The Indiana Glass Trail is an uncommon and lovely experience for visitors and locals
By Bryn Dippold
From Kokomo to Muncie, Carmel to Dunkirk, Warsaw to Anderson, and Richmond to Fort Wayne, the Indiana Glass Trail connects eight cities, eight counties and an incredible collection of decorative glass.
Out of the eight stops on the Indiana Glass Trail, there is a good mix of what is called “glass assets,” which include glass museums, exhibits, festivals, blown glass demonstrations and artists selling their glass wares.
Sherry Matlock, manager of the Greater Kokomo Visitors Bureau, shares that the Kokomo Opalescent Glass factory is the reason Kokomo and Howard County are on the Indiana Glass Trail.
“People can see how glass is made, they can purchase glass and we’ve got exhibits about glass in our community,” she says.
In Muncie/Delaware County, “Ball Canning Jars” began the area’s history with glass. The Ball Brothers’ product is a household name and the namesake for Ball State University.
In Hamilton County, The Carmel Arts & Design District showcases the works of many talented glass artists, and the city of Dunkirk in Jay County boasts over 8,000 pieces of glassware from 110 factories around the world.
Warsaw in Kosciusko County is home to Warsaw Cut Glass, one of the last American facilities practicing the art of cutting glass. Anderson in Madison County has some amazing examples of glass art at Carol’s Legacy Crystal, Anderson Museum of Art and the annual Elwood Glass Festival.
The city of Richmond in Wayne County is home to a collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany-stained glass windows, and finally, at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art in Allen County, there is a new and vast section of all glass sculptures. It is one of the largest collections of glass sculptures in the Midwest with over 300 pieces of art.
Amanda Shepard, vice president and COO at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, shares that glass is something to celebrate in Indiana.
“In Indiana, our most industrious citizens saw the unique purpose of glass very early on,” she says.
Though it’s hard to measure how many people visit the Indiana Glass Trail each year, it’s not hard to imagine why.
“Quite simply, glass is beautiful, and glass is cool,” Shepard says. “Glass is the only art form that incorporates light as an essential element in its artistic experience. Humans are naturally drawn to light and its endless possibilities for illuminating everything it touches.”
In the Glass Sculpture Wing at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, a second chandelier by Dale Chihuly, one of the most well-known blown glass artists, was recently installed. The museum also owns the largest indoor glass sculpture in the world by Martin Blank and other pieces like Christopher Ries’ cut leaded glass Sunflower.
The Fort Wayne Museum of Art welcomes 75,000 people to its galleries, including the Glass Wing, each year.
“The vision for the Fort Wayne Museum of Art is to be the center for glass in the Midwest,” Shepard says. “We’re well on our way with the largest public collection of glass sculptures in Indiana.”
No one location on the Indiana Glass Trail stands alone, though, and you need to visit all eight to get the full image, like pieces of stained glass that form a dazzling work of art.
