From the Nordic Museum web site, "Join internationally known glass painter Walter Lieberman for a talk on the history of glass making in the Nordic countries, then stay for mingling and Hyttsill (Hot Shop Herring). The Nordic countries came late to glassmaking, but when they did they proved to be masters of elegant modern design. The glass factories were located in small villages in middle of the forest. Those forests powered the roaring fires of their glass furnaces. Those furnaces became the economic engines of the village. Tiny villages like Kosta, Orrefors and Iittala gave the factories their names and those names would go on to become legendary symbols of simple, yet beautiful glass acclaimed the world over. After the talk, stay for Hyttsill, an old tradition in which a light meal was served following hot shop work in Sweden's Kingdom of Crystal. This hearkens back to the times when the glassworks were the meeting place in the village. Lieberman is an internationally known glass painter based in Seattle. He has worked in glass for more than 35 years. His work is in museum collections such as the Corning Museum of Glass, The Museum of Glass in Tacoma, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Canada. He has lectured and taught at museums, conferences, and universities all over the United States."