Surrounding the Oshman Family Rotunda at the Cantor Arts Center resides a unique collection of Italian-influenced American glass artwork. “Contemporary Glass,” which opened at Cantor on Aug. 1 and runs through the end of January, features artists like Dale Chihuly and William Morris.

Toward the end of the 19th century, Venetian glass firm Saviati donated over 200 glass works to Jane Stanford as thanks for commissioning its artists to do mosaic work around campus. Although American artists are featured in the current exhibit, the connection between their work and their Venetian counterparts is clear.

One piece in particular, “Artifact: Shard” by William Morris, looks exactly like the name sounds. Though obviously constructed of glass, the piece appears ceramic. What is most intriguing about this particular glass piece is the aesthetics of its surface.

Unlike the other, more traditional pieces of glass, the surface of “Shard” is rough. The artist uses the piece as a canvas for a cave painting, which reemphasizes its stone-like appearance. The graphic itself does not look like a painting, but part of the glass.

When you think of glass, you usually think of a window. However, the texture variety in this exhibit is astounding. Some pieces have the typical gloss finish, like that of a windowpane, while others have more of a matte finish, making for a ceramic look.

Contributing to the diversity of this exhibit is a variety of levels of detail. There are less intricate, taller, more stylized vases, as well as translucent bowls with bright tropical coloring. The glass bowls, “Fonte” and “Inviting Chaos” by Mary Ann “Toots” Zynsky, are some of the more delicate works. The thin walls of the bowls allow light to pass through their deeper coloring.

“Contemporary Glass” is definitely a crowd favorite. Even children react strongly when they see the glass artwork. As soon as one child on a group trip to the museum stepped into the rotunda and saw the glass, he said, “Awesome!” Take it from the kids — you’re not going want to miss out on this unique experience.