Perry Glass Studio Grand Opening Celebration Glass & Glitz Dante Marion, Corey Pemberton, and Kelsey Finnie March 29, 2025. Photo by Echard Wheeler; courtesy of Chrysler Museum of Art

NORFOLK, Va. – Credit the Chrysler Museum of Art with laying the foundation for Norfolk’s reputation as a showplace of glass art. You will find beautiful pieces of glass art in many public places, beckoning you to get close – and simultaneously and subconsciously telling you to be cautious.

A display of diverse pieces of glass art decorates part of the public space at the Glass Light Hotel. Image courtesy Glass Light Hotel

The Chrysler is the place to start a serious glass hunt. The museum has more than 35,000 objects spanning more than 5,000 years, and fully 10,000 of them are glass pieces.

Visit Norfolk, the city’s tourism promotion organization, notes that they range from small, single-color vases and intricate wine goblets
that date back to the 1800s to flasks, ribbed bowls and mosaic cups that were created in the 1st century B.C.E.

This giant pink bunny was crafted in the Czech Republic before being shipped in pieces to Norfolk for display. Image courtesy Glass Light Hotel

Of special note at the Chrysler is the Perry Glass Studio, which opened a major expansion in 2024. It grew from 9,200 to 33,200 square feet and now includes a 200-seat amphitheater “hotshop” where you can watch glass artists at work. Many times, the making of a glass piece is a team effort, and it is captivating to watch the timing and choreography involved.

“For visitors who want to try a hands-on, first experience with the material, the facility and teaching staff are designed and equipped to create a memorable and safe experience,” said Robin Rogers, glass studio manager and program director.

The Chrysler Museum of Art, whose collection is quite diverse, helped Norfolk earn its reputation as a city of glass artistry. Image courtesy Chrysler Museum of Art via Work Program Architects. Photo by Yuzhu Zheng

The Glass Light Hotel, a 113-room boutique Autograph Collection property, is the modern use of an office building from 1912, and
approximately 60 pieces of glass art make is even more special. Guest rooms include pieces from the Perry Glass Art Collection, and the
hotel is connected to the two-story Glass Light Gallery with even more pieces from the Perry collection.

The giant pink glass bunnies in the hotel’s lobby and restaurant often prompt questions. It’s a subtle joke from Pat and Doug Perry, cocreators of the hotel. Pat’s nickname is “Bunny,” which also explains the glass carrots in every guest room. The big bunnies were made in
the Czech Republic and then transferred in pieces to be reassembled in Norfolk.

The Perry Glass Studio has a “hotshop” auditorium seating 200 so visitors can see glass artists at work. Image courtesy of Chrysler Museum of Art, Photo by: Lindsay Collette

Admission to the Chrysler Museum of Art is free, just as it is at the Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University. After the Barry
Museum reopens in 2027 after a major renovation, it will continue to display its collection of glass art, which has a special focus on
female glass artists.

What’s green and white, looks fuzzy but actually is quite hard? It’s a glass mountain goat at the Glass Light Hotel. Image courtesy of Glass Light Hotel