Corning Museum of Glass

Often incorporating traditional techniques blended into a contemporary vision, Jeff Mack crafts his work to not only highlight his personal expression, but to bring forward the actual process of glassmaking. “I love the diversity of the material, the way that it’s made and manufactured, and the teamwork aspect,” Mack said. “I love working directly with glass, and at the same time, I am fascinated by the history of the material; exploring its many uses for art, industry, architecture, and everything in between.” His work ranges from intimate vessels and sculptures to public artworks.

Mack originally attended Bowling Green State University for graphic design, but fell in love with glassblowing and instead earned BFA in glass in 1996. He has since worked as a master glassblower, factory stem maker, artist's assistant, and gaffer for internationally-recognized artists. He has keen interests in historic glassmaking techniques, having studied Murano glass with various Venetian and Muranese glass artists, and has devoted much of his study and work in glass to this topic. He has taught extensively, demonstrated internationally, and his work can be found in galleries and collections throughout the world. In 2015, he joined The Corning Museum of Glass as the Hot Glass programs supervisor and has traveled extensively with the Museum through numerous outreach engagements.

Having both taken and taught classes at The Studio, Mack completed an Instructor Collaborative Residency with Laura Donefer in September 2012. Together, they worked to imitate classic vessel shapes in the Museum’s collection, adding crazy “Doneferian” twists, loading them with texture and pattern. “For me as a glass artist, the Museum is a special, almost sacred place,” said Mack. “It is a temple for sharing the knowledge and the practice of glassmaking at its deepest level.”