Harry Allen Design Diary

Summer Excursion #1: Corning Museum of Glass

I’ve been doing some glass research and it brought me to the Corning Museum of Glass in early July. I’ve featured the CMoG in my Design Diary before, but now there is more reason to visit than ever. The new wing they just added is gorgeous, and it houses the modern art collection that looks better than ever. The centerpiece of the renovation is an etherial white building by Thomas Phifer and Partners (above).

It’s white glass facade features windows of semi transparent glass. Its a great effect when one looks outside, and I am sure it has functional purposes to keep out direct light. And the interior is a beautiful light space also, with lots of natural light that comes in through the cement beams.

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Its a great space to view the collection. Including a wide variety of artists, not just glassblowers, like Tony Cragg.

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Kiki Smith

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and Robert Rauchenberg

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One of my favorite aspects of the new space are the impossibly thin Gorilla Glass partitions that surround the freestanding sculptures.

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Next Door the old Steuben factory building has been repurposed as a state-of the-art Hot Glass Show theater. It’s dark space makes a nice contrast to the all-white modern art wing.

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My last stop at CMoG is always the amazing supermarket sized museum shop where they sell everything glass, and where I spotted these pieces cast from bubble wrap by Chris Taylor. I couldn’t part with the cash on this day, but I predict one will soon be in my glass collection.

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