The GLASS National Art Museum recently opened in Danville, Ky., serving as a sparkling new reason for artists and cultural travelers to visit the artsy hot spot an hour south of Lexington. The museum is an expansion project to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Art Center of the Bluegrass, and as its name suggests, showcases the creativity of contemporary artists working in the compelling medium of glass, most notably providing a permanent home for the collection of American glass artist, Stephen Rolfe Powell. GLASS is a first-of-its-kind offering in the Central U.S., said Niki Kinkade, executive director of Art Center of the Bluegrass. Glass is a dynamic art form that captivates imaginations of both artists and admirers. Stephen Rolfe Powell was the catalyst behind glass coming to Danville and central Appalachia, founding the glass program at Centre College, which is now one of the most prestigious programs for aspiring artists in the country. GLASS National Art Museum not only serves as a permanent home for his extensive body of work, but carries Powells educational mission forward by allowing visitors to discover the story of contemporary glass through his intricate and colorful creations. We hope that our collection ignites new interest in glass and glassmaking. The $3.7 million renovation and expansion project more than doubles the footprint of the Art Center of the Bluegrass, enabling it to expand its reach and usher in the next 20 years of creativity and leadership within the arts sector of the Appalachian region. Three gallery spaces, including a dark space featuring spotlighted objects, display work from both the permanent collection and rotating exhibitions from regional and national artists working in glass. Prior to his death in 2019, artist Stephen Rolfe Powell was a longtime resident of the Danville community and professor at Centre College (just down the road from Art Center of the Bluegrass). In addition to creating a name for himself in the glass community through his visually stunning work, he founded and built the glassblowing program at Centre College in 1985, teaching aspiring glass artists from across the country for more than three decades. Powells personal work is held in the permanent collections of art museums around the world, including The Corning Museum of Glass (Corning, N.Y.), Chrysler Museum (Norfolk, Va.), the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, Mass.), and the Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington, D.C.). Powells work serves as an accessible lens through which to discover glass as an art form and generate conversations about creative expression. It was following a successful retrospective exhibition of Powells work in fall 2022 that the idea to create GLASS was born, not only to create a permanent home for Powells work to be enjoyed, but to educate the public about glassmaking. GLASS plans to collect work by other prominent contemporary names in glass, including Dale Chihuly and Lino Tagliapietra. The Historic Hallway Gallery is a permanent display highlighting key moments of the Studio Glass Movement, the pivotal period during which glassmakers moved out of production work in factories and started experimenting with glass as a medium for creative expression. GLASS is the first in a series of enhancements that will be made to Art Center of the Bluegrass. In the coming months, other additions will include a glassblowing studio and educational programming to share both the history of glass and its contemporary artistic applications. Admission is free to the museum, with a suggested donation. For more information, visit www.glassmuseumky.org.