AS THE CITY of Tacoma is experiencing an economic and architectural revival, it seems only appropriate to celebrate the opening of The Museum of Glass: International Center for Contemporary Art. It is dedicated not only to showing innovative works of contemporary glass art, but also contemporary works of art in general.

Designed by Canadian architect, Arthur Erickson, the new museum’s most distinguishing architectural feature is its 90 foot tall towering cone. Its design was inspired by the sawmills and wood burners that are a distinctive part of the region’s history.

The Museum of Glass will be featuring two major inaugural exhibitions which keenly represent the Museum’s intentions. The Inner Light: Sculpture by Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova (Jul 6-Oct 27,) will include pieces which will be a first to U.S. audiences. This husband-wife team from the Czech Republic are known for their innovative technique of casting massive slabs of glass to create monumental sculptures that are delicately coloured and optically appear to have a soft glow from within. The clay forms are made into plaster molds, filled with glass shards, heated and slowly cooled for days to create these collaborative sculptures. The Inner Light will feature examples of the artists’ work since 1994, including preliminary sketches, paintings, monumental and smaller scale sculptures.

The second inaugural exhibition focuses on the Museum’s commitment to contemporary works of art. Sounds of the Inner Eye: John Cage, Mark Tobey and Morris Graves (Jul 6-Oct 6,) will include works by these three prominent 20th Century artists. The exhibit explores the relationship and influences had on each others work artistically and philosophically. Presented as small retrospectives beginning in the 1930s, when the artists met in Seattle. The Museum of Glass will be the only U.S. venue to host this exhibition.