Ginny Ruffner (Seattle) takes us on her unique journey of artmaking, spanning over forty years. Best known for lampworked and painted glass sculptures, Ruffner’s prolific career includes paintings, installations, public art projects, metal and glass sculptures, cast glass, and works activated through augmented reality.

This retrospective debuts Project Aurora, a two-story light show inspired by the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), and the Unperiodic Table, a tapestry enhanced through holographic images.

A companion book to the Ruffner retrospective is available now in the BIMA Store in person or online.

Curators’ Statement

Ginny Ruffner (Seattle) takes us on a unique journey of artmaking, spanning forty years. Her first-ever retrospective exhibition includes work in diverse media, from numerous series of artworks.

Best-known for lampworked (done with a torch) and painted glass sculptures, Ruffner’s prolific career includes paintings, installations, public art projects, metal and glass sculptures, cast glass, and works activated through augmented reality (AR).

Ruffner was an early female artist in the male-dominated American studio glass movement. She was the first person to teach lampworking — in the 1980s — at anchor centers including Penland School of Craft (Blue Ridge Mountains, NC), and Pilchuck Glass School (Stanwood, WA).

Many of the artworks in this retrospective have been shown at museums across the United States, including the Renwick Gallery (Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC), Corning Museum of Glass (Corning, NY), Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts (Montgomery, AL), Seattle Art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, Museum of Glass (Tacoma, WA), MadArt (Seattle, WA), and Oxbow (Seattle, WA).

This retrospective debuts Project Aurora, a two-story LED light show inspired by the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), and the Unperiodic Table, a tapestry enhanced through holographic images.

A book on Ruffner’s retrospective is for sale in the BIMA Store — in person or online. It includes many artworks in museums and private collections that are not in this exhibition.

Please see the instructions to activate the Augmented Reality (AR) pieces. Our volunteer docents and/or staff will assist you. Enjoy this journey of creativity, fueled by Ginny Ruffner’s unending curiosity.

Greg Robinson, Chief Curator
Amy Sawyer, Associate Curator