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Coyle, Hoobs, and Ryno: A Powerful Flameworking Collaboration

It’s a very exciting time to be a flameworking artist!

The process of flameworking involves the use of a focused flame to soften and shape glass, and this segment of the glass art world is seeing a massive surge in popularity and innovation. A big reason for the acceleration of this aspect of the glass world is the growing acceptance and adoration for glass pipes that are intended for cannabis consumption. In January 2022, The Corning Museum of Glass took a big leap forward in inspiring the world to see this craft in a new and even greater light.

The finished work: *D-XG 2052* by flameworkers Coyle Condenser, Hoobs, and Ryno.

5 Things You May Not Know About Marbles

It is in the single digits here in the Chemung Valley as I write this, but inside the Museum the glass furnaces are fired up like always. Life may slow down a bit during the winter months, but people still need ways to entertain themselves. That’s one reason February is a good time for the Museum’s annual celebration of all things glassy and round, Marvelous Marble Day.

This year we are celebrating virtually with special guests including the reigning Miss New York, Sydney Park, expert marble maker Miles Parker, and the Chairman of the National Marble Tournament, Doug Watson. Miles will demonstrate how handmade glass marbles are made. Sydney and Doug will join me to discuss marbles from a sports angle.

You may already know that marbles are one of the oldest toys in history, but to really get marbles on your mind, we wanted to share five things about them that may surprise you:

Donor Profile: Jim Rideout and Diane Murray

When they met at the University of Vermont in the 1980s, Jim Rideout and Diane Murray had no way of knowing that glass artistry and the glass industry would become a fixture in their lives.

Ennion members Jim Rideout and Diane Murray.

In 1985, following years of education and courtship, Jim and Diane, both mechanical engineers, were recruited by Corning Incorporated. Holding various positions in Corning, NY, the pair embraced the Corning glass community. After meeting The Studio’s co-founder Amy Schwartz by chance in a pediatrician’s office when their children were in infancy, Diane and Jim became friends with Amy and her husband, The Studio’s Resident Advisor William (Bill) Gudenrath.

A Guest in the Hot Shop: Artist Elaine K. Ng Joins Museum Glassblowers

Glassblowing is often about collaboration. About working together to discover what’s possible. The Hot Glass Team at The Corning Museum of Glass (CMoG) embodies that practice. Every day, the glassblowers unite their collective skills to create masterworks in glass to the delight of our guests.

When guest artists are invited to the Museum to work with the Hot Glass Team, the unknown can create a challenging and exciting new outcome, especially when the artist is not familiar with glass. In November 2021, Elaine K. Ng was the latest in a long line of guest collaborators to join our team of gaffers, and as always, the experience was eye-opening for everyone involved.

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!