During this summer, I went to The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY; it was an amazing and enjoyable experience. I saw beautiful and exquisite artworks that were entirely made of glass. The glass works were blown, slumped, fused, etched, sand blasted, and more. There was a large amount of time and effort dedicated to these artworks, and it was displayed through the intricate and beautiful detailing work present in the art.
About the Museum
There was a vast amount of artwork and exhibits at corning, along with live demonstrations on how the art was made. At the museum, the dates of the work ranged from 150 BCE to present day modern, contemporary art. I was astounded to see glass work from Greece, Rome, and Mesopotamia. Their work was highly detailed and refined showing a great amount of knowledge pertaining to the craft. The modern and contemporary art was may favorite. This art held the most narrative and had the strongest impact on the viewer.
In depth look
“While You Are Sleeping” by Christina Bothwell has a ghost-like image of a young girl leaving her own body. In my interpretation of the piece, I imagine a young girl drifting off into her final sleep, that she will never awake from. The spirit of the girl is free from the earth bond body and is just raising to view the new world she has discovered. The information provided on artwork said, “Christina Bothwell combines ceramic and glass in her sculpture to make visible the idea that we are souls housed in skin bodies. The representation of the soul, or ‘light body,’ is especially well suited to glass because one of the material’s most powerful properties is that it holds light in its mass, just as the spirit is held in the physical body.” I only expressed two of the interpretations of the piece, but you should view the art for yourself to truly experience and be impacted by it.
While I was a Corning Glass, I took a “make your own glass” workshop and will discuss it in my next post. Also I highly recommend experiencing Corning Glass yourself; it is a great time.
