By Bonnie Wright, Curator of Education and Community Engagement

It’s that time of year—Bird Lovers’ Weekend is upon us! We welcome Finnish master glassblowers Arto Lahtinen and Helena Welling back to the Museum of Glass (MOG) Hot Shop to create glass birds designed by Professor Oiva Toikka all weekend long!

Finnish glassblower Arto Lahtinen in the Museum of Glass Hot Shop during the 2014 Bird Lovers’ Weekend.

A few surprises are in store this year. Read on for daily details of what to expect:

Thursday, October 1

4 – 6 pm: Design your own bird! Pick your own colors and details, and Arto Lahtinen and Helena Welling will do all of the work! $450 Members/$500 General.

Friday, October 2

10 am – 5 pm: Be a bird designer! Submit your bird designs all day Friday and Saturday. Two winning drawings (by one child and one adult) will be selected on Sunday by Lahtinen and Welling to be created in glass for the winners to take home.
12 – 3 pm: Adriana Hess Audubon Center/Tacoma Nature Center will be here with a Fold the Flock origami activity.

Saturday, October 3

10 am – 5 pm: Be a bird designer! Submit your drawings in time for selection on Sunday.
10 am – 5 pm: Long-time Bird Lovers’ Weekend fan and new glassblowing student, Vienna Scheyer, will be an intern for the day in the Hot Shop alongside her idol, Arto Lahtinen!
10 am – 5 pm: The first flock of birds made on Friday by Lahtinen and Welling will be available in the MOG Store!
11 am – 3 pm: Seattle Seahawks live mascot, Taima the augur hawk, will be in the Grand Hall! Send some positive vibes with her before the Seahawks game against the Detroit Lions on Monday!
1 – 4 pm: Create your own wire bird sculpture and paint a bird feeder with artist Larry Calkins.'

Seattle Seahawks live mascot, Taima the augur hawk.

Sunday, October 4

11 am – 1 pm: Enjoy the members’ brunch and have your bird(s) signed by the artists at 11:30 am.
12 – 1 pm: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium will have bird ambassadors on hand. Come meet them in the Grand Hall!
12 – 5 pm: The second flock of birds made on Saturday will be available for sale in the MOG Store.
12 – 5 pm: It’s your second chance to design your own bird. YOU choose the details! $450 Members/$500 General.
12 – 5 pm: Lahtinen and Welling will select the winners from the bird designer pool of drawings and create the winning designs—one for a child and one for an adult!
2 – 3 pm: Find out how Iittala bird collectors got started, what fuels their passion, and how you can get started on your own collection during the collector question and answer session!

A Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium bird ambassador visited Museum of Glass during the 2014 Bird Lovers’ Weekend.

Ongoing, throughout the weekend

Birds by Toikka will be on display in the Grand Hall.
The 2015 Museum of Glass annual bird, the Steller’s Jay, will be available for sale in the Museum Store!

The 2015 Museum of Glass annual Bird, the Steller’s Jay.

Don’t miss out on all the new happenings this year—there’s something for everyone! I’ll see you there!

Bonnie Wright is the Curator of Education and Community Engagement at Museum of Glass. A newcomer to the west coast, Bonnie can often be found exploring Tacoma, Seattle, and the region’s natural wonders.