The Corning Museum of Glass, founded in 1951, houses the world’s largest collection of glass, spanning from ancient times to the present, with over 50,000 artifacts.
Author: Hristina Mikić
At the end of last year, the United Nations International Commission on Glass, which is responsible for celebrating the International Year of Glass, announced seven world wonders in glass. One of these wonders is the world’s most famous glass museum, located in Corning. This town of just 10,000 residents in New York State has historically been a center for glass and crystal production, a title it still holds today. Corning Incorporated is one of the leading companies in optical glass innovation and the founder of the Corning Museum of Glass.
Corning was first settled at the end of the 18th century and became a village by the mid-19th century. It later grew into a town in 1890, largely due to the development of the glass industry. The historical parallels between Corning and Paraćin are notable: in both towns, the glass industry flourished because of good transportation links, abundant timber, and a river that provided power for the factories.
At the end of last year, the United Nations International Commission on Glass announced seven world wonders of glass. One of these wonders is the world’s most famous glass museum, located in Corning, a town of just 10,000 residents.
Kristalni grad
Corning quickly became known as the “Crystal City” by becoming home to the most famous manufacturers of cut crystal. Corning Glass Works was a factory producing hand-blown glass and ceramics, playing a central role in the town’s development. The factory originally started in Brooklyn but moved to Corning in 1868, gaining 149 years of fame for producing light bulbs, optical fibers, hollow glass, and Steuben art glass. The town is named after Erastus Corning, a politician, industrialist, and investor. At age 13, he trained as an iron merchant in his uncle’s store and later founded his own company, Corning, which dealt in iron, railroad rails, and rolling stock, and became one of the key investors in the local glass industry.1
1.See for more: Neu, I, (1960). Erastus Corning: Merchant and Financier, 1794–1872. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press; Mikić, H., Jovičić, S. (2025) Budućnost studijskog stakla u: Mikić, H. ur. Staklo: nasleđe, umetnost, kreativna ekonomija, tehnologija, Paraćin : Beograd: Institut za kreativno preduzetništvo i inovacije i Fondacija za razvoj ekonomske nauke
The Corning Museum of Glass was established in 1951 as a gift to the nation from the Corning Company, which originated from the legacy of the local glass factory. It houses the world’s largest collection of glass, spanning from ancient times to the present, with over 50,000 artifacts, a glass studio, and the most renowned research library for glass studies. The museum employs about 230 people, including curators, artists, technicians, and glass designers, with annual revenues of approximately $47 million. The Rakow Library, established through a bequest from the Rakow family, is now the largest center for glass research. Each year, promising researchers can receive fellowships to spend time in Corning conducting glass-related research. American Style magazine named Corning one of the best art destinations among small towns in the United States. It is no wonder that this small town attracts around 800,000 visitors annually, all coming to see and create their own “glass wonder.”
The birthplace of innovation
The Glass Studio, an integral part of the museum, is also its biggest attraction. It was established in 1996 on the site of the old Corning Company product testing laboratory. Renowned glass artists Amy Schwartz and Bill Gudenrath were invited to design educational programs for artists, students, and visitors, as well as to create a new creative force for the development of Corning and its surrounding area.
The studio is known for its excellent facilities, dedicated and knowledgeable staff, and a strong commitment to all participants, whether beginners or professional artists. It offers significant opportunities and experiences for glass artists and students at all skill levels. In recent years, the studio has focused on making glassmaking more sustainable, with green energy now covering about 30 percent of its needs.
Amy Schwartz, Director of the Glass Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass
Spanning nearly 10,000 square meters, the studio serves as a leading center of excellence in glass for artists, creative entrepreneurs, and the general public. Visitors can learn techniques in cold, hot, and fused glass; experiment with traditional glass-shaping methods; study etching, engraving, and polishing; create hobbyist pieces; watch live glass demonstrations; attend master classes in glass design; and practice glass pressing. Over its 28 years of operation, the studio has become the most renowned international center for originality and a key destination for hand-crafted art glass and education. The studio also provides artists with the infrastructure to produce their own commercial collections, and partnerships with leading American glass design schools support its broad educational mission.
GlassLab is a program focused on exploring glass materials and processes, allowing artists and designers to shape new glass forms, enhance the functionality of glass, or create innovative artistic and design expressions. The program operates by invitation, giving participants the opportunity to investigate the very concept of glass and its technical possibilities, while collaborating with glassmakers to develop prototypes of their ideas. The enduring popularity and demand for various glass design programs led to an ambitious plan to expand the studio. A capital investment of over $50 million aims to push the boundaries of the Corning Museum of Glass and open new avenues of activity, largely through living heritage and glass art. The goal is to establish an environmentally sustainable hand-blown glass production and the premier center for glass education.
