TMA Glass Studio Hits the Road

The “baby dragon” is scheduled to make appearances all over the region this summer, at Jones Leadership Academy, Owens Community College, the African American Festival, and Ann Arbor Arts Fest.

Baby dragon, in this case, is the pet name the Toledo Museum of Art’s glass artists have given their fiery mobile glassblowing furnace. It lives inside the TMA outreach truck, outfitted for demonstrations and community glass experiences around the region—in high school parking lots, on festival grounds, at community colleges, libraries, and beyond—expanding TMA experiences outside the downtown Toledo campus.

“Kids faces light up when they see us,” said Kacey McCreery, the TMA glass studio outreach artist. “We’ve equated it a bit to an ice cream truck—that is the response we’re trying and hoping to get out of the community, excitement and enthusiasm for the Museum. And we’re seeing it happening.”

It took one year to ensure the new truck was adequately equipped with the right tools and the ability to haul them. (Baby dragon holds about 40 pounds of molten glass and takes three and a half hours to heat up, quite a contrast with TMA’s glass studio furnaces, which house 700 pounds of glass and take 24 hours to fully fire up.) Though it was purchased in 2020, after the pandemic began use of the truck was delayed until spring 2022, the same year it earned its new, award-winning wrap, giving it a distinctive aesthetic on the road.

At schools, libraries, and other locations, TMA’s glass artists do live demonstrations and share information about public programming, classes, scholarships, and exhibitions.

“It brings TMA into the community, and personally invites people back to the Museum,” McCreery said. “To have this truck out in your neighborhood, with TMA team members extending a personal invite to the Museum, is really special.”

TMA’s outreach truck is supported in part by the generous donations of the TMA Ambassadors and 5/3 Bank; the mobile glassblowing furnace is supported in part by Majida Mourad in memory of Ellie Mourad.

Art Classes and More: Learning at TMA

The Toledo Museum of Art offers art classes and professional development workshops for all levels, with offerings for children as young as 3 all the way up to adults. Practice drawing, try your hand at sculpture and mixed media, create objects in metal or glass, and more. Come as an individual or sign up as a family, a couple, or with a friend. Scholarships are available to help cover class costs for those who qualify, and there’s a course to suit every schedule, whether you need weekday options or prefer a weekend experience.

To explore class options or sign up, visit tickets. toledomuseum.org.

Art Matters Staff

Director of Brand Strategy: Gary Gonya

Feature Writer and Editor: Alia Orra

Marketing Manager: Crystal Phelps

Design: Aly Krajewski

Send comments, questions, or inquiries to Gary Gonya ggonya@toledomuseum.org

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