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Virtual Journeys into our Collection: Thoughts from a Glassmaker

This recurring blog series will feature virtual gallery walks with staff members from The Corning Museum of Glass. Everyone at our Museum interacts with the collection in different ways depending on the job they do and the perspective they bring. Hear from fascinating people and learn about their favorite objects as they provide a virtual peek at some of the treasures in our collection—and make plans to come see them in person when we reopen! This first comes from Eric Meek, senior manager of hot glass programs.

One of the great things about being a glassmaker is the opportunity to live with beautiful objects. Over the years I have made many things that I chose to keep around because they turn out particularly well or are especially beautiful. As time passes, however, they take on a new life.

The intensity of glassmaking demands that you are fully present in the creative moment. Because of this, the things I’ve made over the years have come to represent that moment when they were made. When I look at them, I see not only the beauty of the object, but I reflect on that time and how I have evolved and changed since. My aesthetic has changed, my family has changed, my skills and world view have changed, but the glass is the same. That piece can take me back just like a cherished family photo.

At The Corning Museum of Glass, I work around the best collection of glass in the world. The objects aren’t mine, but I can’t help but view them with that “creative moment” in mind. I could never make a list of favorite objects from the Museum collection, but I would like to share a few that I connect with and that always speak to me when I see them.

The Corning Museum of Glass has lost one of its warmest, kindest smiles. It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of our own Victor Alexander Nemard, who died suddenly on March 17, 2020. He was 61.

Victor joined the Museum in 1996 and began his career as a buyer for the Museum Shops, which was known as the Glass Market at the time, before taking the reins as Senior Manager, a post he held for more than 20 years.

In that time, Victor oversaw two major renovations. The first was an expansive redesign of the retail space during the Museum’s 2001 renovation, which created one of the largest museum gift shops in the United States with eight boutiques devoted to various glass shopping experiences. The second came in 2015-2016 with the redesign and renaming of The Shops in conjunction with the opening of the new Contemporary Art + Design Galleries, creating the world-class retail experience we know and love today.

Walking through The Shops, Victor’s presence was felt in every small detail. From the seasonal bouquets and decorations to the visionary strategy that makes The Shops unique. And if you were lucky, you might have found Victor slowly walking the aisles, his hands clasped behind his back, carefully looking at the displays, the positioning of a piece of glass and the way the light fell on it, or the way a glass-beaded scarf was draped across a hanger. He was a quiet, ever-smiling presence and if you found him ruminating in this way, he was always one to stop, to talk, and ask you how you were.

CMoG Keeps You Busy: Things You Can Do at Home

Are you at home and in need of new sources of inspiration? Have you already exhausted your to-do list of house projects, cleaned the kitchen multiple times, finished several books, and asked everyone you know what’s good on Netflix? Well, don’t worry, The Corning Museum of Glass has some fresh ideas for you and the whole family.

We’ve searched our blog archive for a selection of unique things you can do from the comfort of your own home while still practicing social distancing, so let’s see what’s on the agenda for today.

Perhaps it’s time you dusted off all the old Pyrex you have stored away in various cupboards and hidden in the attic and gave everything a thorough clean.

Read this blog about how to correctly clean your Pyrex collection and restore everything to its former glory. Maybe you’ll want to start baking afterward!

No Better Time to Edit Wikipedia

Whether you’re a researcher looking through citations for primary sources or someone who looked up one topic and fell into a black hole of reading articles all day, Wikipedia is a trusted source of information, and for good reason. As the tenth most visited web site in the world, Wikipedia helps you find details on almost anything you might want to research. However, only 10% of Wikipedia’s editors identify as female. With less representation, it’s harder to find well-written, detailed articles on women on the site. Art + Feminism, a non-profit dedicated to increasing the representation of women on Wikipedia, has hosted Wikipedia edit-a-thons worldwide since 2014 to try and reverse this trend. By training new and diverse editors, Art + Feminism aims to both increase and improve the pages about women in the arts.

The Corning Museum of Glass has taken part in this initiative since 2016 through our annual Wikipedia edit-a-thons at the Rakow Research Library. As the world’s foremost library dedicated to all things glass, we want to showcase women who work with glass in all its facets, from design to science to art. This year, we collaborated with our sister museum across the river, The Rockwell Museum, to edit and create Wikipedia articles related to women in The Rockwell’s collection as they acquire work only by women artists in 2020.

Connect with The Corning Museum of Glass from your Couch: A Guide to our Digital Offerings

Dear blog readers,  

We are in the midst of an unprecedented moment for museums and cultural institutions across the country. With widespread closures due to COVID-19, our most direct way to reach the public is no longer a viable option. We are all doing what we can to make sure the visitors who would normally walk through our doors know that they can still engage with us from the comfort of their homes. 

Currently, The Corning Museum of Glass is closed, and all scheduled classes, events, and programs are canceled until further notice. It’s vital that we do our part to promote social distancing and limit the spread of COVID-19. And while you’re doing your part to stick close to home, we know you’ll be in need of some educational entertainment.  

With our vast and myriad collection of online resources, we’ve got you covered. 

The Studio announces 2020 Residencies

Today, The Studio announced the 2020 Artists-in-Residence recipients: twelve artists from around the world who will each spend one month at The Studio researching and experimenting with new techniques to further their work. Included in this group is the first recipient of the newly established Burke Residency created in partnership between The Studio and the Museum of Art and Design (MAD). Additionally, two artists and two scholars have been selected for the David Whitehouse Research Residency for Artists and the David Whitehouse Research Residency for Scholars, respectively. These recipients will spend up to three weeks in the Rakow Library utilizing the vast holdings to inform their practice or area of research. During their time in Corning, each resident will provide a public Lunchtime Lecture describing their inspirations and work at The Studio and the Rakow Library.

New this year: The Burke Residency

The Corning Museum of Glass is going MAD! In partnership with the Museum of Art and Design, The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass is introducing the Burke Residency. This residency will enable one artist from the Burke Prize exhibition at MAD to use the facilities and resources at The Studio to further their artistic exploration. The first recipient of the Burke Residency is Lauren Kalman, a contemporary American visual artist from Detroit, Michigan. Her residency will begin on April 30.

The Corning Museum of Glass is thrilled to share news of an exciting collaboration on the forthcoming Netflix series, Blown Away, which will bring the art and beauty of glassblowing to television screens around the world. A visually compelling process often described as “mesmerizing” and “captivating,” glassblowing has never been the subject of any major TV programming—until now.

The art glass competition show created by Marblemedia, an award-winning entertainment company based in Toronto, Canada, Blown Away features a group of 10 highly skilled glassmakers from North America creating beautiful works of art that are assessed by a panel of expert judges. One artist is eliminated each episode until a winner is announced in the tenth and final episode. A co-production with Blue Ant Media of Toronto, Blown Away will air on the Makeful channel in Canada before coming to the Netflix platform worldwide later this year.