07-09 Corning Museum of Glass

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

Monday July 6th, we took a 30 minute drive over to Corning, NY to tour the Corning Museum of Glass. Last year while visiting our son Ward in Chicago, we toured a special exhibit called “Glass” at the Museum of Science and Industry sponsored by Corning. It was a fascinating exhibit and prompted our interest in touring the Corning Museum.

We spent about 5 hours at the museum and could easily have spent several days if we had viewed every display case. If it is made of glass, there is an example or more at the museum.

It covers the history of glass making. The Egyptian items below date from 1450 - 1150 BC.

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

The displays move through the development of different glass making techniques.

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

There were beautiful pieces of glass art through the ages.

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

There were exhibits on not just artistic glass but also practical every day uses like canning jars and drink bottles.

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

Plus several galleries of modern glass art.

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

The gift shop was huge and full of artistic pieces made by local artists as well as others from elsewhere in the USA and other countries.

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

Our favorite thing was the live glass blowing. They had two stages with staggered shows every 30 minutes. We watched three demonstrations. Our favorite was on the outside stage which is actually a tractor-trailer rig whose sides open to form the stage. It is taken to events all over the nation like the one we saw in Chicago.

Two artists work together taking turns as the primary glass blower called a “Gaffer” or as the assistant. The following shots show the making of a decorative pitcher. When finished it will be light green with cobalt blue around the lip, the base, and the handle. Those final colors will not appear until the piece has cooled slowly over night in a special oven.

The process begins when the Gaffer gets a glob of molten glass from an oven holding about 300 lbs of molten glass at 2100 degrees Fahrenheit.(This shot was from the inside stage)

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

He spins the glass as the blow tube rests on a bench. At this point he has already blown a small puff of air to form the initial bubble. He uses the wooden bowl in his right hand to round and shape the glass.

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

Here he has elongated the glass and is blowing more air to expand the size.

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

He is now shaping the glass using damp newspaper of all things

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

He is now adding some cobalt blue glass to form the base. It looks red in its current molten state.

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

Now he is shaping and expanding the lip of the pitcher usnig a special set of tongs.

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

He is making the finishing touches having added the handle and a bead of cobalt glass around the lip of the pitcher. He will soon separate the piece from the rod, and the assistant will place it in the special cooling oven.

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

Here are some examples of their work from previous days

From 07-09 Corning Glass Museum

Do plan a visit to the Corning Museum if you are ever in the central New York region. Give yourself a full day.