Day 3: Corning Museum of Glass, Corning

Dale Chihuly Glass Sculpture

Corning Museum of Glass

The last day of our trip takes us just over to the other side of town from where we are staying.  The Corning Museum of Glass was founded in 1951 on the 100th anniversary of the Corning Glass Works Co. It underwent two major renovations - in 1978 and 2001 - in response to its ever-expanding collections and a major flood in 1972 that damaged close to 13,000 objects (source: Wikipedia). Today, the museum houses over 45,000 glass objects, many over 3,500 years old.

The Museum, initially a company manufacturing glass, originated in Massachusetts, as the Bay State Glass Company. Its founder, Amory Houghton, relocated the company to Brooklyn, New York, in 1851, subsequently changing its name to the Brooklyn Flint Glass Company. In 1868, the company once again re-located, this time to Corning, New York, where it has been ever since. From 1868 to 1989 it was known as the Corning Glass Works, at which point it became Corning Incorporated (source: Wikipedia).

I was surprised to discover Corning Incorporated's size and reach. In the late 90s, it divested itself of many of its well-known homeware lines, such as Corningware, Corelle, and Pyrex, and expanded its research and development sectors. Since 2008, it has been involved in the creation of state-of-the-art instruments for industries including technology, the environment, the sciences, and telecommunications. It is a publicly-traded company with over $8 billion (2012 figures) in revenues and over $29 billion in assets (source: Wikipedia).

The Museum is divided into five main galleries, one of which is subdivided into smaller galleries, based on the category of glass displayed (e.g., glass from specific areas of the world, glass from different time periods, glass as functional objects). Other galleries include those named after donors who have contributed extensive personal collections, now incorporated into the Museum's holdings. One is a study gallery that functions as open storage for surplus objects, and, starting in March 2015, a new wing will open, exhibiting the contemporary glass collections, some of which have never been seen, due to space restrictions. In addition to the exhibition galleries, the Museum also houses a studio, where glass-making courses are taught, workshops conducted, and artist-in residence programs administered. Of note is the Innovation Center, a space dedicated to interactive stations that teach about the nature, composition, and evolution of glass (source: Corning Museum of Glass website). 

In light of our limited experiences with glass - mainly as functional objects used in the home - Greg and I are struck by its different iterations, especially in its role as a medium for artistic expression. Like other art media, glass is remarkably versatile and can be used to depict both representational and abstract ideas. Among the notable objects I see are the enormous, amorphous sculptures of contemporary artist Dale Chihuly; the modernist functional objects of Marcel Breuer, Rene Lalique, and Gerrit Reitveld; and the stunning masterpieces of the Renaissance Venetian glass masters.

 

In additiont to exhibition spaces, the Museum has a large giftshop selling a comprehensive array of books, clothing, and glassware from around the world. We lunch on a wide selection of healthy food in the airy, efficiently functioning cafeteria, before heading home, much impressed with the Museum's collections, on-going projects, and commitment to the small community of Corning, New York.

Click here to see Corning Museum of Glass slideshow