Walter Lieberman: A Life in Glass

https://www.museumofglass.org/walter-...

World-renowned illustrator Walter Lieberman has provided a unique layer of artistry and education to Museum of Glass as Hot Shop Emcee for over a decade. Lieberman takes the practical tradition of floor chalk drawings to a new level – using his detailed, instructive sketches to educate and engage the public and share the intricate techniques being used by the glassblowers. These works of art allow audiences to better follow along with the glassblowing process. His art is often a live demonstration, mirroring the Hot Shop Team’s work, with chalk as his medium.

Lieberman’s drawings don’t just explain the process — they bring it to life, acting as visual performances that parallel the live glassblowing demonstrations. This exhibition views his chalk drawings as artworks in their own right. Like ephemeral chalk outlines left on the floor, they hint at the artistry and effort of each day’s work in the Hot Shop, remaining as faint reminders after the pieces are complete. In this new gallery context, his drawings are paired with the glass objects whose process they once recorded, reversing the drawings’ original purpose. Now, the glass objects illustrate Lieberman’s works, giving them the spotlight as art pieces and lasting evidence of the craft they served to explain.