If you are under the impression that an art glass show is little more than displays of glasses, cups, saucers and plates, think again.

The 5th annual Michigan Regional Glass Exhibition is ready to shatter those perceptions.

The show underway at the Janice Charach Gallery in West Bloomfield offers an array of art glass, both functional and sculptural. On two floors covering some 5,000 square feet, the exhibition offers more than 100 works of some 50 artists.

Displays range from blown glass to slumped glass to glass mosaics and sculptures.

There’s even a display that once caught the disapproving attention of the Secret Service.

On the gallery’s top floor is the “Rockets, Robots and Rayguns” exhibit, described by show officials as “a fun and family friendly exhibition showcasing artwork in all media.”

Rayguns? The curiously named pieces can be traced to presidential politics and a similarly named politician.

“The very first time I was exposed to the raygun idea was at the 1980 Republican Convention at Hart Plaza,” said noted Michigan artist Albert Young, curator of the exhibit.

“I had just started blowing glass, but one of my instructors, Maxwell Davis, had the idea of making Ronald Rayguns, which led to Nancy Rayguns as well as the children.

“Needless to say, we were not very popular with the Secret Service or the voters. We had a great time.”

The Rockets, Robots and Rayguns idea caught on and was rolled out again in 2020 at Michigan Hot Glass in Detroit, owned and operated by Young.

The current show at the Charach Gallery, he said, offers a variety of techniques by some of the region’s top, contemporary artists.

Gallery Director Natalie Balazovich said Young’s involvement is key to the show’s quality, pointing to his experience as an instructor at Detroit’s Center for Creative Studies and examples of his sculptures shown in Michigan and around the world.

“There is no one more revered in the Michigan regional glass community than Albert Young,” she said. “With his background, reputation and connections, he can bring together a truly breathtaking overview of the world of contemporary glass art being created in our region today.”

Among other artists with works showing at the Charach Gallery include Herb Babcock, Maxwell Davis, Shawn Messenger and John Wood. Also included: Ryan Thompson, a top competitor in the Netflix TV series “Blown Away,” where international master artists compete for prizes worth $100,000.

Visitors to the Charach show “will be blown away,” promises Balazovich.

Young said appreciation for art glass has grown significantly in recent years in the northern Ohio-Michigan region.

“There are a lot more shops than ever,” he said. “Come on out and check it out. It’s pretty cool.”The exhibition at the Charach Gallery is free to the public and is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays through June 26. The gallery, in the J Detroit at 6600 W. Maple in West Bloomfield, is named in memory of Janice Charach, a graduate of the Center for Creative Studies and daughter of Natalie and Manny Charach.

The Michigan Regional Glass Exhibition is one of two major art glass shows in the area right now.

The other major art glass show is the 52nd annual International Glass Exhibition. The exhibition is on display at Habatat Galleries, 4400 Fernlee Ave., Royal Oak. That show is free, as well, and is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays through Aug. 30.