The Mountain Glass exhibit at the Upstairs Artspace features 80 glass objects created by 14 artists from Western North Carolina (and one rogue artist from South Carolina). This is the first glass show at the Upstairs in a decade; and organizers say it proves once again that WNC is a major glass center in the United States.

The artists are Phil Bickley, Veda Bickley, Jeri Burdick, Susan Cannon, Victor Chiarizia, David Goldhagen, Jason Hoyes,&bsp; Graham Lawing, Logan MacSporran, Jason Probstein, Irene Redmond, Shane Smith, Matt Tyner and James Yaun. Burdick, Chiarizia, Goldhagen, Smith and Yaun are well established in their careers while the rest are up and comers.

Chiarizia exemplifies the calibre of artists in Mountain Glass with exhibits in museums and galleries coast to coast and commission work for institutions like Tiffanys and the Smithsonian. Chiarizia, Goldhagen and Yaun are represented by the prestigious Blue Spiral 1 Gallery in Asheville.

Curator Hillary Frye says the exhibit presents a variety of glassmaking techniques, a balance of structural and functional pieces, and glass that is affordable.

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibit runs through November 13.