Celebrating The Studio: Kristina Logan

Kristina Logan is recognized internationally for her precisely patterned and delicate glass beads. She travels throughout the world teaching workshops and lecturing on contemporary glass beads and jewelry. Her work is in the collections of The Smithsonian Museum of American Art; Renwick Gallery; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; The Corning Museum of Glass; and the Musée du Verre de Sars-Poteries, Sars-Poteries, France. She served as president of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers from 1996 until 1998.

Logan’s beads are flameworked, a process which she says is “fluid, direct, and immediate” and which allows her to work with hot glass “on a very intimate scale.” Her work has developed over the years to incorporate glass beads into jewelry and other glass objects.

What has your involvement been with The Studio over the years? When The Studio first opened in the summer 1996, I was asked to teach flamework beadmaking, and I still remember how excited I was to be part of this new addition to the Corning Museum. I have taught glass beadmaking workshops across the U.S. and in Europe, and The Studio remains one of my favorite places to teach. I find it inspiring to teach in a community of the best glass instructors and one of the greatest collections of glass in the world. In the Museum with work ranging from ancient to contemporary glass, I can find pieces that make me think, dream, and excite my creative mind.

What do you like about working at The Studio? One of my favorite aspects of teaching at The Studio is encouraging students to walk over to Museum to see the collections. Students can study pieces from a comprehensive collection of glass that can inspire new ideas in their own work. Inside The Studio, I love the exchange of ideas between other classes, and how students and instructors share their thoughts and techniques. The facility itself is so well-equipped and organized, and the staff is so knowledgeable and helpful. Collectively they promote the feeling that anything is possible in glass. Outside The Studio, I love having access to the Rakow Library for researching specific topics and being able to talk to the Museum curators who can shed light on how certain pieces were made and their context in the history of glass.

In 2013, I was an Artist-in-Residence for the month of October. The residency program allowed me to work in The Studio and facilitated a new direction of my work. It was an amazing month of concentrated work and exploration that, to this day, I still reflect upon and appreciate.

As The Studio celebrates its 20th birthday, what would you say about its effect on the glass community? As The Studio celebrates its 20th birthday, I am not only grateful for my years of connection to The Studio, but also for how The Studio has helped impact the greater glass community. I feel like The Studio forms a crossroads, a unique location that fosters communication and sharing of ideas between artists, students, scientists, curators, and lovers of glass.

Thanks, Kristina!

May 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the opening of The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass, one of the foremost teaching schools for glass in the world. To celebrate, we are featuring 20 artists in the 20 weeks leading up to the birthday. These artists have studied, taught, and created at The Studio. Each Saturday, we’ll share words and work from the artists who have formed a connection with our Studio and our staff.