Invention of glass The earliest known glass artifacts are Egyptian and date back to 1350BC, but it was the Romans who first produced transparent glass, as it enabled them to admire the color of their wine. Because the ancient Chinese preferred tea to wine, they had little use for glass, which tends to break when heated unevenly. They devised a fine white ceramic ware made from white kaolin, which they vitrified (made slightly “glasslike”) with feldspar. Westerners dubbed this porcelain because of its alleged resemblance to the shell of a cowry (or porcellana, little pig). An early ersatz Western version of porcelain, pâte tendre or soft paste, was made with ground glass instead of feldspar. For almost 500 years, from the end of the 14th century until the 19th, no glass was made in China at all. Now, though, it is the world’s largest producer, controlling 34 per cent of the global market.

Samuel Hodge Focuses on three areas of African American culture and history. The Musicians celebrates everyday people who have exercised their right to interpret the world as they see it through songs and instruments. Dance and Dancers, on the other hand, honors those artists who use their bodies as the medium to express non-verbal emotions, themes and ideas. And Freedom Advocates is dedicated to notable African Americans who fought and died to ensure dignity and freedom for themselves and their people. Vivid, colorful and luminescent, this exhibition provides extraordinary imagery and stories in a medium seldom used by African American artists. Exhibit at Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit

3 different types of balance