and Auction. This glamorous evening, presented by Dollar Tree, will feature glassmaking demonstrations and appearances from Dante Marioni, who captivated audiences at the original Studio opening, international duo de la Torre Brothers, Corey Pemberton, MiNHi England, Kimberly Thomas, and others.
Enjoy glass performances with Kishi Bashi and live music by BJ Griffin, pop-up entertainment, brilliant libations, fiery foods, a silent auction and more. Come dressed to impress on this glassy night! $125 per person, registration required. Learn more.
About the Perry Glass Studio Design: Architect: Work Program Architects; Structural Engineering: Speight Marshall Francis; PME Engineering: Altieri Sebor Wieber; Theater and Audiovisual: NV5 Engineering and Technology; Hot Shot Equipment: Wet Dog Glass; Site Design Team: SGA, Timmons, WPL
Betsy DiJulio
Betsy DiJulio is a full-time art teacher, artist and curator with side hustles as a freelance writer, including for Coastal Virginia Magazine, and a vegan recipe developer, food stylist and photographer. Learn more on her website thebloomingplatter.com.
