The Festival of Lights, also known as Hanukkah, begins this year on December 7. It is one of the most joyous festivals in the Jewish calendar and signifies the victory of light over darkness. The menorah is lit to symbolize the miracle of Hanukkah and glass is the perfect material

By Louise Irvine The Old Curiosity Shop Charles Dickens has been a huge influence on the way we celebrate the holiday season. With his Christmas stories, he rekindled the joy of the season in Britain and America and revitalized the heart and soul of the holidays. WMODA pays tribute to

By Louise Irvine Shopping has become an on-line experience for many these days but window-shopping, browsing, and buying in specialty stores is still one of the most pleasurable and rewarding social activities, particularly during the holiday season. Shopping became a cultural pursuit in the early 19th century during the rise of

By Louise Irvine In Italian, the Moleria is a workshop for the grinding of glass and we are delighted to present new work by Pietro and Riccardo Ferro who are masters of this technique in Murano. The collection is curated by Sergio Gnesin who is well known at WMODA for

By Louise Irvine Red is the color of love, as well as danger and sin. Red has also been a symbol of wealth and status. In Chinese culture, red represents joy, luck, and happiness. Red-glazed porcelain was created for sacrificial use during the Ming Dynasty when Imperial rituals required a

By Louise Irvine Our spectacular Chihuly collection has attracted international audiences to WMODA since the museum was founded and his magnificent Macchia Garden will be back in full bloom when we reopen. See how Chihuly’s love of Italy has influenced his work, notably his audacious Venetians created in collaboration with the

Chelsea Rousso’s Unity in the Community · Transparency through Glass project was unveiled at Plunge Beach Resort on September 13. Chelsea took more than a hundred glass symbols of unity made by individuals in her workshops during 2023 and created a brilliant work of art. Many of the participants attended

More kudos for WMODA! The Florida Association of Museums presented Louise Irvine, Executive Director and Curator, with the 2023 Museum Excellence Award for her role in the relocation of WMODA. At the annual FAM conference ceremony, which was held in the Henry B. Plant Museum at the University of Tampa,

By Louise Irvine The Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts owes its existence to Arthur Wiener’s passion for collecting Royal Doulton art pottery. During the last 50 years, he has built a vast collection of Doulton wares and hundreds of pieces are exhibited in the new WMODA galleries in Hollywood. We

By Louise Irvine The bizarre dreams of the eccentric Martin Brothers continue to haunt Andrew Hull in Stoke-on-Trent. The fantasies of the Victorian artist-potters have inspired the master modeler throughout his career and he has kept their legacy alive with his humorous sculptures of birds and other strange creatures that