Corning Museum Presents GlassLab

Design performances will take place at Cooper-Hewitt from May 17 to June 3, 2008.

Participating designers, many of whom have been featured in past Cooper-Hewitt exhibitions and programs, will include Harry Allen, Constantine and Laurene Boym of Boym Partners, Francisco Costa of Calvin Klein, architect Paul Haigh, Chad Phillips of Kidrobot, Sigi Moeslinger and Masamichi Udagawa of Antenna Design, and Tobias Wong, among others. Designers will have multiple work sessions over the course of the presentation, and will have the chance to explore the process in a fresh forum, evolving their concepts with each session.

“GlassLab allows visitors to experience the excitement and extraordinary craftsmanship of hot glassmaking, the potential of glass as a material for contemporary design, and the creative exchange and journey of the design process itself,” said Paul Warwick Thompson, director, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. “We are delighted to partner with the Corning Museum of Glass to present this special program and to welcome these exceptional artists and designers to the Museum.”

Created by The Corning Museum of Glass in partnership with the Vitra Design Museum, GlassLab will offer the unique opportunity for museum visitors to experience the dynamic nature of hot glassmaking and watch the design process unfold before their eyes. GlassLab debuted at Design Miami last year, where participating designers included the Campana Brothers, Matali Crasset, Constantin and Laurene Boym, Paul Haigh, and Sigga Heimis.

“This initiative brings the experience of live glassmaking beyond the walls of the Museum, providing an experimental resource for emerging and established designers and furthers our mission to showcase not only the art and history of glass, but the artistry and traditions of glassmaking itself,” said David Whitehouse, executive director, Corning Museum of Glass. -- www.cmog.org