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The Trials and Tribulations of an 18th-Century Candelabrum: Evolving Approaches to Art Conservation

This blog comes to us from Annika Blake-Howland, a graduate intern with the Museum’s Conservation Department in March 2022. Annika is currently completing her final year of her Master’s in Art Conservation at SUNY Buffalo State College. She is an objects conservation specialist with a strong interest in glass conservation. During her time at CMoG, Annika focused on objects that were damaged or treated after the flood of 1972.

2-Part Candelabrum, England, about 1720, Gift of R. B. Gump

Art conservation is a professional field that works to preserve cultural heritage objects for the future through environmental controls, scientific research, and other passive and active preservation strategies. Similar to many other fields, there have been considerable advances in technology and methodology within art conservation over the last 150 years. Glass is an ancient material and, therefore, one can expect that a historic glass object may have lived many lives and potentially been repaired or conserved several times.

This is very true for a 2-Part Candelabrum from early 18th-century England (CMoG 60.2.39), where several campaigns of repair or conservation work are evidenced.

CELEBRATING 25: What Makes Glass So Captivating?

In 1997, The Corning Museum of Glass introduced a new attraction: The Hot Glass Show. It was an instant hit and quickly expanded beyond the original 90-seat theater hovering over the Steuben Glass Factory. In the past 25 years, the Museum has taken hot glass around the world—very literally—and to mark this special anniversary, we talked with some of our Hot Glass Team members.

This is part one of a three-part blog series. In this blog, we’ll meet some of the current members of the Hot Glass Team and learn what they think makes glass so captivating.

Eric Meek, Sr. Manager of Hot Glass Programs, hired in March 2005
“The process of glassmaking is beautiful and a bit mysterious, it’s unlike anything most people encounter day-to-day. When you combine that with a narrator who speaks passionately about the process from the maker’s perspective, that’s when the magic really happens. That human connection to an ancient process is the key to success.”

Bill Gilbert, safety first laughter second

The work of the safety manager is never done. But, for Bill Gilbert, Senior Manager, Environment, Health and Safety at The Corning Museum of Glass for more than 17 years, it’s time to pass on the baton. Or, in Bill’s case, his high-vis vest and hard hat. At the end of last year, Bill announced his retirement, effective March 31, 2022.

Since 2004, Bill has brought light and levity to the Museum’s many safety trainings without ever losing sight of the seriousness of the message at hand—safety first! Because of Bill Gilbert, safety at The Corning Museum of Glass has become a priority and a topic that our staff cares deeply about. That’s no easy feat, but Bill’s passion for the subject and years of experience matched with his empathy, charisma, and sense of humor have made his safety presentations legendary. For many staff, there are memories of accidents, events, projects, trips, slips, and falls that will always remind them of Bill.

Museum Welcomes Alexia Hudson-Ward and Preston Singletary to Board of Trustees (Part 2: Preston Singletary)

The Corning Museum of Glass is delighted to announce that its Board of Trustees voted unanimously in December 2021 to appoint Alexia Hudson-Ward and Preston Singletary as its newest members.

Alexia Hudson-Ward is the Associate Director of Research and Learning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Libraries, and Preston Singletary is a Seattle-based, Native American glass artist of the Tlingit tribe.

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!