The 34th annual " Array of Color" glass and pottery exhibit, show and sale will be held on April 26th and 27 th in Castle Rock, Co. The " Array of Color" show is one of the premier glass and pottery shows in the country with 34 dealers traveling from coast to coast to display their wares. This year's show has been expanded to include EAPG and Carnival glass in addition to the usual depression era glass and pottery.

The theme for this year's show is " Deco on Display". The Kirkland Museum of Decorative and Fine Art in Denver, will be exhibiting part of the museum's extensive collection of glass and pottery at the show. The Kirkland Museum features more than 3,000 decorative art works, focusing on the first seventy-five years of the 20th Century, including Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Modern and Pop Art. Many of today's popular patterns are now proudly being displayed in museums. The Kirkland museum is not just any museum either; it has been recognized as the top museum in the country for its collection of Art Deco and Modern glass and pottery.

A fabulous collection of "Nudes" crafted by the Cambridge Glass Company will be on display. Large exhibits of Nudes are truly breath taking when seen in person. There will be three extremely rare Cambridge Art Deco Mannequin heads on display that must be seen to be believed. Additionally 13-15 exhibits featuring Art Deco and Modern themes will be available for the public to review.

Many of the glass items in the Kirkland museum were purchased at the glass/pottery show and other items were donated to the museum by various club members. In my last visit to the museum I counted at least 75 different American glass patterns on exhibit. Some of the glass companies being displayed are: Blenko, Cambridge, Consolidated, Diamond, Duncan Miller, Fostoria, Heisey, Hocking, Indiana, Jeanette, Kopp, Libbey, Lotus, McKee, Morgantown, New Martinsville, Westmoreland and others. Now use your imagination and try to visualize what these manufacturers' patterns look like: Abstraction, American, Block Optic, Caprice, Caribbean, Catalonia, Contrast, Deauville, Embassy, Festive, Flame, Floating Square, La Furiste, Liberty, Lifesaver, Marguerite, Mayfair, Microphone, Modernistic, Moondrops, Nautilus, Neo Classic, Odd Ball, Pinwheel, Pyramid, Quadrangle, Ruba Rombic, Saturn, Seascape, Stanhope, Tea Room, Terrace, Top Notch, Victory and Zig Zag.

Pottery and china companies on exhibit at the Kirkland Museum include: Bauer, Coors, Franciscan, Gates, Grubie, Hall, Home Laughlin, Jason, Muncie, Raymore, Red Wing, Rookwood, Roseville, Russell Wright, Salem, Steubenville, Van Briggle, Weller and others. Pattern names for pottery are just as intriguing as glass names: American Modern, Carnelian I & II, Contermpora, Coppertone, Fiesta, Free Form, Futura, Harlequin, Hercules, Manta Ray, Mardi Gras, Mobile, Modern, Rozane, Smart Set, Silhouette, Snail, Starburst, Teco, Tricornne, Tri-Tone and others.

The show is a fantastic opportunity to find items to decorate your home or office. It's also a great place to spend some quality time with your children and help pick out some pieces that they like and look forward to collecting every day of the year.

The show is sponsored by the RMDGS glass and pottery club, a 501 (3) C organization, that holds 10 monthly meetings a year. The public is invited to attend a meeting and learn about glass and pottery. Each meeting starts with a small business meeting and is followed by a main glass or pottery discussion led by one of the club members. Refreshments are served after the program is finished and then the club members are treated to another smaller but equally informative program. The club has a "What is it" table for items that need to be identified and members are encouraged to bring items. The club has an extensive library of books (240+) that can be used as a reference or they can be checked out by club members. The RMDGS meets at 7:30 PM on the 3rd Tuesday of each month in the basement of the Epiphany Lutheran Church, 790 South Corona, Denver, Co. The church is close to Washington Park and is 1 block west of Downing.

The show is located at the Douglas County Events Center, 500 Fairgrounds Road (Exit 181 from I25) in Castle Rock, Co. 80104. Hours: Sat. (10am - 5pm) Sun. (11am - 4pm) Admission: $4 good for both days. Parking is free, food is available, and the Events Center is handicap accessible.

The Denver Modernism Show is a fantastic opportunity to add to your collection of modern and Art Deco glass or pottery; you might want to consider attending the show to learn more about collecting Art Deco and Modern glass. In addition to glass, the show will have a wide assortment of other Art Deco and Modern merchandise for sale. The next Denver Modernism show will be Aug. 15 - 17, 2008. The 3rd Annual Denver Modernism Show will be held at the National Western Complex, near the intersection of I-25 and I-70. Please visit their website at: ( www.denvermodernism.com).