The Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University has received a remarkable donation of nearly 200 pieces of modern and contemporary glass art valued at $9.3 million, significantly expanding its already nationally recognized glass collection. The generous gift comes from Myra and Harold Weiss, both medical doctors residing in suburban Detroit, who have been passionate collectors of glass art since the early 1990s.

Robert Wojtowicz, the museum's interim executive director, announced that these exceptional works will be showcased in newly renovated galleries when the museum reopens in 2027. The display will coincide with the completion of the institution's ambitious $25 million expansion project, which began earlier this year and promises to transform the museum's capacity to house and exhibit its growing collection.

The Weiss couple's decision to donate their collection to the Barry Art Museum was influenced by several key factors, despite interest from other prestigious institutions. Their close friendship with renowned glass artist Karen LaMonte, who introduced them to the museum, played a crucial role in their choice. Additionally, the museum's strong focus on glass art and its strategic proximity to other institutions with similar interests, including the Chrysler Museum of Art and the Perry Glass Studio, created an ideal environment for their collection.

A particularly compelling factor for the donors was the museum's commitment to displaying their artwork rather than storing it away. "We don't want our art to be in a museum's storage," Harold Weiss emphasized in the official news release, highlighting the importance of public accessibility to their carefully curated collection.

The donated collection features impressive works by several distinguished artists, including pieces by Karen LaMonte and the celebrated married Czech artists Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová. The Czech duo's work carries special historical significance, as they created their masterpieces while living under a communist government that severely restricted their ability to establish a private home art studio.

Due to these political constraints, Libenský and Brychtová were forced to collaborate with industrial glass foundries, which ultimately led to the creation of monumental pieces that would be impossible to produce in most traditional artist studios. Wojtowicz noted that this unique production method resulted in sculptures of extraordinary scale, with one piece by the Czech team measuring an impressive 9 feet by 8 feet.

This substantial addition to the Barry Art Museum's collection reinforces its position as a leading institution in the glass art world. When the museum reopens in 2027 following its major expansion, visitors will have the unprecedented opportunity to experience these world-class works in purpose-built galleries designed to showcase the beauty and complexity of contemporary glass artistry.