Arts In Bloom Weekend

Before setting out this morning, I wanted to get photos of this pontoon getting a Saturday morning shower. Kudos to the truck driver for a job well done, backing that huge boat into the wash bay.







Spring is officially here, not just because the calendar says so, but because the forsythia is blooming! Why are so many spring flowers yellow? Little Joe Tower, blue skies, sunshine, the slightest of breezes -- an all-round beautiful day.




Artists Michael Barr, Tom Gardner, Wilson Ong and others at work in front of and inside the West End Gallery.



















Exhibit A Contemporary Art...

Ribbon sculpture by Jeremy Holmes




Daphné Verley




The guard cat at Home Again Consignment takes a well-deserved break.

Darlene, Ernie, Larry, Wendy and Barbara

I spotted this gorgeous, textured jacket and just had to ask for permission to photograph it. The lady was flattered and glad to pose. We walked on down the street chatting. As I was about to ask who she was (I knew I’d seen her someplace before), she stopped to enter Home Again. A-ha, it was Darlene, owner of a great little consignment store in Corning.

The falling leaves
Drift by my window
The falling leaves
Of red and gold

In the background: The Rockwell Museum. Foreground: parking lot of the new transportation center. Corner of Denison Parkway and Cedar Street.

Looking at the transportation center block from the opposite end. The frame of the building itself is complete and covered with plastic to protect it and the workers from the weather.

Stars shine in the windows of the Rockwell Museum.

Ernie creates beautiful scenes in Market Street shop windows.

Larry, semi-retired Star-Gazette writer, continues to comment on Corning Inc. His latest piece is Corning Watch: Gorilla Glass awaits King Kong demand.

I stood back from a street corner so these guys could continue on their way. Made for a good picture. Obviously the driver thought so, too. He stayed right there at the stop sign and smiled brightly until I took more photos.

Last minute touches the day before Exhibit A’s opening at their new spot on Market Street. Stop by and prepared to be bugged!

Centerway Square is being prepped for the holidays. A few lights are up and Santa’s shop has been erected. More to come...

Among the newest shops on Market Street is Crystal City Olive Oil. I totally missed this one as it was being readied. Fascinating place to go for olive oil tastings.

Wendy, owner of Crystal City Olive Oil...

Barbara is bottling my choice, a mushroom and sage infused olive oil. You can read about my first use of it at my food blog Step by Step in the Kitchen where I made Acorn Squash Stuffed with Brown Rice Pilaf.

A celebration of glass

Corning's GlassFest has begun.

I had only walked a short way toward downtown when it began raining, so I stopped at Wegmans to buy a small umbrella and rain poncho. Luckily the rain confined itself to misting and it didn't seem to spoil the fun for anyone.


At Centerway Square, fans gather to watch artist Paul Stankard create a paperweight...



The paperweight was auctioned off as a GlassFest fundraiser...


$900 was a bargain for the winning bidder since several Stankard admirers told me that his works often go for $6,000-8,000...



Click on any picture to see an enlarged version.


At Exhibit A on Market Street, I admired all the glasswork, but was particularly taken by this lighted piece by Eoin Breadon...



Thanks, Ann, for letting me lean out the window at Exhibit A for a look at Market Street from above.











Another Market Street establishment, World Glass, is selling raffle tickets for another Stankard Studio paperweight. $5 per ticket...



Remember, the GlassFest continues throughout the weekend. While many fine glass artists are in town for this event, Corning can boasts of its own local talent such as those in the photo at the beginning of this post.


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CORNING NY STEP BY STEP now has its own Facebook page!



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Arts destination

Art is always within easy reach in Corning, whether on Market Street, nearby side streets or just over the river at the Corning Museum of Art. Amateurs and budding artists can try their hand at glass making at CMOG's The Studio or (also on the northside) at Hands On Glass. And there is a new store on Market Street that sells supplies for glass artists.





There seems to be something for everyone, and I personally find at least one piece of art to admire in every location. Visitors can see glass art, western art, jewelry, wood, paintings in oil and water colors.






A glimpse of the huge Dale Chihuly glass tree in the lobby of Corning Museum of Glass...








Click on any photo to see an enlarged version.





















Sometimes the building that houses the art is art itself. Remember to occasionally stop and look up when walking on Corning NY's streets.









Corning, New York Named Among Top 25 Arts Destinations By American Style Readers (HPWireless Keyboard.com)






Photograph by S. Orr..




Corning Art & Frame
Corning Museum of Glass
Exhibit A
Rockwell Museum of Western Art
Tom Gardner
The Arts
Vitrix Hot Glass Studio
West End Gallery