Tag Archives: Corning

Making Ideas: Peter Sís

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This past summer, we invited designers featured in Making Ideas: Experiments in Design at GlassLab to come to the Museum for public design performances. Illustrator Peter Sís had never worked in glass when he arrived in Corning for his June design session. “I did animation but I never was able to create things in space, and here, it’s fascinating to see that these things are working in the third dimension. Somehow you feel the object and it’s completely inspiring – and magic – I would say.”

Peter Sis at GlassLab in Corning, June 12 - 13

Peter Sís works with gaffers Chris Rochelle and Aaron Jack at GlassLab in Corning, June 12 - 13

Sís chose to use illustrations from his most recent book project, The Conference of the Birds, to create 3D vessels. The result was a series of whimsical birds, cats, and flying fish that reflect the recurring characters in his work.

Creating a design in hot glass by Peter Sis at GlassLab

Creating a design by Peter Sis in hot glass

“I like the idea that the Museum is forward-thinking and inspirational,” Sís said of his experience. Embracing the concept of prototyping ideas, Sís already has inspiration for future projects. “I wish I had had more time to integrate more complicated techniques such as graphic elements… I was just touching the surface of possibilities and connection to my two dimensional work.”

Design sketch and finished prototypes by Peter Sis for GlassLab

Design sketch and finished prototypes by Peter Sís for GlassLab

“Glasslab was an interesting experience,” Sís said. “It was fun to see how quickly they could take my sketches and decide how to proceed and how to translate my ideas into glass.” More images from this summer’s design performances, as well as designer bios, process videos, design drawings, prototypes and more are available on the web-based GlassLab app at cmog.org/glasslab. 

Making Ideas: Experiments in Design at GlassLab is on view at the Museum through January 6, 2013.

Local Student Creativity Takes Center Stage at the Annual Corning/Painted Post Student Art Show

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Each spring, the Museum is proud to showcase the creativity and talent of local students through the Annual Student Art Show. This year alone, the artwork of over 2200 students in elementary, middle and high schools in the Corning/Painted Post area is on display in the Museum’s Auditorium. While the process to plan the show begins in January, area students excitedly anticipate the art show as soon as the school year begins each fall. I sat down with Louise Maio, Public Programs Planner for the Museum and organizer of the student art show for almost forty years, to learn a little bit more about this annual event.

Tammy and Louise

Louise (right) and Tammy (left) organized the 2012 Student Art Show.

Throughout the school year, teachers from the thirteen participating area schools are asked to select works from their students to be included in the show. The week of the opening, these teachers are invited to help hang the show and place all the artwork from their schools on specially designed boards.

Local art teachers

Local art teachers are invited to help hang the student artwork.

The Auditorium is a flurry of activity the week before the opening, as everyone prepares for the event and works to display each piece. The day of the opening, students and their families, along with area teachers and administrators, are invited to an opening ceremony, where each participating student receives a signed certificate, congratulating them on having their work included. Several special works are also chosen to grace the cover of the program, poster and invitations for the show. These are framed and presented at the ceremony.

Glass awards

This year, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners were presented with blue glass stars.

Over the years, as the number of participating schools and students has grown, Louise has worked to add other awards to the program. Middle and high school works are currently judged in twenty different media categories by invited judges from the community. For the first time this year, the medals awarded are made of glass. This year judges awarded 208 blue glass stars for first, second and third place.

Another special part of the ceremony is the awarding of scholarships to local seniors who are looking to pursue art in college. Having organized the student art show for many years, Louise enjoys seeing a familiar name win the scholarship, as she as seen the student’s work change and grow over the years as they participated in the show.

When asked about her favorite part of the Student Art Show, Louise describes seeing the pride and excitement on each child’s face as they take their parents to see their work. “The students love the opening,” Louise explains, as she emphasizes the goal of the show; to give recognition and encouragement to each young artist.

A view of the finished show

A view of the finished show.

The Annual Student Art Show is on display in the Museum’s Auditorium through May 9th. Check out more photos of the show installation on our Flickr stream.

Hot Shop in a Box

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The Corning Museum of Glass blows glass around the world: on the decks of Celebrity Cruise ships, on several stages at The Corning Museum of Glass, and on mobile stages at venues around the world. One of the programs we offer is GlassLab, which brings top designers together with our glassmakers to explore and prototype designs in glass.

Recently, architect Paul Haigh worked with us to put our hot shop in a box that can be shipped around the world. This robust, fully equipped glassblowing demonstration stage fits into a twenty foot shipping container. The container arrives on site on the back of a trailer which is moved as close to the final location as possible. The container has four large hydraulic legs, one at each corner; the legs extend outwards past the width of the trailer and then extend downwards eventually lifting the container off of the trailer.

If it’s necessary to move the trailer further, gigantic casters are fitted into the ends of the hydraulic legs and the container is rolled to its final location.  Weight-spreading feet are attached to the legs when it’s at its final location.

The trailer has small doors at either end and twin larger doors on the side. The twin doors are opened so that the container will form the back portion of the stage. The trailer contains everything necessary for glassblowing. There is a gas distribution system which can use either natural gas or propane. There is an electrical distribution panel. The actual equipment can be modified to suit the location. Generally there is a gas fired melting furnace of 130 pounds.  The container can accommodate up to two gloryholes. 

There is also an annealer, an iron warmer and a place to heat color bar.  The stage in the front can be built to suit the location: typically it is 24 feet wide and 16 out from the trailer.

The container has room for a canopy, spare parts, glassblowing tools and supplies, tools to repair the equipment and a sound system.  The big advantage of the container is that it is easy to ship.  It has been lashed to the deck of cargo ships and shipped across the Atlantic.  It has been hauled by trucks both in North America and Europe. It has been lifted into place with a crane.  This system is extremely flexible and will allow glassblowing in locations which were previously impossible or impractical.

The GlassLab container stage debuted at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany, during the Art Basel 2010 fair. Check out our YouTube videos to see designers like Wendell Castle, Max Lamb, Sigga Heimis and Jeff Zimmerman working on the new hotshop.

Photographing Glass at the Museum

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Andy Fortune Photographing Venetian Object

 

You may think taking a picture is easy, but when glass is involved, every little detail counts. 

We need pictures of our objects for many uses, including promotion, publications, lectures, and archival documentation. When the Museum acquires a new piece of glass or when someone notes a need for an image of a particular piece, the Registrar’s department carefully delivers the object to the Photography department. 

Our photographers then closely examine it to determine if it is something that they can safely clean (no finger prints–all objects need to be squeaky clean for their photo ops!). If it needs extensive cleaning or more serious attention, it is shipped back to the Museum for some TLC from one of our conservators. 

Nick Williams Photographing Venetian Object

Once it is sparkling clean, the photographers decide on the type of background to use in order to best display the piece. Most of our object images have a transmitted white or solid black background, but some have different colors to effectively show any subtle nuances. At this point, they also decide what type of lighting to use to achieve the best result, reflecting the light just so to play off the glass’ natural properties. All of this is then fine-tuned based on what they see on the monitor throughout the digital capture process. 

Search our Collections Browser to find your favorite object image!

Eric Goldschmidt Brings Flameworking on the Road

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Flameworking on WSYR

Eric Goldshmidt Flameworking on WSYR with Designer Thom Filicia

 

Eric Goldschmidt, the Museum’s flameworker, goes on the road to help tell the region about glass and the Museum’s activities. In 2009, he traveled to Syracuse, Buffalo, Toronto, and Binghamton a few times to share his flameworking skills on TV.

Watch as Eric turns a design by Thom Filicia into a delicate glass object on Bridge Street News/WSYR.