The only words I can use to describe The Corning Museum of Glass are so overused that I’m embarrassed to say it is awesome, epic and fascinating. It is awesome, epic and fascinating. Period. It is worth a trip and the only downside for me was that we could have returned for a second day and had to move on. I don’t think that even two days would be enough to see all the interesting things on display. We started with a demonstration of glassblowing and moved upstairs to the historic glass displays. It is astounding to see glass pieces more than 2000 years old. Its history is:
It was founded in 1951 by Corning Glass Works not as a showcase for the company or its products but as a non-profit institution that preserves and expands the world’s understanding of glass. When the Museum opened to the public in 1951, it contained a significant collection of glass and glass-related books and documents: there were 2,000 objects, five staff members, and a research library, housed in a low, glass-walled building designed by Harrison & Abramovitz. This building was part of the for-profit Corning Glass Center complex, which also included an auditorium for the community, a Hall of Science showcasing the technology of glass, and a windowed wall behind which guests could watch glassworking in the Steuben factory.