A compelling introduction to the medium of glass, pairing historically important and visually stunning works of glass to highlight particular characteristics

A first-century Roman cinerary urn. A Coca-Cola bottle from 1910. A contemporary sculpture of bandaged bones.

Contrasts: A Glass Primer presents a wide variety of remarkable glass objects in an accessible and lively format. These objects are grouped, as in a child's book of opposites, to illustrate highlights in glass history (factory/studio, for example), characteristics of the medium (fluid/rigid), and ways of describing art in general (abstract/figurative). Above all, Contrasts is an invitation to creative seeing.

Contrasts: A Glass Primer is published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name on display at the Museum of Glass, Tacoma, through November 2009.