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Rob Cassetti, the creative way

2020 has been a monumental year. There have certainly been times of difficulty, but also moments of innovation and progress. And for some, that change has been positive, a steppingstone to new roads and new adventures. This is certainly true for Rob Cassetti, who announces his retirement from The Corning Museum of Glass after more than 20 years of service.

A career of creative excellence is something we can all strive to achieve. For Rob, that endeavor has been essential; it’s a deeply rooted way of thinking, a calling, and a joy for him to practice. It’s the only way his brain works. Rob’s professional life has been one steeped in creative people, energy, places, and experiences, and for many of these moments, he has been the instigator, the spark that brought it all together.

Women in Glasshouses: Woman to Woman – Selling Glass in the 20th Century

There are plenty of vintage magazine and newspaper ads that tell the story of how companies have used images of women to sell more glass products. But when you get to poke through all kinds of odd bits and pieces of glass history as I do by virtue of working at a library that lives and breathes it, you can see that companies employed women to do all sorts of marketing and sales. And the marketing tactics seem all too familiar…

Ad for Pyrex. *The Topeka State*
*Journal.* November 19, 1910. [Chronicling America].

Remember the Ella Fitzgerald Memorex ads (Is it live or is it Memorex?) or Britney Spears hawking Pepsi products? Yes, celebrity endorsements were a thing, even back then. One such celebrity was Sarah Tyson Rorer, an editor for the popular women’s magazine Ladies Home Journal. Rorer traveled around the country lecturing on domestic topics like cooking, cleaning, organizing and decorating, and her appearances drew large crowds of women. Conveniently, many of her lectures were held at stores, where women could buy the household tools Rorer used in her demonstrations. Companies also paid Rorer to promote their brands in ads, like those for Pyrex bakeware. What better way to sell pans than having them praised by a cooking expert whose magazine columns are devoured by millions of readers?

The sales floor was another area where companies sought out women to sell more glass. The logic was that a woman would be more likely to understand what other women wanted and could lead them to purchase a product much more easily than a man could.

From NASCAR to Netflix, everything is Connected by Glass

This week, on October 1, 2020, the Museum’s virtual program Connected by Glass will air its 10th episode, a special discussion in connection with our new mini-exhibit Transparent: voting in America.

To reach this milestone is an exciting and well-deserved one for all of the staff working behind the scenes to bring you these engaging conversations, and the topic this week is an apt one for such an occasion.

This week’s episode will be moderated by Marvin Bolt, curator emeritus of science and technology at The Corning Museum of Glass, and he’ll be joined by special guests Ellery Foutch, assistant professor in American Studies at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, and Mark Johnson, a civil rights attorney in Kansas City who teaches election law at the University of Kansas School of Law in Lawrence, Kansas.

The discussion will focus on topics touched on in the exhibition, including the notion that our past gives evidence showing that democracy can survive deep disagreements and that the desire for transparency in voting is a core value of our nation.

Bringing the Heat: CMoG’s Glassblowers Take Center Stage

Livestreamed demonstrations with our favorite featured artists are back! And they couldn’t come at a better time. With the Fall season bringing with it some chillier mornings, why not join us in the Hot Shop and warm yourself from the fire of the furnace, or curl up at home on your couch, with slippers and a hot cup of tea, and tune in live.

Glassmakers who work in the Museum’s Amphitheater Hot Shop are some of the world’s most talented artists working in glass—and they’re ready to bring the heat in a new series of demonstrations that feature individual artists and their A-games. During each demo, an artist will proudly present a personal design they’ve worked to perfect and will be live on the mic to answer audience questions in real time—a rarity for live artist demonstrations, and a first at the Museum.

Eric Goldschmidt making a figurine during his *Bring the Heat* livestream demonstration.

On September 16, master flameworker Eric Goldschmidt kicked off the series with a delicately crafted stylized figure, a new form he’s been working on for the past year. As Eric nimbly pulled the figure into shape, he shared his insights into the design’s development and color preparation, working with large-scale solid borosilicate, figurative sculpture, and the many other flameworking fundamentals that have shaped his career and artistic choices.

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!