New York's Corning Museum of Glass: Best Glass Museum on Earth?

[Ed Wetschler]

 

Sixty-five years – that's a good long run for any museum in a rural area, but the Corning Museum of Glass, in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State, is not just any museum; it's arguably the foremost glass museum in the world. What's more, it isn't only an art museum, but one that also explores the history and technology of a material that's as old as Egypt's pyramids and comes in more forms than a wizard on LSD. We called upon to marketing director Beth Duane and former curator of modern glass Tina Oldknow for a little transparency.

 

How did this world-class museum end up in Corning, New York?

Duane: In 1951 Corning Glassworks (now Corning Inc.) was observing its 100^th anniversary, and they wanted to do something more beneficial just celebrating with balloons and cakes.

 

About that Corning Inc. connection: Is the Corningware in my kitchen actually glass?

Duane: Yes, it's a pyroceramic form of glass. Glass comes in many forms besides glassware for the table and window glass, such as gorilla glass (extremely thin but durable), LCD covers for iPhones, optical fiber, and so on. Until people come here and visit the Glass Innovation Center here, they don't realize how varied glass is and how it has changed our lives.

 

What's the focus of the other galleries?

Duane: You'll find 3,500 years of glass -- from ancient civilizations, Medieval and Renaissance Europe, Asian cultures, the Middle East, and America. We have glass-making demonstrations and classes, temporary exhibitions, shops, and a Contemporary Glass Gallery.

 

Tina, you're the curator of modern glass. When does "modern" mean when talking about glass?

Oldknow: Modern glass began with the Art Nouveau movement of the late 19^th century, when increasing numbers of glass-makers started using glass as a medium for fine art rather than for only functional or design purposes.

 

When people talk about modern glass they often use the word “studio glass.” What does that mean?

Oldknow: Historically, people needed huge ovens to make glass, but in 1962 Harvey Littleton, the son of a Corning research scientist, devised a small furnace that could fit in an artist's studio rather than requiring a large, factory-like operation, and this changed glass-makers' approach to the material. For example, it has resulted in more one-of-a-kind pieces. One reason the Corning Museum of Glass's self-guided and audio tours start in the Contemporary Glass Gallery is that many of these works deliver a big “wow!” factor.

 

The Elvis of modern glass, Dale Chihuly, has never been shy about that “wow!” factor. The Corning Museum of Glass has quite a few of his pieces, doesn't it?

Oldknow: Yes, we have pieces from every one of Chihuly's series, or periods, and the Fern Green Tower in the lobby (left) stops everyone in their tracks; it's a real photo op.

 

If you could take a few favorite pieces from the Corning Museum of Art for yourself, what would they be?

Oldknow: I couldn't – my job as a curator demands that you be honest.

 

Just pretend.

Oldknow: Where to start? Maybe with ancient glass. I admire how fragile it looks although it's actually pretty strong; just look how long it has survived in tombs, sanctuaries, even trash dumps. Egyptian vessels were used every day, so there's a direct connection to the past because they were held by a person. I'd be happy to store the Morgan Cup (below, right), a first-century Roman piece, too. It has a blue glass underlayer and white glass overlayer that have been cut away -- with grinding wheels, a technique used for stones or gems -- for a beautifully executed scene of ancient figures.

The museum has a beautiful little sculpture of Marie Antoinette from 1790. It's flamework glass, not blown glass, and it's a propaganda piece, really: It shows the queen sacrificing her heart to the republic while standing among classical ruins.

 I can't imagine going home with the huge Tiffany window, but it is an exceptional work. Of course, my favorite, contemporary glass, has wonderful large-scale sculptures.

 

Some contemporary glass is made right in the museum.

Duane: Yes, we have glass-making demonstrations all day. And we offer classes for visitors that range from brief sessions ($10-$40) to weekend classes and even one- and two-week classes. For example, we teach people of all ages to blow their own holiday ornaments.

 

I've seen those glass-making demonstrations, and they're exciting. Just how hot is the glass in those furnaces?

Duane: The glory hole – the furnace itself -- is 2,300 degrees. The molten glass is 1,000 degrees.

 

Those temperatures are the same, of course, for museum-goers who pay to take classes here. Lose a lot of visitors this way?

Duane: No! Our instructors are excellent, and they're rigorous about safety procedures in the shop. Safety first!