Links: Australian Glass and the Pacific Northwest tells two related stories that began in the 1970s. In 1974, American artist Richard Marquis travelled to Australia to lecture, demonstrate and build glass studios at the invitation of the Australia Council for the Arts. Marquis’ relationship with Australian artist Nick Mount initiated a lineage of blown glass artists in Australia. The second story centers on kiln-formed glass and the relationship between Klaus Moje, founder of the glass workshop at Australian National University in Canberra, and the Bullseye Glass Company in Portland, OR. In 1979 Moje met Boyce Lundstrom, co-founder of Bullseye Glass Company, while at a workshop at Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA. At Moje’s instigation, Bullseye Glass Company developed a line of compatible, fusible glass that solved long-standing technical problems. This glass is widely used by Australian artists today. Vicki Halper, Curator of Links: Australian Glass and the Pacific Northwest, notes, “The connections between Australia and the Pacific Northwest are longstanding and fascinating, but the differences between the art of the two regions are just as intriguing. Australians excel in fused and cold worked glass, which are not as prevalent in the Pacific Northwest. Opaque surfaces and muted colors are likewise more dominate in Australian glass than in the Pacific Northwest. Expect to be awed by what you see.” “This exhibition is long overdue given the excellence of the work being produced in Australia, and the interest in it shown by important American museums and collectors,” states Susan Warner, Executive Director of Museum of Glass. “The museum is proud to have organized this exhibition.” The artists represented by this exhibition include: Clare Belfrage, Giles Bettison, Gabriella Bisetto, Jane Bruce, Scott Chaseling, Cobi Cockburn, Nadège Desgenétez, Mel Douglas, Ben Edols and Kathy Elliott, Tim Edwards, Brendan Scott French, Mel George, Steve Klein, Jessica Loughlin, Dante Marioni, Richard Marquis, Klaus Moje, Tom Moore, Nick Mount, Stephen Proctor, Kirstie Rea, Tom Rowney, April Surgent, Janice Vitkovsky and Richard Whiteley. Approximately four pieces from each artist will be in the exhibition for a total of 92 pieces.