“It was a kind of shock of recognition,” explains Adriano Berengo, the president of the Berengo Glass Foundation. “The art world realized glass wasn’t just a material for fine art, or craft, but it was potentially a great material for contemporary art.” Berengo’s foundation is situated in Murano, the small island in Venice that is considered the capital city of glass. In response to this recent art-world shift, Berengo has enlisted the glassblowing maestros of Venice to help a group of talented contemporary artists realize their visions. Among the 34 lucky invitees are artists Ai Weiwei, Ugo Rondinone, and Laure Prouvost. Work took over four years to complete and many of the results have never before been displayed. —E.C.