Sand, ash, heat. Glass at the New Orleans Museum of Art explores how this material has inspired innovation in the arts and science from ancient civilizations to today.

The exhibition connects artworks throughout the museum and Besthoff Sculpture Garden, showcasing the many forms and artistry of glass from ancient vessels and Venetian glass to examples of the 20th-century American studio craft movement and newly acquired works by contemporary artists including Fred Wilson and Sharif Bey. Featuring an expansive range of objects drawn entirely from NOMA’s exceptional glass collection, the exhibition showcases a diversity of work to foreground how glass is connected to histories of scientific discovery, foodways, cultural exchange, and artistic innovation.

The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue published with Scala Arts Publishers, Inc. Glass: sand, ash, heat was edited by NOMA’s RosaMary Curator of Decorative Arts and Design Mel Buchanan, with contributions by Dow M. Edwards, Amanda M. Maples, Christopher Maxwell, Laura Ochoa Rincon, Zella Palmer, Brian Piper, Alex Sanchez, Ingrid Seyb, and an interview with Gene Koss.

Sand, ash, heat. Glass at the New Orleans Museum of Art is sponsored by the Eugenie and Joseph Jones Family Foundation. Additional support is provided by Susanne and David Purvis, the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, Harvey and Marie Orth, Robert and Pamela Steeg, Mary Beth and Sheldon Ray, in honor of Bettie Pendley, and Lori and John Solon.

The exhibition was organized by NOMA’s RosaMary Curator of Decorative Arts Mel Buchanan with Decorative Arts Trust Curatorial Fellow Laura Ochoa Rincon with additional contributions to the project from Kelly Conway, Dow M. Edwards, Sidney Goldstein, Gene Koss, Amanda M. Maples, Christopher Maxwell, Zella Palmer, Brian Piper, Alex Sanchez, and Ingrid Seyb.