The Powers of Ten

The Powers of Ten explores the possibilities of glass as a medium by bringing together works not typically presented alongside one another. The exhibition highlights the many scales at which glass operates, from micro glass beads to large cast columns, as well as the ways artists use glass to depict the universe, the city, the home, and built environments. By focusing on both the techniques of glass production and the range of artistic practices that incorporate glass (including painting, sculpture, and design) the exhibition encourages a renewed understanding of how this material shapes form, space, and meaning.

Inspired by the 1977 film by Charles and Ray Eames, which examines the relative scale of the universe through powers of ten, the exhibition considers how glass moves between the smallest elements used in artistic practice and the larger structures and environments those elements can create. This approach mirrors the way artists shift perspective from the microscopic to the architectural, and from the cosmic to the domestic.

Presenting twenty works created between 1958 and 2020 by artists born between 1937 and 1979, the exhibition brings together selections from our museum’s collection alongside an exceptional loan from the Robert Werner Collection. Together, these works illustrate glass’s capacity to move across scales, disciplines, and ideas.