The Corning Museum of Glass, founded in 1950, is located in the heart of the picturesque Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Conceived as an educational institution by the Corning Glass Works (now Corning Incorporated), the Museum exists as a non-profit institution that preserves and expands the world’s understanding of glass. It is a unique museum experience where one can “explore, research, touch, work with and interact with glass.” Corning, one of the most prominent glassmaking towns in America, is also home to the Stueben Glass Company.

Communications Manager Yvette Sterbenk states that “the museum goal in contemporary society is to continue to support and educate about glass. We work with living artists, providing glassmaking classes, scholarships, residencies, and grants. Our New Glass Review is an annual survey of contemporary glass. We try to offer programs (lectures, podcasts, etc) that allow our public to learn more about contemporary artists working in glass.”

There are many outstanding opportunities for the visitor at the Corning Musuem of Glass. First and foremost, the Museum houses one of the world’s best collections of art and historical glass. More than 45,000 objects trace 3500 years of glassmaking history. The Glass Collection Galleries explore Near Eastern, Asian, European, and American glass, and glassmaking through history to the present day. Small scale furnaces that fueled the beginnings of the American Studio Glass movement in 1962 are displayed. To round out the experience, the Corning Museum provides a Study Gallery where the student or collector can study specific pieces of interest.

Live narrated glassblowing demonstrations are presented seven days per week in the museum and a mobile outdoor glassblowing stage takes glass on the road. In the upcoming year the Corning Museum will be taking glass on the high seas via the Celebrity Solstice beginning in December 2008. The December cruise will feature a hot glassmaking experience in the Caribbean.

A fully equipped glass-working studio offers year round courses in all levels of glassmaking. The Studio at Corning Musuem is a teaching facility that offers residency and scholarship programs. Instructors from the United States and abroad teach sessions ranging from beginning to advanced glassmaking.

The Rakow Research Library has the finest collection of research materials related to art, history, craft and technology of glass. Its mission is to acquire everything published on the subject of glass. While the collection does not circulate, it is open to the public and is available for research online.

Near and dear to all museum goers is the gift shop. The Corning Museum has an 18,000 square foot Glass Market where one can purchase glass treasures from around the world. As one of the largest museum gift shops in the country, it features handmade and factory-made glass pieces. A wide range of items is offered including books and videos.

When asked what she would say to the Northwest glass community in Tacoma, Ms. Sternbenk replied, “my best message to offer is–look to us as a resource. We try to be as accessible as possible and there are a lot of great opportunities to use our library collections, our exhibitions, our programs and our collections as inspiration.” The Corning Museum of Glass website is indeed a wonderful source of information and I, for one, am planning my visit ot upstate New York to see this unique museum.

Sources of information:

Yvett Sterbenk, Communications Manager, Corning Museum of Glass

Corning Museum of Glass Website

Wikipedia