Current Exhibitions
Interested in learning more about current and upcoming exhibitions?
Entry to all exhibitions is included in the cost of admission.
Medieval Glass for Popes, Princes, and Peasants
May 15, 2010 - January 2, 2011
Changing Exhibitions Gallery
The phrase “medieval glass” evokes images of stained glass windows. But there is another world of medieval glass: objects made for daily use. This is the first exhibition in the United States devoted to glass made for the use of peasants, princes, and popes in the Middle Ages.
The Middle Ages lasted from the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century AD to the rise of the Renaissance in the 15th century. During this period, Europe was transformed: from a complex society administered from cities to scattered rural communities and back again; from an empire-wide economy to small-scale exchange systems that over the centuries evolved into international networks of trade; and from a world that abandoned advanced technology, then regrouped and built the architectural marvels of the Renaissance.
Glassmaking, too, was transformed. After the fall of Rome, all but the simplest techniques were forgotten. But, over the centuries, the quality, quantity, and repertoire of glassware increased. In the later Middle Ages, local products were joined by luxurious glasses imported from the Islamic world and, by the 15th century, the stage was set for the golden age of Venetian glassmaking. > more
Drawings for American Stained Glass
May 17 - December 31, 2010
Rakow Research Library
Stained glass windows became popular in the Middle Ages as a way to dazzle the eye and illustrate Bible stories for a largely illiterate society. This tradition continued into the modern period, but stained glass also increasingly embraced secular themes and portrayed purely abstract aesthetics. American stained glass reflected this shift, illustrating uniquely American themes, including the lives of New World saints, the colonization of the Western Hemisphere, and the conversion of native peoples. In this exhibition, drawings from the Rakow Library’s collection illustrate the incredible diversity of style and subject matter used by American stained glass studios in the 19th and 20th centuries. > more
Masters of Studio Glass: Jiří Harcuba
March 27 - October 31, 2010
West Bridge
Czech artist Jiří Harcuba is a widely respected engraver and teacher internationally known for his portraits in engraved glass. For the exhibition at Corning, Harcuba requested that only three pieces from the Museum’s collection be displayed; the artist chose to pare down and simplify the presentation of his work to three objects which, he believes, reveal the essence, or soul, of his work.
The objects Harcuba has selected for his exhibition include the double portraits of prominent Czech playwright, poet, and political dissident Václav Havel and accomplished painter and sculptor in glass and mixed media Vladimír Kopecký that he created in 1995 for the Museum’s Rakow Commission. The third object depicts a personality famous in glass history: the Bohemian engraver Dominik Biemann (1800–1858). > more
Voices of Contemporary Glass: The Heineman Collection
May 16, 2009 – January 2, 2011
Contemporary Glass Gallery and Changing Exhibitions Gallery
Voices of Contemporary Glass showcases the 240 objects, by 87 international artists, that constitute the Museum’s recently acquired Heineman Collection. The exhibition will present the collection in the historical context of international studio glass, and focus on the accomplishments and “voices” of individual artists. Artists in the collection include Howard Ben Tré, Dale Chihuly, Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, Harvey Littleton, Klaus Moje, and Toots Zynsky. > more
Tiffany Treasures: Favrile Glass from Special Collections
November 1, 2009 - October 31, 2010
West Bridge
This exhibit will include a selection of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s blown glass, designed by Tiffany and made at his glasshouse in Corona, New York between about 1895 and 1920. He gave the glass the name “Favrile”, which was derived from the old English “fabrile” meaning hand-wrought. These blown glass pieces, many of which were iridescent as well as irregular in form, became popular with the public very quickly and inspired many other glass designers. > more
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