Toledo Museum of Art: Glass Pavilion

Disclosure: This is a continuation of my visit to the Toledo Museum of Art. This visit was part of a press trip to Ohio sponsored by the Ohio State Park Lodges but all opinions are my own and my opinion is that if you have the chance to go to Toledo and see this museum DO IT!!! It’s simply amazing.

I could not get a picture to do this incredible piece justice. Campiello Remer 2 by Chihuly

Art lover, glassware collector, or history buff – it doesn’t matter who you are because the Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion is absolutely fascinating and a must-see location on your trip to Ohio. As I mentioned in my other post about the museum, admission to the museum (and this includes the glass pavilion) is free, with a $5 charge for parking if needed. It is worth much more than that parking fee in my estimation. I could have spent my entire day wandering through the various exhibits. At the Glass Pavilion, you’ll see practical but beautiful pieces of glassware such as glasses, bowls, vases, and trays as well as pieces that were made strictly as works of art.

Vitrana by Dominick Labino

The Glass Pavilion, opened in 2006, is a work of art in itself. I wish I could have taken pictures of the exterior to show you but it was raining off and on and I just wasn’t able to get any decent ones. The building is mainly made, both inside and out, of these large curved glass panels, giving you a wonderful view through to the outside and other exhibits in the pavilion. The building won Travel and Leisure’s Design Award for Best Museum in 2007. It is 74,000 square feet and contains more than 5,000 pieces of art from ancient to current times. I’m sure I only saw a small portion of the collection in the hour and a half that I was there. I was really excited to see live glass-blowing demonstrations going on in the museum when I was there and apparently this is a regular occurrence.

Dress Impression with Train by Karen LaMonte

Now obviously, the Glass Pavilion isn’t quite as kid friendly as the rest of the museum. Oh certainly, they are allowed (although you’d have to check and see if strollers are allowed – I know they’re not in the rest of the museum and I could see them being quite a hazard here) but even as an adult, there were some exhibits where I felt very aware of my movements as I was afraid I’d break something! The works are stunning though and you won’t want to miss them!

Between the main museum and the glass pavilion (and noting that I only got to see a portion of both – I hear there’s a sculpture garden that I need to take in as well), I’d have to say that the Toledo Museum of Art is my favourite of all I’ve ever been to. Check out my other blog post to see the rest of my visit there.

What about you? What’s the best art museum you’ve been to?