Must-Visit: The Corning Museum of Glass in NY State

 

Last Fall, I drove on Interstate 86 when I saw the sign for the exit of Corning and shortly after a large sign for the Corning Glass Museum.  As it was already late afternoon, I decided to stop and visit the museum the next morning.  Right at the entrance is the "Fern Green Tower" by Dale Chihuly, a gift of this famous artist. From here I wandered from one impressive glass art installation to the next with outstanding works by world-famous artists.

Almost everyone has "CorningWare" or "Pyrex" baking dishes in their kitchen - once created by Corning. But that's not all that the Corning company produces: Corning is a leading manufacturer of glass used in liquid crystal displays.  The company also produces optical fiber and cable for the communications industry.  While Corning is a household name, much of the work it does is behind the scenes, producing glass that goes into other manufacturers’ products. 

The Corning Museum of Glass is home to the largest collection of art glass in the world.  Located in the heart of the Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State, about four hours northwest of New York City, the Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round.  It was well worth spending more than half a day at this wonderful place, full of ancient and modern art.  I can wholeheartedly recommend a visit!

While exploring the historic exhibits at the world-renowned Corning Museum of Glass, I also examined a few stunning magnificent Tiffany windows up close, as well as some elaborate Tiffany lamps.

What started out as a small glass factory in the late 1800s has transformed into Corning Incorporated, a worldwide leader in glass technology and innovation. It’s really no surprise that Corning would become home to The Corning Museum of Glass: the largest glass museum in the world with art and artifacts dating back over 3,500 years, as well as new work hot out of the furnace. 

Some of the most ancient glass items were mold-blown bottles, shaped like a bunch of grapes, made in Syria, Lebanon, or Israel, part of the Roman Empire, made between 100 and 200 B.C.  Cameo Glass Fragment with Grape Harvest, probably made in Italy, around 25 B.C.   A Decorative 'Wine Thief' was Probably made in Spain, between 1940 and 1980.

The Corning Museum of Glass is much more than a museum – it's a hands-on educational experience. Become a glassmaker yourself at the 'Make Your Own Glass' workshop. For an additional fee, you can design your own glass flower, ornament, bead, fusing, or sandblasting project. 

The Guest Artist Series features world-class visiting artists at work in the Amphitheater Hot Shop. These special, extended demonstrations provide a fascinating peek at the techniques, artistry, and improvisation that comprise contemporary glassmaking. The 'Hot Glass Demo Team' assists and narrates for each artist, answering audience questions in real-time.

No museum would be without a coffee shop and a store, as it is here too, where visitors can acquire items made of glass, from small earrings and keychains to vases, bowls, and glass sculptures - plus every book covering glass, one could imagine.

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Outstanding Glass Art by Dale Chihuly

 

Dale Chihuly, THE most outstanding glass artist, has explored new and old techniques, pushing the boundaries of contemporary art. He draws inspiration from the - natural - world around him. 

Living or traveling in the USA, Japan, or the UK?  You might not be far from a museum that exhibits his artwork.  Even many botanical gardens, among them the one in Columbus, Ohio, and St. Louis, MO, the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ, or the Kew Gardens in Great Britain, are displaying his artworks. 

Not only his museum in Seattle, WA, but many more in the USA and around the world offer a permanent exhibition of his work.  Permanent exhibitions of his glass art can be found, among many other places, in:

• Toyama, Glass Art Museum, Japan
• Oklahoma City, Museum of Art, OK, USA
• St. Petersburg, Morean Arts Center, FL, USA
• Tacoma, Art Museum, Washington, USA
• Colorado Springs, Fine Arts Center, Colorado, USA
• Pamela & Fred Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, NE, USA
• Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY, USA
• Kew Gardens, UK

"I want people to be overwhelmed with light and color in some way that they've never experienced."

~ Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly began his career with weaving.  During a weaving class at the University of Washington, he first incorporated glass shards into woven tapestries in 1963.  This foray into glass led him to blow his first glass bubble in 1965, by melting stained glass and using a metal pipe.  Years later he revisited the idea of textiles and glass, drawing with intricate threads of glass, then fusing the threads onto the molten glass.  This pick-up drawing technique was used by Dale and his team in his Cylinders and other series.

From 1994 to 1996, the artist worked with glassblowers in Finland, Ireland, Mexico, and Italy to create 'Chihuly Over Venice', a series of Chandeliers that he hung over canals and in piazzas of his favorite city.

Dale Chihuly has completed ambitious architectural artwork installations all over the world.  Inspired by a lifelong interest in architecture and gardens, Chihuly creates site-specific sculptures for a wide variety of settings

Chihuly Studio creates some 30 site-specific pieces a year, ranging in price from $200,000 to millions of dollars, and has done commissions for collectors like Bill Gates and Bill Clinton.

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