Glass is an art form that is alive, it reflects and feeds off the environment-especially light. Glass is not flat, like a painting or a piece of sculpture; it’s got light within. As I always say: it would be a dismal world if everything was black and white. - Myrna Palley
Sheldon Palley (B.B.A ’56, J.D. ’57) and his late wife Myrna (B. Ed. ’56) were not only pioneers in the realm of contemporary glass collecting but also steadfast supporters of the University of Miami and the Lowe Art Museum. It is thanks to their visionary generosity that, for over a decade, the Lowe's many audiences have been able to enjoy the distinctive Palley Pavilion for Contemporary Ceramics and Studio Glass. This 4,000 square-foot, light-filled facility showcases seminal works by William Carlson, José Chardiet, Dale Chihuly, Dan Dailey, Laura Donefer, Michael Glancy, Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, Harvey Littleton, Lino Tagliapietra, Tom Patti, Mary Van Cline, and Steven Weinberg, among many others. It is also thanks to the couple that, since 2018, the Museum has been able to bring leading practitioners in the contemporary glass field to UM's campus through the biannual Myrna and Sheldon Palley Glass Artist Lecture Series.
