More than 1,600 glass artists, curators, scholars, and enthusiasts from over 35 countries will be in Corning this week for the start of the annual Glass Art Society conference.
Corning Museum of Glass officials said the conference is returning to Corning for the first time since 2016 and it is the first North American conference to sell out, bringing a significant economic impact to the Southern Tier over its nearly weeklong run.
The International Society of Glass Beadmakers and the Stained Glass Association of America are joining forces to host their annual conferences as part of the broader Glass Art Society programming.
The majority of the programming will be hosted at the Corning Museum of Glass, with several opportunities for the Corning community to participate, including the GAS Market featuring 36 vendors, the finale of the Fifth Annual CMoG Flame Collab on Thursday, and the Jewelry Trunk Show and Illuminate Corning on Friday.
In addition to public access events, the conference welcomes 1990s era glass performance troupe, The B Team, for a special reunion performance as well as the return of the fan-favorite Glass Fashion Show hosted by Laura Donefer.
Here’s a look at some of the events.
CMOG events
Fifth Annual CMoG Flame Collab
This event is open to the public through June 4.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Corning Museum of Glass is hosting the CMoG FlameCollab with top flameworkers, including Sibelle Yuksek, Adrienne DiSalvo, and Nicole Berger.
These guest artists will collaborate on a creative, compositional sculpture, employing advanced flameworking techniques, such as complex assembly of hollow forms and finely detailed solid sculptural elements.
This spectacular piece will incorporate each artist’s individual style to produce a seamlessly blended idea, officials said. The design is completely new to the artists, with the concept emerging in full as they work through it.
B Team Reunion Performance
B Team Reunion Performance is set for Wednesday, June 3 from 6-8 p.m. at CMOG. The B Team, founded in 1990, was an experimental, performance-driven collective that aimed to redefine glassmaking.
Rejecting the material’s traditional refinement, they treated glass as a medium for activation in time, space, and collaboration. They bridge craft, fine art, and performance by creating choreographed events where molten glass was poured, swung, sealed, and shattered.
Heat, gravity, and timing were compositional tools, and chaos was an engineered outcome. By the end of the decade, The B Team disbanded, having accomplished their goal and resisting professionalization. A quarter-century later, The B Team is reuniting for a special performance to kick off the 2026 Glass Art Society Conference in Corning.
Glass Fashion Show
The fan-favorite Glass Fashion Show returns to GAS for the first time since 2019 on June 6 from 3-6 p.m. at CMOG, with nearly 100 glassy costumes created by artists from around the world.
Since 1989, Donefer has curated and cajoled award-winning artists to create spectacular wearable works of glass art, then parade them down runways accompanied by music and the screams of hundreds of enraptured fans.
Market Street events
Sparkle to Go Jewelry Trunk Show
The Sparkle to Go Jewelry Trunk Show at the Corning Civic Center is open to the public June 5 from 3-6 p.m. Enjoy shopping at a boutique of handmade glass jewelry. Support artists, find a new statement piece, and add it to your collection.
Goblet Grab
The Goblet Grab at USW 1000 Union Hall is open to the public June 5 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Always fast-paced and full of entertainment, the Goblet Grab is a fun and funky conference tradition that never fails to generate excitement.
Gaffer’s Pour
Tickets are required for the Gaffer’s Pour event on Market Street June 5 from 5-8 p.m. Corning’s Gaffer District is partnering with the Glass Art Society Conference to present a sommelier-curated Craft Beverage & Wine Tasting experience. Guests and community members are invited to sip exceptional craft beverages and wines while exploring artisans, local shops, and galleries throughout Corning’s Gaffer District. Tickets can be purchased for $40 through June 3 and $50 on June 4.
Pedestrian Bridge Light Exhibition
The Pedestrian Bridge Light Exhibition at Centerway Pedestrian Bridge is open to the public June 5 from 6-10 p.m. Watch the Chemung River glow. Gather on the pedestrian walking bridge located between the Gaffer District and the Corning YMCA for an evening light exhibition you won’t want to miss, including fireworks to end the evening with a bang.
This article originally appeared on The Leader: Glass conference comes to Corning. These events are open to the public
Reporting by Jeff Smith, Corning Leader / The Leader
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
