Corning Museum of Glass

Chris Rochelle’s path as a glass artist traces back to Hartwick College, where he studied sculpture and painting. The school’s small glass program gave him his first taste of working with this unique medium. Upon graduation, he apprenticed in a studio in Western Massachusetts. For a decade he did production work, including spending several years as a gaffer at the Steuben Glass factory in Corning, N.Y.

In 2009, Rochelle became a gaffer for The Corning Museum of Glass. He provides live glassmaking demonstrations at the Museum and around the world on the Museum’s Hot Glass Roadshow. He also works with the Museum’s GlassLab design program, prototyping objects for international designers.

Rochelle continues to explore his own artistic vision through the creative glassmaking process. He enjoys the constant, steady focus that forming the material demands. "In much of my artwork, I find myself attempting to make order out of chaos … like taking a snapshot of something that is in constant change. With glass, I thrive on the constant attention it demands to push the boundary between fluid and solid state."