GlassLab Design Program will be at musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris this October

Expanding the international reach of its signature design program, The Corning Museum of Glass is bringing its GlassLab design program to Paris. The Corning Museum will partner with the musée des Arts décoratifs to offer free, public GlassLab design “performances” with top French designers in the Tuileries Garden in Paris, October 22-27, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day.

Designers who will work with GlassLab at the musée des Arts décoratifs are a mix of fashion, graphic design and product designers include Antoine et Manuel, François Bauchet, Wendell Castle, Matali Crasset, Sylvain Dubuisson, Benjamin Graindorge, Constance Guisset, Arik Levy, Vanessa Mitrani and Didier Tisseyre. On October 22, Marco Mencacci from the Ecole Camondo of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs will work with Corning Museum glassmakers in a day-long preview session.

A program developed by The Corning Museum of Glass in 2007, GlassLab helps designers better understand the possibilities of glass as a design material, encouraging them to design more innovatively for the material. The designers will bring their sketchbooks and concepts and work side-by-side with glassmakers in a unique mobile hotshop developed by The Corning Museum of Glass. The teams will prototype their design ideas in live glassblowing sessions, allowing audiences to watch the evolution of the designs as they are created.

“GlassLab has successfully provided designers from a variety of backgrounds with rare access to the glassmaking process, inviting them to explore firsthand the full potential of glass as a material for design,” said Dr. Karol Wight, executive director of The Corning Museum of Glass. “We’re pleased to partner with the musée des Arts décoratifs, which has one of the finest glass collections in France, to offer this program for the first time in Paris. Our work with these contemporary designers builds on the very rich history of glass design in France.”

“We have a rich tradition of partnering with The Corning Museum of Glass on glass research and exhibitions. After learning about this unique educational project which the Museum held at the Domaine de Boisbuchet and other venues, we were very pleased to host the first Paris sessions of Glasslab with a select group of French designers and creators. It’s ideal to be held in the garden of the Tuileries and during the famous art fair, the FIAC,” said Jean-Luc Olivié, chief Curator of the glass collection at the musée des Arts décoratifs.

GlassLab programs have taken place at major art and design fairs, workshops, and museums in Europe and the United States such as Design Miami/Art Basel, Vitra Design Museum and Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York (at the museum and on Governors Island).

More than 60 international designers have worked with GlassLab including Harry Allen, Yves Béhar, Constantin and Laurene Boym, Peter Buchanan-Smith, Stephen Burks, the Campana Brothers, Nacho Carbonell, Sigga Heimis, Max Lamb, Chris + Dominic Leong, Abbott Miller, Ted Muehling, Leon Ransmeier, Massimo Vignelli and David Wiseman.

More at cmog.org/glasslab.

Schedule of Design Performances

Tuesday, October 22		Wednesday, October 23
11–12:30	Marco Mencacci/Ecole Camondo	11–12:30	Arik Levy
14–15:30	Marco Mencacci/Ecole Camondo	14–15:30	Sylvain Dubuisson
16–17:30	Marco Mencacci/Ecole Camondo	16–17:30	Matali Crasset

Thursday, October 24		Friday, October 25
11–12:30	Matali Crasset	11–12:30	Sylvain Dubuisson
14–15:30	Wendell Castle	14–15:30	Matali Crasset
16–17:30	François Bauchet	16–17:30	Constance Guisset

Saturday, October 26		Sunday, October 27
11–12:30	Benjamin Graindorge	11–12:30	Steven and William Ladd
14–15:30	Antoine et Manuel	14–15:30	Vanessa Mitrani
16–17:30	Didier Tisseyre	16–17:30	Steven and William Ladd