Bird Lovers' Weekend

By the Visitor Services Team 

Another year marks another Bird Lovers’ Weekend here at Museum of Glass (MOG). This past weekend, October 2 through 4, we celebrated our 12th Annual Bird Lovers’ Weekend in conjunction with the great Professor Oiva Toikka and Iittala. Each October, Finnish master glassmakers come to MOG for a weekend of exclusive bird-making in the Hot Shop. This year’s annual bird is the Steller’s Jay, which is pictured below:

This year, master glassmakers and students of Professor Toikka, Arto Lahtinen and Helena Welling, came to Tacoma and made a flock of birds over the weekend. In conjunction with the glassblowing, we had special guest birds here on Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4.

Taima, the Seattle Seahawks live mascot, was here on Saturday from 11 am to 3 pm. Taima is an 11-year-old augur hawk, and has been the Hawks mascot for six years. He was very calm during his visit and even took photos with visitors at the Museum! On Sunday, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium brought some exotic birds to the Museum, including a Bald Eagle with a six-foot wingspan.

Professor Toikka’s iconic collection of birds first took flight back in 1972 with the creation of the small Flycatchers. Today, Iittala Birds by Toikka are enjoyed by collectors all over the world, serving as simple reminders of the poetry in everyday life. Professor Toikka has created over 400 different species of birds over the last 40 years.

Would you like a little sneak peek of next year’s annual bird? The decision is not set in stone, but the Pacific coastal Ruddy Duck is high on the list!

Till next time, bird lovers!