The Museum of Glass Hot Shop has been a must see destination for 20 years. While the Museum prides itself on hosting impactful exhibitions and providing unique learning experiences, it is inherently a maker’s space. Not only does Museum of Glass exhibit engaging and thought-provoking art, it demonstrates and shares the process of creating it.
Hot Shop Director Ben Cobb and gaffer Gabe Feenan have been at Museum of Glass since the beginning — growing as artists and makers in the Hot Shop since 2002 and establishing themselves as a world-class glassmaking team. Cobb joined the Museum of Glass Hot Shop at 23 years old, Feenan at 29, and, in the two decades since, the two have expanded the scope of the Hot Shop’s work and its support for visiting glass artists around the world. “When we opened our doors, we set out to make the
Hot Shop a glimpse into the working artist’s studio. Our audience has the opportunity to watch the creative process happen. And we have the ability to essentially create exhibitions in the Hot Shop, then, a couple years later, have that work and those ideas expressed in the Museum’s galleries,” said Cobb.
One such exhibition, Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight, was made at the Museum and debuted in its galleries in 2018. Now one of the Museum’s traveling exhibitions, Raven and the Box of Daylight is currently on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, and will travel from there to Chrysler Museum of Art and Oklahoma City Museum of Art over the next two years.
Raven and the Box of Daylight is just one success among the hundreds of visiting artist residencies Cobb and Feenan have hosted over their years at Museum of Glass — helping to bring those artists’ visions to life as gaffers, supporters, and collaborators while Museum guests witness the process in the Hot Shop Amphitheater. Additionally, working with the great maestros in glass and an array of emerging artists has made Cobb and Feenan exceptional artists in their own right.
Cobb and Feenan also extend the Museum of Glass Hot Shop resources to the local community by partnering with local middle and high school students in the Hilltop Artists program, and children as the Museum of Glass celebrates 20 Years. Gabe Feenan (left) and Ben Cobb who submit their wild and whimsical designs to be brought to life in glass through the Museum’s Kids
Design Glass program.“I love working here because I get to work with different people with different ideas. I live for somebody handing me a piece of paper with a drawing on it and saying, ‘Make this!’,” said Feenan.
After 20 years, Cobb looks toward the future. “Looking forward to the next 20 years, I feel it is important that we continue to support young and emerging voices in our community. We are so proud to be a resource for artists and a trusted place to bring their ideas.” For more information visit: Museum of Glass