When this exhibition opened, visitors saw for the first time a recently acquired, nine-foot high, white and gold, blown glass chandelier, designed by the world's most renowned glass artist, Dale Chihuly, to illuminate the Grand Staircase. In addition a selection of the artist's macchias and sea forms were on view.
Included in the exhibition were objects from the Venini glass factory in Venice including art glass by Paolo Venini and his grandchildren, Laura and Alessandro Diaz de Santillana as well as art glass by contemporary artists Italo Scanga, William Gudenrath of the Corning Glass Factory and San Diego County artists Therman Statom, Jette Vogt, Bobby Valdez and Deanne Sabeck. Work by Louis Comfort Tiffany and examples of ancient Egyptian, pre-Roman, Roman and Islamic glass were also displayed. A spectacular blown glass horse by Venetian artist Pino Signoretto was to be seen in the Museum's front display window. Pino Signoretto is the world's foremost sculptor of glass figures.
Playing throughout the run of the exhibition was the Dale Chihuly video, _Chihuly Short Cuts,_ produced in 2002 by Mark McDonnell for Portland Press.