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Beautiful imperfections: Designing exhibition graphics by hand

Contemporary graphic design owes a great deal to the progressive artists of central Europe in the early 20th century. As Europe experienced turbulent times during this period, avant-garde artists in Austria between 1900 and 1937 were leading a creative renaissance, introducing design philosophies that set the standard for what is considered to be successful design today.

A sample of the Akzidenz Grotesk typeface.

When I studied graphic design at the Rochester Institute of Technology, I was heavily influenced by the design developments of this era. As we began designing the graphics for Glass of the Architects, Vienna: 1900–1937, I looked back on what I studied many years ago. I learned about German Gestalt Principles and how to achieve a “unified whole” and I studied typefaces such as Akzidenz-Grotesque, introduced in Berlin in 1898. I also learned about the Vienna Secession, the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop), and their ideal for achieving a Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art); their consistent focus on unification, consistency, and creating a complete package can be seen as precursors to what is known as modern-day branding. Read more →

An immersive research opportunity for scholars

The David Whitehouse Research Residency for Artists was introduced last year as an opportunity for the artists who have said, “I just really want to spend time in Corning doing research, being in the Library, meeting people, wandering in the collections.” This year, with the support of a donation from Daniel and Welmoet van Kammen, The Corning Museum of Glass proudly presents a similar opportunity for scholars: The David Whitehouse Research Residency for Scholars.

Rakow Research Library

This residency invites scholars to utilize the extensive holdings of the Rakow Research Library to inform their research about any period of glass. Named for and inspired by David Whitehouse, former Executive Director of The Corning Museum of Glass and a highly-regarded scholar, this opportunity honors his legacy by supporting researchers to make discoveries in the library and collections Whitehouse worked so diligently to build. Read more →

Looking closer at Roman cameo glass

This blog post comes from Karol Wight, president and executive director at The Corning Museum of Glass.

Karol Wight on the entrance steps of the American Academy in Rome.

Standing on the entrance steps of the
American Academy in Rome, our ‘home
away from home’ for the month of February.
Photo credit: Steven Wight.

In 2015, the Kress Foundation and the Association of Art Museum Directors, in collaboration with the American Academy in Rome, began to offer an Affiliated Fellowship at the American Academy for a museum director (and member of AAMD) to spend one month in Rome pursuing a research topic. The fellowship was meant to enable a director to step away from their day-to-day duties and take a deep dive into scholarship. I was fortunate to be the second recipient of this Affiliated Fellowship, and spent this past February in Rome, undertaking my research project.

My project focused on the topic of ancient Roman cameo glass and how it was manufactured. There is ongoing debate in the world of ancient glass studies as to how the blanks for cameo carved objects were manufactured in antiquity. And while various modern experiments to recreate these types of pieces have been undertaken by a number of artists and scholars, there is no real consensus as to which techniques were more likely to have been used in antiquity. My current theory is that more than one technique may have been used, depending upon the object being manufactured (a flat object, an open vessel, or a closed vessel). Read more →

CMoG Nature Adventure: Spring Break 2018

In a year when winter seemed to last forever, spring break program planning proved to be quite a gamble. We committed to a nature-themed program in the autumn of 2017, not knowing whether the weather would cooperate. This year was much different than anything we’ve done before: citizen science, community partners, and nature walks, oh my! We decided to focus on nature for several reasons. First, nature has been a source of inspiration for glassmakers for thousands of years. Second, there are naturally occurring glasses – such as obsidian – on view in the galleries. And finally, glass instruments can be used to observe nature up close. Here are some of the ways we used glass to explore the natural world around our campus.

1. Magnifying Lenses

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!