My mother got a job with a fully owned subsidiary of Corning Glass Works (original maker of Corningware and Corelle) when I was pretty young. Then Corning merged the company she worked with into itself, and moved the offices to Corning, New York when I was grown.
So she moved to Corning and I stayed in Louisville, where I met my late husband and lived happily ever after until July 1, 2020.
ANYWAY, I visited Corning often, and Charlie and the girls and I visited once or twice a year until Mom retired and came to live next to us. One of the things we always did was visit the Corning Museum of Glass, which is a place of education and sheer wonder.
So, when I saw Netflix had a competition show about glass-blowing, I was on it like a duck on a June bug.
It’s called Blown Away, and it works a bit like The Great British Baking Show only not. It starts with ten glass artists who are given a brief and turned loose to interpret it as they please and make an original piece of blown glass art. Every week, there’s a winner and one who is out.
The winner gets $60,000 and — wait for it — a fellowship at the Corning Museum of Art.
It’s riveting, fascinating, nail-biting, heart-breaking, and fabulous. Highly recommended.
My nails this week are simple, featuring two new polishes and a new plate.
A WRITING PROMPT FROM ME TO YOU: Write about glass.
MA
Susan Fischbach Isaacs
November 30, 2020 at 8:41amI’ve been to that museum only once. Gorgeous, to say the least. I’ll have to check out that Netflix series.
Marian Allen
November 30, 2020 at 9:24amMy favorite part was watching the glass artists at work. We have Zimmerman Art Glass right here in Corydon, and I love to watch them work. They do some pipe-blowing and some hand-blowing, where they touch the glass with a wet wooden spike to make it puff up instead of blowing into it. SO COOL!
Dan Antion
November 30, 2020 at 9:33amI need to look for this show!
Marian Allen
November 30, 2020 at 9:57amI wish the eps were an hour long, so we could see more detail of the making of each piece. But maybe that would be like giving away artistic magic or something. It’s pretty wonderful, anyway.
RAAckerman@Cerebrations.biz
November 30, 2020 at 1:03pmYeah, that 1 July event was a doozy! And, I used to love visiting the Corning exhibits when I worked for Corning, too. (MIT had some pretty darned good glass-blowers, too. Not for creative art- but for functional sci-tech.)
Thanks for the share- and the fingernails.
Marian Allen
November 30, 2020 at 1:34pmYou’re welcome! Glad you liked my geeky LotR nails. 🙂 I’d like to see some of that sci-tech glass. It’s amazing what can be done with that one material.
circadianreflections
November 30, 2020 at 10:29pmI need to look up that movie. I LOVE my Corning ware! I have plates, salad plates, and three shapes of bowls of Corning ware! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my square bowls from Corning ware and my blue and white flower pattern. I make my oatmeal in my big deep bowls almost every morning! I need more of those bowls! I really do.
I’ve been to the Corningware outlets, shopped in store that sell it, but have NEVER been in a museum of Corning ware! I haven’t lived have I? I need to add that to my list of things to see before I die. I love my Corning ware plates an bowls! WE USE THEM EVERY DAY! I have three sizes of bowls we use daily of corning ware. BIG, SQUARE, and BLUE AND WHITE.
Marian Allen
December 1, 2020 at 9:50amCorning sold its bakeware and dishware divisions to another company. I think the new company changed the formula, so new Corningware is breakable. Not easily breakable, but more so than the old stuff. Naturally, I have A LOT of Corningware dishes and casserole dishes. I’m a big fan, too!
I think now Corning concentrates on fiber optics, like for high-speed internet. And they may still make refractory linings for high-heat ovens and sheathing for space vehicles. But don’t quote me on that. lol
The museum is a Museum of Glass, mostly art glass and decorative glass, from ancient Egypt up to the present day. SO GORGEOUS!
circadianreflections
November 30, 2020 at 10:37pmOkay, I was a just bit excited and repeated myself a lot in my comment above. Can you tell I LOVE my Corning ware pieces? I do.
I hope there’s a corningware outlet in the nearest big city to me.., If not I’m sure I can order online, 😍
Marian Allen
December 1, 2020 at 9:52amI can tell you love your Corningware! I do, too! Cyberweek savings — 70% on select pieces. https://www.corningware.com/
circadianreflections
December 1, 2020 at 2:33pm😀