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An Artist’s Perception: A Conversation with Steuben Designer Eric Hilton

When passing through the galleries of The Corning Museum of Glass, guests often pause to marvel at the captivating artwork before them. Each individual forms a unique perspective on the pieces, connecting them to their own personal thoughts, opinions, and experiences. However, when you’re able to hear an artist speak about their thought process, life events, and motivations behind their designs, an entirely new frame of reference is introduced. I was lucky enough to speak with one of Steuben’s most renowned artists, Eric Hilton, to learn more about his time as a glass designer in the United States.

Hilton, originally from Scotland, attended The Edinburgh College of Art where he studied the subjects of glass, ceramics, silversmithing, and photography. After obtaining his MFA, Hilton transitioned from student to instructor, beginning his career as an educator at his alma mater. There, he helped to structure a new study program within the university’s design department. Throughout the 1960’s, Hilton taught courses at the Stourbridge College of Art (England), Birmingham College of Art (England), the University of Victoria (Canada), and The State University of New York at Alfred. In 1976, Hilton left teaching full-time to focus on his role as a consulting artist for Steuben, where he wasted no time in creating some of Steuben’s most mesmerizing works.

“One of the most valued factors in my association with Steuben is the opportunity to have created a series of large sculptural projects, with the first major work being Innerland,” Hilton said.

Women in Glasshouses: Women in Science

This entry in the Women in Glasshouses blog series comes from Nancy Magrath, a former reference librarian at the Rakow Research Library.

Corning Glass Works built its first dedicated laboratory building in 1913 and hired Dr. Jesse T. Littleton, a physics professor from the University of Michigan, to head a physical lab. They were looking for the “next big hit” and felt more physicists would help develop their new glasses into what would become the major hit, Pyrex® Glass!

Evelyn Roberts, 1915, Senior Photo, University of Michigan Yearbook. Photo: Courtesy of HathiTrust.

Enter Evelyn Hortense Roberts (1893–1991), a University of Michigan math graduate. Beginning in 1917, Roberts worked in the Littleton lab where she did extensive testing on Pyrex Glass properties. Littleton and Roberts published their research findings in an article, “A Method for Determining the Annealing Temperature of Glass” in the Journal of the Optical Society of America. An image of Roberts testing thermal endurance by pouring boiling water on a Pyrex Glass dish resting on a block of ice has become iconic. Roberts returned to Michigan in 1920 to complete her master’s degree in Physics, only the third woman to earn that degree at the university. Roberts had a long and diverse career working in consumer product-related industries from Washington state to New York.

At the beginning of the 20th century, women such as Roberts were determined, strong, and talented. The lasting effects of World Wars I and II created cracks in the proverbial glass ceilings, which gave more women an opportunity to join the ranks of male scientists in academia and industry. Roberts was followed by other women scientists who made significant contributions to early Corning Glass Works research. You will find a few of these women included in the Glass Heroes section of the Corning Incorporated website.

Keeping it Clean! CMoG Rises to the Challenge

It takes a lot to close The Corning Museum of Glass. We’ve experienced floods, snowstorms, and now a global pandemic! The majority of our closures have been fleeting in nature, but COVID-19 presented us with the prospect of the second long-term temporary closure in the Museum’s history. The Museum made the decision to close to the public on March 16, mere days before millions of other non-essential businesses followed suit. It was a difficult call to make, and with no end date in immediate sight, it was hard to close the doors and walk away.

We have to go back to June 22, 1972, to remember the last time the Museum was closed for an extended period of time. With much of our collection underwater after Tropical Storm Agnes dumped record levels of rain, the Museum remained closed for six weeks as a mammoth cleaning operation was underway. The Museum reopened on August 1, a stronger institution for having overcome adversity, and we now remember this time as one underscored by the dedication, resilience, and tenacity of our staff.

Aerial view of The Corning Museum of Glass surrounded by flood waters Rakow Research Library, The Corning Museum of Glass, photo by Jerry Wright — Aerial view of The Corning Museum of Glass surrounded by floodwaters. Rakow Research Library, The Corning Museum of Glass, photo by Jerry Wright

Fiber Optics at 50! How Corning Connected the World

Did you know that every call you make, every video conference you participate in, and every show you binge-watch is possible because of the network of glass underneath it all?

Fiber optic technology is the backbone of our communications networks all around the world these days. Video, audio, and data information is sent in the form of codes of laser light signals through tiny threads of precisely engineered glass known as optical fibers. Sending information in the form of these light codes has greatly increased the amount of information we can move and the speed at which it can be shared.

While the idea to communicate with codes of light signals had been discussed for many years, it wasn’t made possible until 1970 when scientists from Corning Glass Works (now known as Corning Incorporated) invented a capable combination of glasses. That makes this year—2020—the 50th anniversary of the development of the right glasses for this crucial technology!

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!