The Glass Pavilion is across the street from the Toledo Museum of Art. It is as beautifully designed as the glass pieces it houses. Most of the inner and outer walls of the Pavilion are made of glass which allows you to literally look through the walls of one gallery into another. Most of the galleries allow for natural lighting to come in which is then reflected and dispersed through out the galleries and into the corridors. If you enjoy architecture or design in the least little bit you will appreciate how well designed and constructed the Glass Pavilion is. The Pavilion itself is composed of five Galleries, a Glass Study Room, GlasSalon, Hot Shop and Coffee Bar. They also have a glassed in Rest Area and Courtyard. The Courtyard was closed when I visited which was fine given the weather, however the Rest Area was open and just off of Gallery 3&4 which was nice since I needed a little rest from walking. The galleries are broken down into varying types of glass pieces, designers and century. Galleries house pieces from Ancient Rome, Tiffany, Libbey, to more contemporary art works by Labino, Ruffner, and Chihuly. The Glass Study Room shows the history of glass as well as exhibits pieces that correspond with the historical time line. The Hot Shop is where they show demos and also have classes. This was not your typical glass blowing demo area. It was well thought out and as educational as it was fun. The Glass Artist(Robin ?) that made a vase for our group was an added bonus. She did a great job explaining the process as well as educational opportunities offered to the public interested in learning more. The Glass Pavilion is a sister to the Toledo Museum of Art and like the Museum the Glass Pavilion has done a fantastic job of creating an environment that fosters a love of art in various forms. The Pavilion is also FREE to tour and a must see to any visitor to the area.
