Christa Westbrook started blowing glass when she was sixteen. At her high school, it was a privilege to get into the glass program. Upon graduating from Emporia State University, Christa found The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass and moved all the way from Texas to become a Studio Assistant.
Christa Westbrook at work in The Studio
What do you do here at the museum?
I do lots of things. I am the Studio Assistant so I am a technician in the summer and in the winter. I do repairs and equipment maintenance and I also take care of people who are taking classes here and taking care of the renters. I also teach classes when it’s the off-season.
What was your first experience in Corning at The Studio like?
It was mind-blowing; I didn’t know what to think. It was completely a whole new world for me because I had never even been to New York before I moved here. The Studio with all of the equipment and the colors and all of the tools they were able to use it was like Disneyworld for me, it was great.
What’s your favorite class to teach?
Beginning classes are always a challenge but it’s always so much fun to get someone started in something that they have never really experienced before. It’s kind of like the jumpstart into their career or their hobby, so that’s probably the best experience, the first time they actually get to dip into the glass and experience the heat.
Are you currently working on any of your own projects?
I am. I am working on a few projects actually. I like to do a lot of layering the glass with different colors and patterns and then cutting away. It’s called a graal technique and I’m working on that right now.
Untitled by Christa Westbrook
What is your favorite food?
I like sushi.
If you could have any one superpower what would it be?
That’s hard…to not be able to feel pain, that would be a good one, no pain.
If you were in a circus what act would you want to be?
I would want to be a tightrope walker or a trapeze artist.
What is your favorite part of the museum?
Everything. It’s hard because there are just so many different things that are available at your fingertips. I always, because I am in an educational role, tell people to go to the Innovation Center because they can learn the so much there. The galleries are great, especially for someone like me that’s an artist but for someone that doesn’t understand how glass works, I always encourage them to go to the Innovation Center. It has so much educational value, so that’s probably my favorite.