Did you know the Museum provides live glassblowing demonstrations not only in Corning, NY, but also on Celebrity Cruises? Two Celebrity Cruise ships feature a Corning Museum of Glass Hot Glass Show in a permanent hotshop located on the top deck of the ships.
Both ships were christened with a bottle handmade (in Celebrity Cruises’ signature blue color) by a Corning Museum of Glass gaffer and filled with local Finger Lakes sparkling wine. On April 23, 2010, a third ship—Celebrity Eclipse—will launch out of Southampton, England, and will feature the Hot Glass Show.
We filmed the gaffers (George Kennard, Don Pierce, Lynn Labarr and John Cowden) making the bottle that will be smashed against Celebrity Eclipse to celebrate its naming. The 3.0 liter bottle is filled with 2002 Finger Lakes Sparkling Wine from Glenora Wine Cellars.
It took the glassmakers two days to make six bottles, two of which were filled and sent to Celebrity Eclipse. And, yes, that is a pile of newspaper soaked in water they are using at the end to shape the 2300°F bottle. It’s common practice for glassmakers to use soaked newspaper (local or national – makes no difference!) to shape glass.
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