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Best Places For Glass Art In Boston

Boston is a great place to view, create or purchase glass art. There are numerous galleries, studios and exhibits across the city that provide fine examples of the diversity of glass art. There is jewelry, surreal landscapes, home decor, windows, light-catching sculptures, glass botanicals and more. Both businesses and private collectors alike are sure to find something that suit their needs from this wide range of artists and styles.
"Peonies Blown in the Wind" window
"Peonies Blown in the Wind" window, John La Farge (credit: mfa.org)

Museum of Fine Arts Boston
465 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 267-9300
www.mfa.org

The collections at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston contain thousands of pieces of glass artwork from sculpture to housewares. Some are contemporary pieces and others are irreplaceable historical objects. The MFA's glass pieces come from all over the world. In many ways, visitors get to see the history of glass art unfold while appreciating some of the best and most significant artwork in Boston.

Related: Boston's Best Art Walks

Diablo Glass School
(credit: diabloglassschool.com)

Diablo Glass School
123 Terrace St
Boston, MA 02120
(617) 442-7444
www.diabloglassschool.com

Diablo Glass School is one of the best places in Boston to learn how to work with glass. In fact, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston has even paired up with the Diablo Glass School to offer one- and two-day workshops in several glass art techniques. The lessons offered at the Diablo Glass School range from beginner to advanced in skill, so anyone can study there. There are even class options for teens. Find one that works for you and start admiring your own masterpieces.

Joyce Roessler
Glass Flower Garden by Joyce Roessler (credit: ellenmillergallery.com)

Ellen Miller Gallery
38 Newbury St
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 536-4650
www.ellenmillergallery.com

The Ellen Miller Gallery hosts exhibitions and displays various styles of art in a range of mediums. Currently among these pieces are beautiful glass sculptures by Joyce Roessler and Niho Kozuru. Joyce offers surreal pieces, among which her botanical sculptures stand out like something from Dr. Seuss or straight out of Wonderland. However, they are not so surreal as to alienate. Kozuru works in bright colors that shock and please the eye. His pieces look almost . . . delicious. Come see these unique creations for yourself.

Ross Art Studio
(credit: rossartstudio.com)

Ross Art Studio
65 E Sprague St
Hyde Park, MA 02136
(617) 833-8561
www.rossartstudio.com

Ross Art Studio has no less than 15 glass artists each with their own unique styles. This studio does just about anything with glass that one can imagine. It does restoration work, corporate work and private work, all of which is custom. Whether clients need something small and ornamental or something large and utilitarian, Ross Art Studios is likely able to do it. Finally splurge on that beautiful chandelier you've been wanting since childhood.

The Glass Flowers
(credit: Harvard University)

The Glass Flowers Gallery
Harvard Museum of Natural History
26 Oxford St
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-3045
www.hmnh.harvard.edu

The Harvard Museum of Natural History's glass flowers' collection is the work of Rudolph and Leopold Blaschka. The Blaschkas made them in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Hosterwitz, Germany. These glass flowers are special in that they represent real species -- 847 of them -- and accurately portray the anatomy of the flowers they mimic. There are also glass cross-sections so visitors may study them without going anywhere near a real flower. You've never seen a garden like this.

Related: Boston's Best Photography Galleries

Shelly Barclay is a professional freelance writer and amateur author. She writes on a variety of topics from food to mysteries. She loves to share the culture and rich history of her birthplace and home, Boston, with the rest of the world. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

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