Behind the Glass

Home

Happy 80th Birthday, Chihuly!

Dale Chihuly is a pioneer and an icon. As one of the foremost names in contemporary glass, Chihuly is known the world over; from the shores of Tacoma, WA, where he was born, to the gardens of Europe and the galleries and museums of America, Jerusalem, Australia, Japan, and more—so many, many more! Over six decades, his prominence in the glass field remains unmatched.

But did you know that today is Chihuly’s birthday? His 80th birthday! From everyone at The Corning Museum of Glass, we wish Dale many happy returns.

Dale Chihuly at Pilchuck Glass School in the early 1970s.

As a celebrated artist, painter, teacher, and leader he is revered by his peers, admired by the glassmakers that follow in his wake, and adored by fans around the world. Chihuly has worked tirelessly to bring glass art into the mainstream, and his name has become synonymous with bright bold colors and large-scale installations.

Engraving Your Heart on Your Sleeve: Glass Engraving Techniques and Self Expression in 1700s Britain

The special exhibition In Sparkling Company: Glass and the Costs of Social Life in Britain During the 1700s opens with the story of lead glass. The first display case that visitors encounter holds two goblets, both made in England about a century apart. Our Curator of Early European Glass, Dr. Christopher “Kit” Maxwell, invites you to notice the differences between the two goblets, and learn how the introduction of lead glass put Britain at the top of the glass game in the 1700s.

The “Lead Glass” display case in *In Sparkling Company*.

By the end of the 1600s, the British had perfected a recipe for lead glass. High levels of lead oxide included in the glass batch (upwards of 30%) gave the finished objects desirable properties that surpassed any glass that had come before it. The goblet on the left is made of an alkali lime glass and the one on the right is lead glass.

The Maestro Takes a Bow: Lino Tagliapietra Announces Retirement

Not many people can say they began working at the age of 11. Fewer still that they continued until they were 87! Lino Tagliapietra may be the only person who can say they did both and devoted every day in-between to the pursuit of what he loves most. For Lino, that was glassblowing.

Without a doubt, Lino has become a true master of his profession, becoming the world’s most renowned glassmaker over the course of his 76-year career. With hundreds of collaborations under his belt, thousands of artworks to his name, and countless hours logged before the furnace, Lino now announces his retirement.

“Today, because of my love and respect for glass, which has given me so much and that I hope I have reciprocated, I feel I must take what I think will be the hardest and most important decision of my life,” Lino announced in a statement earlier this month. “I have decided to retire from manual work and from the furnace that during this long and wonderful time has gifted me with immense satisfaction, freedom of expression, incredible encounters, and ultimately pure passion for the craft.”

Flameworked Desserts: A Delicious Challenge

While it is typical for museum exhibitions to show beautiful and functional objects and provide compelling interpretive text to describe the objects and their use, The Corning Museum of Glass decided to throw in an extra treat this summer.

In curating our new exhibition, In Sparkling Company: Glass and the Costs of Social Life in Britain During the 1700s, curator Christopher “Kit” Maxwell hoped to contribute fresh, vibrant, and at times challenging, context to many of the objects on display. Much of the Museum’s collection of English and Irish lead glass (‘crystal’) from this period is tableware associated with the dessert. His vision was to create glass versions of the foods that would have been served at 18th-century dessert tables, bringing the empty vessels to life, and offering visitors the opportunity to consider the tension between these delicate, glittering objects with their colorful contents, and the realities of sugar production through the exploitation of enslaved labor in the West Indies. This approach allowed us to tell a more visual story.

The full dessert table in all its glory.

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!