Incredible glass sculptures grace the beautiful Glen Burnie Gardens at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Virginia this summer and fall.
Thirty delicate kiln-fired glass sculptures are the handiwork of artist Craig Mitchell Smith of Charlevoix, Michigan. Some blend right in with the formal gardens while others announce themselves in stunning, sparkling, enormous fashion. One sculpture you’ll be hard-pressed to miss is the 16-foot-tall stainless-steel dandelion. Its iridescent glass puffball adds a bit of whimsy to the garden.
Train your eye for the exclusive apple blossom sculpture Smith is creating especially for this exhibition, pictured below. Winchester is the Apple Capital of Virginia and home to the annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival.
Gardens of Glass: The Art of Craig Mitchell Smith at Museum of the Shenandoah Valley
Flowers are not the only subject of Smith’s exhibition; look for butterflies as well. Specifically, the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, which is Virginia’s state insect. Clustered in a group of 10, they flutter in the garden and capture the light in breathtaking fashion.
Gardens of Glass: The Art of Craig Mitchell Smith opens June 8 and will conclude October 13, 2024. The extended exhibition gives visitors an opportunity to enjoy the pieces in two distinct seasons: summer and fall. Of special note is Smith’s reconfiguration of his autumn leaf “curtain” into an autumn leaf “chandelier” to be suspended from a maple tree in the garden. With more than 600 individual glass leaves, it’s a showstopper. Visit the Pink Pavilion to see the chandelier that inspired this new iteration.
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About the Artist
Proving you’re never too old to learn something new, Craig Mitchell Smith took his first glass class at the age of 42. It was by accident, really, as he simply took the place of a friend who could no longer attend. Perhaps it’s Smith’s creative background that launched him seamlessly into glassmaking. As a florist, his hands have moved from arranging delicate petals to creating them.
“I never set out to make something beautiful or meaningful. My work is a response to beauty or meaning.”
– Craig Mitchell Smith
Smith’s art has been exhibited at Epcot Center in Disney World, Norfolk Botanical Gardens in Virginia, Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis, Dow Gardens in Michigan, and many other locations. With the exception of one or two sculptures, none of the 30 included in Gardens of Glass have been exhibited in the Virginia, Maryland, or Washington, DC region.
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About Glen Burnie Gardens
The formal gardens surrounding Glen Burnie House at Museum of the Shenandoah Valley were designed and created by Julian Glass Wood, Jr. and his partner R. Lee Taylor. Their design supported outdoor entertainment and include boxwood to create the Parterre Garden and Knot Garden, hundreds of rose plantings to create the Rose Garden, and a vast array of colorful species to create the Perennial Garden. There is also an Asian Garden, a Water Garden, a Bamboo Grove, the Pink Pavilion and the Fountain Courtyard … all places you will see the art of Craig Mitchell Smith during Gardens of Glass.
Visiting Gardens of Glass
Gardens of Glass: The Art of Craig Mitchell Smith will be exhibited June 8 to October 13, 2024. The exhibition admission includes entrance to the gallery at Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. Admission is $15 for adults; $10 for youth aged 13 to 18 and seniors 60 and older; $5 for children aged 5 to 12. Children aged 4 and younger and members of the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley are admitted for free.
Pro Tip: Buy your ticket online to save
Also at Museum of the Shenandoah Valley
Pairing well Gardens of Glass is Such Beauty: Floral Portraits by Lynn Mocarski Maurer on display in the drawing room of Glen Burnie House through December 31, 2024.
Also see The Triumph of Nature: Art Nouveau from the Chrysler Museum of Art featuring subjects such as vines, flowers, and insects designed from 1890 to 1914 by artists like Tiffany and Mucha. This exhibit concludes July 14, 2024.
Header Image: Gardens of Glass: The Art of Craig Mitchell Smith at Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. Photo courtesy of Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.