The whoosh of the cross-fire torches and ribbon burners switched on suddenly. The buzz of the portable neon manifold hummed, and a Tesla coil zzzaped while electrode seals were tested. Backstage the girls ate croissants and avocado sandwiches, dressed in DIY fashion: bleach-dyed t-shirts and khaki slacks repeatedly stamped with “STOP MEN!” Femme fans lined themselves around the block wearing limited edition merch and clutching catalogs ready to be signed.
But who were they waiting for? Riot Girl? No. They were in line for She Bends, the femme-led and artist-run organization that showed up at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA, with one mission—to redefine neon’s legacy.
She Bends group photo at the Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA. Front: Lily Reeves and Carissa Grace. Middle: Rïse Peacock, Kaelyn McGowen, Meryl Pataky, Kelsey Issel, and Dani Kaes. Back: Alleson Buchanan, Victoria Ahmadizadeh Melendez, Stephanie Sara Lifshutz, Sarah Blood, Jude Abu Zaineh, and Kacie Lees. Photo by Michael Valiquette, 2023.
This year, Spring Break at the Museum was an exciting time to be immersed in the world of glass! With lots of different events and activities happening at the Museum and at The Studio, there were plenty of thrilling, glassy things to be excited about!
Many special events took place over the course of Spring Break, such as Blown Away residencies featuring John Moran, John Sharvin, and Minhi England (stay tuned to our YouTube channel, these guest artist livestreams will be uploaded soon!), You Design It; We Make It demonstrations happening daily, special seasonal Make Your Own Glass projects, scavenger hunts in the Museum, and more.
With all the exciting events happening around the Museum and so many kids visiting it for the first time, I decided to sit down with some young fans of glass to speak to them about their experiences at The Corning Museum of Glass! The kids told me all about their favorite aspects of the Museum, how making a project at Make Your Own Glass made them want to become a glassblower, and so much more!
In February, the Museum Association of New York (MANY) announced their 2023 Awards of Distinction, and among the winners is our very own Olivia Khristan. Olivia received that award in person at this year’s annual conference “Finding Center: Access, Inclusion, Participation, and Engagement” in Syracuse, NY, this past weekend. The Rising Star distinction awarded to Olivia celebrates museum professionals with five years or less experience who think creatively, inspire change, spark innovation, and exemplify leadership.
“New York’s museums and museum professionals are reimagining and reinventing their roles within their communities, how they interpret their stories and collections, and the visitor experience,” said Natalie Stetson, Executive of the Erie Canal Museum and MANY Program Committee Co-Chair. “This year’s award winners are outstanding examples for the museum field.”
Klaus Moje (1936-2016) was an artist, an innovator, and a highly respected educator; he was a friend, role model, and inspiration to generations of glass enthusiasts the world over for more than 50 years. Following his death in 2016, the glass community mourned a deep loss. But Moje left behind a rich body of work collected by museums, galleries, and private collectors, and his legacy continues to influence and energize new generations of artists.
Klaus Moje’s The Portland Panels: Choreographed Geometry, are on view in the Museum’s Contemporary Art + Design Galleries.
The Corning Museum of Glass has collected numerous artworks by Klaus Moje over the years, from small vessels and bowls to his larger works, like The Portland Panels: Choreographed Geometry on view in the Contemporary Art + Design Galleries. The Portland Panels are four large panels considered to be the most technically challenging of Moje’s projects—30,000 glass pieces, carefully cut, shaped, then placed into an abstract pattern and kiln-fused into large sheets. The effect is intricate and mesmerizing up close and from afar.
In 2022, the Museum and the Rakow Research Library secured a new acquisition from Moje’s estate: the Klaus Moje Papers. This substantial collection includes transparencies, prints, and slides of the artist and his work, gallery openings and artist statements, lyrics to folk songs Moje wrote, 1100 Polaroids of artwork, and 10 linear feet of Moje’s books. Now under the stewardship and preservation of the Rakow’s Archives and Special Collections staff, this vast resource will be kept safe for future study.
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.
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.
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!
