Corning Museum of Glass worth the visit
First, don’t confuse Corning, NY with Corning, CA. Corning CA was named after a railroad official, and is a small rural town best known for agriculture and olive oil. Corning NY is home to Corning Inc., formerly know as Corning Glass Works.
The company began in 1851 producing specialized glass, before focusing more on research, development and ultimately divesting itself of the popular Corning Ware and Pyrex divisions to focus on fiber optics.
The museum is open daily, and provides trolley service from the parking lot to the door for those who can’t make the short, flat walk. The ticket price varies depending on your category. I only paid $16 as a 55+ :)
What do solar butterfly chandeliers, descending knives and chess sets made with Catholic and Jewish pieces have in common? They are all beautiful pieces of art with a social message in the contemporary section of the Corning Museum of Glass. The chandelier by Jeroen Verhoveven had a central large “light bulb” that was powered by beautiful blue butterflies, cut from solar tiles, that appeared to be flying around the bulb. The installation of the white glass knives hanging perilously above small glass houses gave the reminder that we are not always safe in our homes, and the chess set was a masterpiece of glass by an Italian Jewish artist who pondered the two faiths by creating the competing chess pieces in religious imagery.
The museum was also a treasure trove of historical glass, and highlighted the classic era of etched glass in Corning, NY and the world. The opulence of Baccarat, the dresses made from glass, the ornate punch bowls and serving sets were a throwback to an aristocratic era.
Glass became affordable, and although mass produced, still managed to be beautiful and functional. The museum highlight inventors and scientists whose work with glass went far beyond the ornamental. Think car windshields, TV and computer screens, fiber optic cables, windows, and space craft.
The museum’s gift shop had a great selection of local artists, or artists from New England, that were indeed splurge worthy if you aren’t traveling and currently living in a 26 foot RV!
The building itself is a work of art, and the history and beauty of the collections are definitely worth a detour if you are in upstate NY.