The project will expand gallery space for glass demonstrations to accommodate 120 visitors, build large furnace facilities unique in North America for creating monumental glass sculptures, and increase capacity for artist residency programs. Economic analyses from a few years ago showed that the museum generates approximately $53 million in additional annual revenue for the Corning area, with projections estimating that the new investment will bring an additional $7 million in revenue. In fact, this small town owes much of its economic growth to the glass industry led by Corning Incorporated and its museum, while also demonstrating how creative approaches to glass can create new opportunities for the local community.
The most famous American glass brand: Steuben Glass
Steuben art glass is a line of functional, decorative, and artistic crystal glass products produced and sold under the management of the Corning Museum of Glass in its Glass Studio. The small crystal glass workshop, Steuben Glass Works, was founded in 1903 by master glassmaker Frederick Carder, who produced colored and art glass, and Thomas Hawkes, owner of a glass engraving studio. The workshop was named after the Steuben region, where Corning is located. In 1918, the manufactory was incorporated into Corning Glass Works. Steuben crystal became widely known in 1933 for its unique crystal-melting formula and exceptional clarity, which allowed the creation of crystal objects with outstanding light transmission and refraction. GlassLab is a program focused on exploring glass materials and processes, allowing artists and designers to shape new glass forms, enhance the functionality of glass, or create innovative artistic and design expressions. The program operates by invitation, giving participants the opportunity to investigate the concept of glass and its technical possibilities while collaborating with glassmakers to develop prototypes of their ideas.
In 1940, the Steuben glass workshop organized a major exhibition featuring 27 artists, inviting legendary figures such as Henri Matisse, Salvador Dalí, Isamu Noguchi, Giorgio de Chirico, Grant Wood, and others to create sculptures in crystal.
Steuben crystal was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1938, featuring a bowl engraved with gazelles. At the 1939 New York World’s Fair, the company exhibited modernist glass pieces that became icons of modern glass design and have remained the brand’s signature products to this day. Focusing on artistic innovation in crystal, the company organized a major exhibition in 1940 featuring 27 glass artists, inviting legendary figures such as Henri Matisse, Salvador Dalí, Isamu Noguchi, Giorgio de Chirico, Grant Wood, and others to create sculptural works in crystal. All these pieces became part of the Corning Museum of Glass collection, which also included a crystal workshop where glassmaking techniques were demonstrated.
Collaboration with artists continued, expanding the Steuben collection to showcase the potential of crystal for sculpture. Alongside these experimental activities, the company continued producing luxury tableware, vases, bowls, and other functional and decorative crystal objects. In 1953, the company presented 150 crystal pieces at the major Louvre exhibition Art of Glass. Various exhibitions of crystal art followed, and the company’s greatest innovation emerged in the mid-1950s, when engraving began to be used as an integral part of sculptural forms in crystal.
Steuben crystal has, throughout its history, adorned the residences of many statesmen, been exchanged among diplomats, and featured in various international events, establishing a lasting legacy of cultural heritage. As a result, it became the most significant American crystal of the 20th century. The first collection of vintage crystal pieces, called Steuben Heritage, celebrated iconic classical crystal products and early designer skills, particularly highlighting the technique of controlled bubble placement in crystal (in the Paraćin factory, this technique was known as “antique” and applied to ordinary glass).
In 2008, the manufactory was purchased by a luxury retail chain, with Corning retaining only partial ownership. A few years later, plans to close production prompted Corning to repurchase the factory to preserve American crystal heritage. In 2015, the Steuben crystal factory was transformed into a new hot glass studio, where examples of this crystal are still produced and sold as part of the museum.
Reference
- Mikić, H. (2024). Svetsko čudo na staklenim nogama, bukvalno, Novi magazin br. 668.
- Mikić, H., Jovičić, S. (2025) Budućnost studijskog stakla u: Mikić, H. ur. Staklo: nasleđe, umetnost, kreativna ekonomija, tehnologija, Paraćin : Beograd: Institut za kreativno preduzetništvo i inovacije i Fondacija za razvoj ekonomske nauke
- Neu, I, (1960). Erastus Corning: Merchant and Financier, 1794–1872. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
- Stouben https://www.steuben.com
- Corning, New York
- Corning Museum of Glass, New York: Case study
Ovaj tekst nastao je u okviru projekta izrada Preliminarne tehničke procene za zaštitu, očuvanje i revitalizaciju paraćinskog staklarstva. Navedena mišljenja, nalazi i zaključci su mišljenje autora i ne odražavaju nužno stav Ambasade Sjedinjenih Američkih Država.
