Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows

The Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows is a permanent exhibition which opened in February 2000 at Chicago’s Navy Pier entertainment complex. It is the first American museum dedicated solely to the art of stained glass windows.

Named after prominent Chicago collectors E.B. and Maureen Smith, the museum holds over 150 individual pieces displayed in four galleries: Victorian, Prairie, Modern, and Contemporary. The majority of the works originally came from Chicago-area buildings, and a number of prominent artists are represented, including John LaFarge, Adolfas Valeška, and Ed Paschke. The collection contains religious themes, secular work, and some more unusual items, including a stained glass portrait of basketball player Michael Jordan and a window created from glass soda bottles.

The adjacent Richard H. Driehaus Gallery of Stained Glass Windows opened in 2001. The permanent gallery is devoted to ecclesiastical and secular windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany and interrelated businesses between 1890-1930. The windows are from the extensive Tiffany collection of Chicago businessman Richard H. Driehaus. There are 11 Tiffany windows on display in the Driehaus Gallery, along with a Tiffany Studios fire screen.

The museum is located along a strip of shops, theatres, and restaurants, and admission is free. Most of the windows in the museum are illuminated with artificial light to highlight the colors and intricate details. Since each piece is protected by a layer of bulletproof glass, patrons are encouraged to come close to the works and even bring food into the galleries. Curator Rolf Achilles says, “It’s one of the very few museums in the world you can stroll through eating an ice cream cone right in front of the art. We don’t keep people away ” .