Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows facts for kids
| Established | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 2014 |
| Location | Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois |
The Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows was a special art exhibition. It opened in February 2000 at Chicago’s Navy Pier. This museum was the first in the United States to focus only on stained glass art. It closed permanently in October 2014.
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About the Museum
The museum was named after E.B. and Maureen Smith. They were famous art collectors from Chicago. The museum had over 150 unique pieces of stained glass. These were shown in four different galleries.
What You Could See
The galleries showed different art styles. These included Victorian, Prairie, Modern, and Contemporary. Most of the artworks came from buildings around Chicago. Many famous artists had their work displayed. These included John LaFarge, Adolfas Valeška, and Ed Paschke.
The collection showed many themes. There were religious scenes and everyday life pictures. Some items were very unusual. One was a stained glass picture of basketball player Michael Jordan. Another was a window made from glass soda bottles.
The Driehaus Gallery
The Richard H. Driehaus Gallery opened next to the museum in 2001. It closed in September 2017. This gallery showed windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany. These windows were made between 1890 and 1930. They came from the large collection of Chicago businessman Richard H. Driehaus. There were 11 Tiffany windows and a Tiffany Studios fire screen on display.
Visiting the Museum
The museum was located among many shops, theatres, and restaurants. It was free to enter. Most of the windows were lit with special lights. This made their colors and details shine.
The art was protected by strong, bulletproof glass. Visitors could get very close to the artworks. They could even bring food into the galleries. Curator Rolf Achilles once said, "It’s one of the very few museums in the world you can stroll through eating an ice cream cone right in front of the art."
Windows in the City
In December 2013, the museum added 22 stained glass windows to the Chicago Pedway. This was done with Macy's department store. These windows are still on display today.
