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The Weird and Wonderful World of Artist David Nasca

In 2019, mixed media artist David Nasca was selected as a recipient for the 2020 David Whitehouse Research Residency for Artists. Despite having to postpone his residency due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Museum was able to host David this year instead, from May 31 to June 18, 2021.

During the pandemic, David became a New York State resident again (he was born in Buffalo, but now lives and works in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, IL.) in order to undertake a Master of Fine Art program at Cornell University. This change meant David met all COVID-19 compliance requirements outlined by the state and could finally begin his research here in Corning.

David is a sculptor whose work draws from themes of “queer futurism, reimagined biology, and personal fantasy,” he says. He is often inspired by animal lifeforms, in particular deep-sea organisms and the niche world of fishing lures. He is also particularly interested in invertebrate reproductive strategies as metaphors for queer sexuality and attraction.

David’s residency at the Rakow Research Library will focus on the invertebrate models of 19th-century glass artists Rudolph and Leopold Blashka. The Rakow’s archive has more than 900 drawings and provides access to additional glass models not currently on display. David hopes to learn about construction models and methods and the materiality of glass as a sculptural tool.

Vanessa German and the Gift, the Glory, and the Power of Blue

Artworks at The Corning Museum of Glass come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiniest fragments to installations that take up entire rooms. One new acquisition, Vanessa German’s The Walker; for how to honor the price of compassion—how not to die of lies, fits quite neatly into the middle of that scale. However, that’s the only thing that’s easy to categorize about this beautiful, loud, complex, strong, emotional, and compelling piece of art.

Vanessa German’s *The Walker; for how to honor the price of compassion—how not to die of lies* (2017), 2020.4.2

The Walker is a larger-than-life-size artwork of a female figure bedecked in blue artifacts standing finely balanced atop a wooden sawhorse with arms outstretched. The glass, wood, beads, fabric, and twine that make up the body of the sculpture are all objects made or found by the artist—delicately crafted, lovingly repurposed, and imbued with significance and purpose.

A self-taught sculptor, activist, poet, and performance artist, German introduced herself, her work, and the arc of her career, to the Museum’s member community during an exclusive talk on April 1, 2021. A recording is now available to everyone on the Museum’s YouTube channel. Over the course of an hour, we learn what inspires and keeps German strong, and how her very existence as a Black woman and artist is represented in each object she creates.

Finding Significance in Surprising Places: Dustin Yellin, Glass, and an Onscreen Love Affair

In a renovated ironworks factory on Pioneer St. in Red Hook, Brooklyn, you might stumble on the glass studio of California-born artist Dustin Yellin. That’s the premise at least, for a scene I saw in a movie recently where actress Kiersey Clemons does just that. The movie is Hearts Beat Loud (2018) by director Brett Haley, starring Clemons and Nick Offerman.

Actress Kiersey Clemons filming at Dustin Yellin’s studio, Pioneer Works, for the movie *Hearts Beat Loud*.

Much like the character Clemons plays, I was immediately struck by Yellin’s sculptural work on display. The only difference being, I recognized it. I was suddenly perched forward in my seat, my bowl of popcorn temporarily forgotten, as I absorbed every detail on screen, every word spoken. The scene in question felt significant to me. I often see artists discussed in cinema, but the medium tends to be photography or paint on canvas. As I grow more and more interested in glass, I’ve begun noticing it in movies, like an ad executive might notice product placement. But glass is always in the background, staged purely for decoration or functionality: a beautiful vase perhaps, or a decorative platter standing boldly on a stand.

But here we have the work of a contemporary glass artist being viewed and discussed constructively by characters central to the movie’s plot. Clemons and fellow actress Sasha Lane, whose character works at the studio, bond over the artwork, they study its details and respond to its prompts. It doesn’t just feel significant, it is significant. And, did I mention the movie has Nick Offerman? The highly loveable Nick Offerman from Parks and Recreation!

No Sign of Slowing Down: The Corning Museum of Glass Turns 70!

For America, the 1950s was a decade of highs and lows. In the wake of the second world war, the nation experienced a booming economy, a rapidly growing population, and watched as its cities and suburbs spread across the land to house a new generation. But the 50s were also the dawn of new conflicts, including the Cold War and the fight for Civil Rights.

In the spring of 1951, five people witnessed the unfolding of this new America from the small galleries and offices of the newly opened Corning Museum of Glass. Those five made up the entire staff back then! Conceived as an educational institution entirely separate from its benefactor, Corning Glass Works (now Corning Incorporated), the Museum sought to expand the world’s understanding of glass. And ever since, the Museum has inspired people to see glass in a new light, a mission that remains at the forefront of our institutional culture 70 years later.

To celebrate the Museum’s 70th anniversary, we’ve taken a trip through the archives to highlight some unforgettable moments.

So, let’s go back to where it all began.

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!