'Only exhibit of its kind' coming to Tacoma, WA

TACOMA, Wash. - The Tacoma community is set to get a large new art space with the expansion of the Museum of Glass. Once completed, a spokesperson for the museum says it will host an exhibit unlike any other in the United States.

The museum currently boasts the largest and most active glass studio on the West Coast. Beginning this year, a new construction project will expand the artistic offerings for Puget Sound communities.

In the second quarter of 2026, representatives with the museum say a capital renovation project will kick off, the first of its kind for the organization.

[UNVERIFIED CONTENT] Grabbed a quick shot after sailing on Wednesday night. Museum of Glass and Saint Joseph's Hospital, with a UW Tacoma Building.

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What they're saying:

"This capital investment builds on what makes Museum of Glass distinctive and relevant, ensuring it remains an inspiring resource for the city of Tacoma, the Pacific Northwest, and audiences around the world for the next 25 years and beyond. It will advance the Museum’s mission to ignite creativity, fuel discovery, and enrich lives through glass and glassmaking, and make its community stronger."

The new space will include 175 works from Lino Tagliapietra, one of the most notable glass artists in the world.

"Telling the story of the world’s foremost glassblower will secure Museum of Glass as a destination glass experience, as it will be the only gallery of its kind in the United States," read a statement on the museum website.

VENICE, ITALY - DECEMBER 19: The glassmaster Lino Tagliapietra poses for a portrait next to his chandelier in St. Mark's square on December 19, 2023 in Venice, Italy. "Murano illumina il Mondo" (Murano Lights Up The World) at the Procuratie Vecchie i

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What is new in the Museum of Glass

In a release detailing the entire project, the museum states the theater will be converted into more gallery space for incoming traveling or rotating exhibitions, in addition to the following:

New state-of-the-art lighting
Sophisticated casework
Interactive audio/visual components
Improved environmental controls
Enhanced visitor flow and modernized design
New on-site storage to facilitate Permanent Collection growth
Additional aesthetic improvements
Reconfigure the Museum Grand Hall and its adjacencies to elevate art display capabilities
Relocate Museum internal workshops (wood shop, metal shop) and non-art storage to garage level
Convert main level back of house space to collection storage
Perform substructure work to support additions and to protect the site

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES - 2006/09/04: USA, Washington State, Tacoma, Museum Of Glass, Jane's Hot Shop, Glass Blowing Demonstration. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)