Opening Sept. 13, Museum of Glass and Hilltop Artists present "Hilltop Artists 20th Anniversary," an exhibition highlighting the impact of glass art on the lives of youth, the Hilltop neighborhood, and beyond. The exhibition will consist of glass objects, images, and videos, telling a story that spans the past 20 years of Hilltop Artists and the community it serves. Founded with the support of artist Dale Chihuly and the leadership of the Tacoma School District, gallery owner Kathy Kaperick envisioned Hilltop Artists as a place where young people from the Hilltop neighborhood could learn from established artists as a creative and constructive outlet. Gang-related crime and violence had made the Hilltop neighborhood notorious across the nation in the 1990s, but Kaperick believed art had the power to change the lives of at-risk youth and help keep them in school. Twenty years later, Hilltop Artists annually serves more than 500 students, ages 12 to 20, who engage in multiple forms of hot glass instruction, creating everything from large-scale public installations composed of blown glass to intricate flame-worked sculptures and beads.

"HILLTOP ARTISTS 20TH ANNIVERSARY," 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, through Feb. 1, Museum of Glass, 1801 Dock St., Tacoma, $5-$12, 866.468.7386