New Bedford Art Museum opens breakthrough glass exhibit. Here's what to know.

NEW BEDFORD -- The New Bedford Art Museum has officially opened the breakthrough exhibit "Pathfinders: Paving the Glass Revolution in the US" to the public for viewing.

"The Art Museum is poised to present perhaps the most noteworthy and art-historically significant exhibition of contemporary art ever mounted at the museum," said Suzanne de Vegh, executive director, adding it is the most significant exhibition of contemporary art in the museum's 30-year history.

The exhibit, which features glass art from the past 50 years, showcases the impact of renowned artist Dale Chihuly on the studio glass movement. It was organized alongside the acquisition of the Art Museum's first contemporary artwork, a magnificent glass sculpture chandelier titled "Luminous Silver" by Chihuly himself.

According to de Vegh, "Luminous Silver" is more than just a beautiful sculpture, it is a gift to the city and represents the Art Museum's new identity as a venue for world-class contemporary art.

The 'Chihuly Reveal' is set for April 24-26

To celebrate the acquisition of this piece, the museum has organized a three-day event called "Chihuly Reveal" in partnership with the Sandwich Glass Museum, co-curated by Executive Director Mary Childs and the New Bedford Museum of Glass.

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The celebration includes an exhibit showcasing the early days of the glass art revolution and how it has evolved to the present, featuring works by notable artists such as Nancy Callan, Kéké Cribbs and Lino Tagliapietra.

There will also be a documentary film on Chihuly's work, a gala reception, and a lighted reveal of Luminous Silver at the museum, followed by performances by Ballet RI and the New Bedford Symphony Ensemble.

What else to see inside the glass exhibit

Most of the pieces on display are on loan from private collections, with many coming from the South Coast region. However, there are three works in the exhibit that have never been publicly exhibited before, including "Durer's Polyhedron" by William Beatty, "For Hope" by Toots Zynsky and an untitled wall sconce by Chihuly.

This sconce, made from leftover pieces from Chihuly's Rivers of Glass exhibit in Venice, was only one of five ever created to date.

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For those interested in experiencing the development of the glass art movement in the United States and seeing the impact of Dale Chihuly's work, the Pathfinders exhibit will be available on July 14.

The smaller gallery features the UMass Dartmouth 2024 MFA Thesis Exhibition featuring the artwork of graduating Master of Fine Arts students from the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

The exhibition, open until May 17, showcases a variety of creative work including painting, drawing, ceramics, digital media and site-specific installations, from artists Ruth Douzinas, Zeph Luck, Matthew Napoli, Fallon Keiko Navarro and Darley Ortiz Garcia.

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter:@ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Dale Chihuly, contemporary glass art exhibit in New Bedford