Hot Glass Roadshow

Educational Outreach Summary of Requirements Hot Glass Roadshow Videos Meet the Team   For centuries glass making was one of the best-kept secrets in the world. Part of the educational mission of The Corning Museum of Glass is to show as many glass-making techniques as possible when you visit the museum and witness the Hot Glass Show. The museum is the first institution to build a complete road-worthy mobile glass-making facility—the only one of its kind in the world.

 
In May 2001, The Corning Museum of Glass unveiled the Hot Glass Roadshow. Capable of sharing the excitement, exhilaration, and energy of hot glassblowing, the Hot Glass Roadshow travels across the country to educate people about the ancient art form of glassblowing on a scale and level of professionalism never before explored.

The Hot Glass Roadshow houses a 300-pound glass melting furnace, two glory holes, an iron warmer, and an annealer. It includes a full complement of irons, blowpipes, and hand tools that enable glassmakers to make a wide variety of hand-blown items. Approximately 28 feet long and 8 feet wide, the Hot Glass Roadshow runs on natural gas or propane and requires a water supply and electricity. It is fully mobile and travels behind a diesel tractor. The entire unit weighs 35,000 pounds.

The Hot Glass Roadshow features a custom-made mobile stage unit with an aluminum floor and special fasteners. It includes a self-contained ventilation system and the necessary wiring, plumbing, lighting, and safety systems.

Master glassblowers, assistant glassblowers, and a narrator who provides the audience with a step-by-step explanation of the hot glassblowing process, staff the Hot Glass Roadshow.

Two years in the making, the Hot Glass Roadshow doubles as a second hot glassblowing demonstration stage at The Corning Museum of Glass. At the Museum, the Hot Glass Roadshow is referred to as the Summer Stage and has a seating capacity of 250. During its inaugural season at the Museum, more than 100,000 Museum guests watched demonstrations presented on the Summer Stage.

Educational Outreach
Summary of Requirements
Hot Glass Roadshow Videos
Meet the Team

For more information contact Steve Gibbs,
Hot Glass Roadshow Manager, at 607.974.8504 or via email.