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Josh Simpson’s 50 Years in Glass: A Journey to the Stars

Josh Simpson has spent 50 years creating some of the most intricate and vibrant works in the world of contemporary glass. He has developed his own distinctive style inspired equally by outer space and the natural world and is recognized for his innovative Megaplanet series, as well as his signature blue New Mexico Glass, Corona Glass, and much more.

To celebrate and honor his legacy, we have gathered quotes from several people who Josh has worked with and inspired throughout his impressive career.

Karol Wight, president and executive director, The Corning Museum of Glass:

“When I arrived in Corning in 2011 to work at the Museum, one of the first pieces that caught my eye in the galleries was Josh Simpson’s Megaplanet. Even though the work is rather cheekily displayed next to an array of paperweights, I recognized it for the piece of virtuoso sculpting it is, rather than assessing it as a 500 lb. paperweight. And when I learned that Josh was married to astronaut Cady Coleman, a deeper meaning behind the design of the sculpture was made clear. I’m a science fiction fan, and by looking examining the miniature universe created within ‘Megaplanet’, as well as in many other globes made by Josh, my interest in space and the universe was sparked in a new way.

Spontaneous Combustion: Hot Glass Performance and the B Team

This week’s blog post is written by Madelynn Cullings, a current Ph.D. candidate at Binghamton University, who spent this past summer working as the Public History Intern at the Rakow Research Library at The Corning Museum of Glass. Madelynn’s work and research will aid in creating a documentary focused on the B Team, a glass performance troupe active in the 1990s. One of her favorite aspects of this research has been studying the B Team’s Spontaneous Combustion series, which is the focus of this blog.

“Failure, the future, myself—that’s my fear too,” jokes B Team member Thor Bueno as he reads fears written on small slips of paper during the B Team’s production of “Fear Jar.” Incorporated into the B Team’s 1996 performance of Spontaneous Combustion, “Fear Jar” encouraged audience participation. During the show audience members wrote down their deepest fears on sheets of paper. The artists then collected the slips and encased them in an oblong glass vessel—incinerating the fears in the process. “Fear Jar” was a consistent part of the B Team’s repertoire, signifying the radical form of experimentation that characterized the artistic collaborative.

After sealing “Fear Jar,” steam bellows from the vessel as the paper fears are incinerated inside, turning the interior of the vessel dark black. Thor Bueno is pictured turning the vessel while team member Zesty Meyers stands prepared to assist. B Team Records, Rakow Research Library, Corning Museum of Glass.

Blown Away is Back! Season 3 Contestants Share Their Experiences

It has been over three years since the phenomenal launch of Blown Away on Netflix and now we’re back for Season 3! Joining host Nick Uhas and resident evaluator Katherine Gray, are 10 new contestants all competing to be crowned Best in Glass and awarded the coveted Blown Away Residency at The Corning Museum of Glass.

Join us as we check in with this season’s glassblowers to find out what makes the show so special.

The ten contestants from *Blown Away* Season 3 are joined by judges Katherine Gray and Nick Uhas at the start of episode 1. Photo courtesy of Netflix © 2022

What expectations did you have going into season 3?

“In all honesty, I didn’t expect to go as far as I did, especially with the all-star lineup they had this Season.” Trenton Quiocho – Tacoma, Washington (IG: amocat_lowlife)

Seeing Glass in a New Light: Unlocking a Full Spectrum of Color with EnChroma Color Blind Glasses

The Corning Museum of Glass is excited to launch a loaning program for guests to enjoy the full spectrum of all that our facility has to offer. We are now proud to offer EnChroma Color Blind Glasses to guests. EnChroma’s patented glass lens technology allows people who are color blind to see more of the broad spectrum of colors that most of us take for granted.

The wonderful folks with EnChroma explain it better than I ever could: “EnChroma develops optical lens technology that selectively filters out wavelengths of light at the precise point where this confusion or excessive overlap of color sensitivity occurs.” Luckily, our President and Executive Director, Karol Wight, met a member of the EnChroma team while attending a conference. The collaboration was kismet, as an institution, we showcase the beauty and science of glass. EnChroma uses glass technology to bring color to people who live without it.

New Glass Review 43: An Outside Perspective on the Best of Contemporary Glass

Get excited and check the mail, because New Glass Review returns this month for its 43rd issue.

An annual exhibition-in-print, New Glass Review features 100 of the most timely, innovative projects in glass produced during the year. Artworks include sculptures, vessels, installations, and other works in glass by emerging and established artists.

A flagship publication of The Corning Museum of Glass since 1980, New Glass Review is a cyclical reintroduction into the world of contemporary glass and the artists who inhabit it; artists who continually push the boundaries of the material and the limits of their expression.

Following an open call for submissions that receives hundreds of entries every year from countries across the world, New Glass Review is curated by the Museum’s curator of postwar and contemporary glass and a changing panel of guest curators. While the search for the Museum’s next contemporary curator was underway this past summer, Samantha De Tillio was invited to lead the selection process. De Tillo was joined by Davin K. Ebanks, Kim Harty, and Kimberly Thomas.

Amy Schwartz & William Gudenrath Honored with 2023 James Renwick Alliance for Craft Award

The Studio’s Amy Schwartz and William (Bill) Gudenrath were honored on Saturday, May 6 in Washington DC with the James Renwick Alliance for Craft (JRA) Distinguished Craft Educator Award for excellence and innovation in education. The biennial award was celebrated at the JRA Spring Craft Weekend with a Symposium, Gala, and Awards Brunch. Recognized for their influence on future artists and significant contributions to American education in the craft field, Amy and Bill’s selection as honorees was the first time in the ceremony’s 20-year history that both makers and educators were honored at the same time.

William (Bill) Gudenrath and Amy Schwartz with their award at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC, May 6, 2023. Photo courtesy of the James Renwick Alliance.

Amy and Bill are the latest on a long list of distinguished honorees—the JRA Award has recognized some of the most influential craft artists in American history. This year, the other nominees included ceramic artist, social activist, and spoken word poet Roberto Lugo (the youngest artist to ever receive the Master of the Medium award); furniture maker Kristina Madsen; and curator, quilter, author, art historian, and aerospace engineer Carolyn Mazloomi.

CMoG Named One of the “7 Glass Wonders of the World”

Capping a truly momentous year for glass, The Corning Museum of Glass has achieved a new distinction: being named one of the “7 Glass Wonders of the World.”

The announcement was made during the closing festivities of the United Nations International Year of Glass (IYOG) 2022. The year officially concluded with a Conference and Ceremony at the University of Tokyo, Japan, on December 8-9, which was attended by our very own President and Executive Director Karol Wight. This event was followed by an official debriefing held at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on December 14.

Lino Tagliapietra in the Museum’s Amphitheater Hot Shop, May 13, 2022.

Lino Tagliapietra may be retiring, but not before one final visit to The Corning Museum of Glass. Last weekend was a monumental one for Lino, the glassblowers and staff at the Museum, and all the guests who filled the Amphitheater Hot Shop to see the Maestro at work during what will be his final performance in Corning.

To celebrate Lino’s enduring legacy, we asked those lucky enough to know and work with him, to describe the impact he has made on the glass world. To no surprise, the response was fervent and unanimous: Lino’s impact is, and will always be, extraordinary!