EVOLUTION 2026 showcases the emerging talent present in the global glass community. With a wide variety of glassmaking techniques represented and concepts displayed, the works represented in this year’s exhibition provide a glimpse into the future of glass.

Jurors:

Carolyn Swan Needell, Carolyn and Richard Barry Curator of Glass, Chrysler Museum of Art

Max Syron, The Glass Factory

Chris Walters, Executive Director at the Arts Council, Southern Finger Lakes

First Place (tie)| What Grief Asks Me to Hold by Kass Lynch

What Grief Asks Me to Hold, Kass Lynch (United States). Cast, Blown, Cold Worked, Sand Blasted Glass, Bungee Cord, Metal.

Artist Statement: I explore grief as a weight carried on my body. This wearable glass sculpture uses cast glass hands and articulated blown glass joints to wrap around me, cold and heavy, evoking how grief alters the way I interact with the world. The clear, sandblasted surface renders it invisible to others, while a red cord inside threads the piece together, giving it an almost eerily human form. Grief is heavy, yet something I must nurture and protect. It embodies the tension of carrying what no one else can feel or fully understand.

First Place (tie)| Nervosa by Meta Mramor

Nervosa, Meta Mramor (Poland). Flameworked glass, MDF, vibration motor.

Artist Statement: My work explores fragility as both a material condition and a psychological state. Through vibrating glass forms, I address the embodied experience of
nervousness–the feeling of living constantly on edge, fearing inner breakdown while still searching for safety. Vibration represents mental illness as a force that resists control and threatens inner balance. The fragility of glass heightens the tension between endurance and collapse, reflecting life with anxiety and fear alongside moments of calm.


Flameworked glass “dendrites” vibrate continuously, activated by motors beneath the surface. The installation is modular and expandable, with its surface area adaptable to the exhibition space.

Second Place | Snow falls in a person's life by Zhenzi Chi

Snow falls in a person's life, Zhenzi Shi (China). Blown, flame worked and kiln worked glass, metal, cloth, thread, shell, stones, stone powder clay, alum crystals.

Artist Statement: Snow, as a symbol, embodies both beauty and cold indifference, much like human experience. Joy and sorrow fall upon us like snowflakes, gradually becoming part of who we are. Life resembles walking through snow—each step erases the past while leaving traces behind. As snow quietly covers the body, it mirrors how experiences settle within us, crystallizing and remaining in the depths of the soul. These experiences are humanity’s most precious possessions, shaping our identities and enduring beyond time, perhaps even transforming into subconscious imprints that define who we become.

Gallery