Western Gallery's contemporary glass exhibit runs through March 13

Victoria Calabro, whose work “Yo-yos on Yellow Hill” is included in the Western Gallery winter exhibition “Transformations 6: Contemporary Works in Glass,” spoke on campus Tuesday, Jan. 19, as part of the Western Washington University Department of Art’s Studio Speaker Series.

Calabro has said that she works intuitively when creating her installations. Her process is one of discovery and intention, and often she clarifies her works while in the process of creating them. By pulling metaphorical value from materials associated with decoration, comfort, femininity and beauty, she explores these topics through the use of unlikely materials such as cast rubber, glass and metal. The result is an installation that functions like a diorama or formal exhibit and draws the viewer into a completely artist-designed environment.

The Western Gallery winter exhibition, which opened Tuesday, runs through March 13.

An engraved glass display case holds a collection of glass artwork created by Michael Rogers in one of many installations in Western Washington University's exhibition "Transformations 6: Contemporary Works in Glass." The exhibit is on display in the West
Artist Victoria Calabro explains the process of her artwork during a presentation Tuesday, Jan. 19, in Western's Fine Arts Building. Photo by Jon Bergman | University Communications intern
Victoria Calabro's "Yo-yos on Yellow Hill" is an expression of her process of making art and the intentions of her art. Photo by Jon Bergman | University Communications intern
Robert Carlson's Chinese-poetry-inspired "Lao Tsu's 82nd Poem" is on display at Western's art gallery through March 13. Photo by Jon Bergman | University Communications intern
"Pair," a mixed media art piece by Mark Zirpel, hangs from the ceiling of the Western Gallery. It is one of many interactive artworks in the exhibition. Photo by Jon Bergman | University Communications intern
The "Contemporary Works in Glass" exhibit at Western Gallery features glass artists from throughout the country. David Fox's "She's Ready to Pop," shown here, is a mixed media piece representing the pregnancy of the artist's wife. Photo by Jon Bergman | U
Glass pears dangling from steel cables attached to a copper pipe represent artist Susan Spiers' exploration of metaphors for the human condition. This piece is part of the "Transformations 6" winter exhibition at the Western Gallery on the campus. Pho
A half-circle of glass and silver reflects lights, causing a semi-hypnotic pattern on the wall, in artist Sydney Cash's "Atomic," an expression of light as an object. Photo by Jon Bergman | University Communications intern
One of three glass artworks from artist Michael Rogers, "In Flight" is a mix of blown glass and cast glass. Rogers also engraves each piece with writing and images. Photo by Jon Bergman | University Communications intern
Artist Victoria Calabro explains the process of her artwork during a presentation Tuesday, Jan. 19, in Western's Fine Arts Building. Calabro received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Indiana University and her Masters of Fine Arts from New Yor
Victoria Calabro's "Yo-yos on Yellow Hill" hangs from the Western Gallery ceiling as a part of the "Transformations 6: Contemporary Works in Glass" exhibit, on through March 13. Photo by Jon Bergman | University Communications intern
Victoria Calabro speaks at Western Washington University on Tuesday, Jan. 19, as a part of the Department of Art's Studio Speaker Series, which invites artists to showcase their work. Photo by Jon Bergman | University Communications intern