Women of the American Studio Glass Movement

The Corning Museum of Glass will present Tough Stuff: Women in the American Glass Studio, opening to the public on May 16, 2026. The show is the first survey exhibition of work by exceptional women artists working in glass in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s—the breakthrough decades of the American Studio Glass Movement.

Organized by Tami Landis, Curator of Postwar and Contemporary Glass at CMoG, the show will run through January 10, 2027.

“Despite these women’s remarkable achievements, the scholarship, collection building, and exhibition development devoted to this period have been inexcusably narrow in scope and have often only recognized a few male artists,” said Landis. “By demonstrating the contributions and presence of women artists within the material history of glass and by acknowledging the social, personal, and political complexities they experienced during this foundational era, Tough Stuff illustrates a more complete story of studio glass in the United States.”

Redefining the American Studio Glass Movement

American art in the 1960s was fueled by a climate of material and conceptual experimentation. During this decade, glass became a focal point for many artists, particularly ceramicists, who wanted to learn the limits and possibilities of glass within their own studios and transcend the limitations of glass design and fabrication in a factory setting. This shift in conception and practice fundamentally changed the American perception of glass as an artistic medium, giving rise to what we now recognize as the Studio Glass Movement.

Current scholarship has defined the Studio Glass Movement within a largely singular framework, privileging predominantly blown-glass techniques developed by a few makers. In reality, glass was being employed by a multiplicity of artists from a range of approaches across America and the world. In particular, the persistence, innovation, and technical prowess of female glass artists has all too often been minimized. By bringing their bodies of work together for the first time, Tough Stuff will share a more complete story of the distinct legacy they carry in the material history of glass.

The exhibition title Tough Stuff is derived from Ruth Yone Tamura’s 1996 Master of Arts thesis from the California College of Arts and Crafts. Tamura, an artist, educator, and co-founder of Pilchuck Glass School described working in glass in the 1960s as a “relatively new media” and “rather tough stuff.” This phrase was a commentary on both the often-conceived fragility of glass and the fact that its making and forming require significant time, skill, and physical strength.

Anchoring the exhibition’s concept, the phrase also powerfully echoes the notable ambition, persistence, and technical skillset that female artists demonstrated while working in the field during this period. Tamura was among the first women working in glass to teach in a university program in America. Also featured in the exhibition are familiar names such as Audrey Handler, Ginny Ruffner, Kathleen Mulcahy, Claire Falkenstein, Toots Zynsky, Margie Jervis, Susie Krasnican, and others.

As women’s histories continue to reshape previously male-dominant accounts of American art, Tough Stuff looks deeper into the very concept that studio glass is a “male-dominated field” by sharing specific instances and personal narratives from the trailblazing women who were part of the movement. The exhibition charts a historical model that considers the histories of studio glass, rather than a singular, generalized history.

Even though recent exhibitions on women in glass have begun displaying female artists, they often focus on singular works from the 1980s or 1990s, overlooking their presence in the early years of studio glass and referring to a few generalized accounts of their experiences. Tough Stuff expands this approach by including artworks that span six decades (1960–present), from showcasing early, experimental forms to later works in which technique and conceptual approaches were refined.

Exhibition Details and Programming

Drawn from the Museum’s permanent collection along with notable loans from many of the artists, the works on display will exemplify how early experimentation was instrumental in defining artists’ approaches and shaped the creation of works for many subsequent decades. The exhibition will look beyond the development of blown glass to a breadth of techniques—including fusing, slumping, flameworking, pâte de verre, mixed media, and assembled glass. Tough Stuff will also explore how work from this period by female artists illuminates the broader social, cultural, artistic, and gender politics of the time.

“As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Corning Museum of Glass in 2026, we are excited to contribute to a dynamic moment in the scholarship and appreciation of the story of glass in America,” said Karol Wight, President and Executive Director at the Museum. “Tough Stuff marks the first project by the Museum to focus solely on the ingenuity of female artists working in glass, providing the impetus to rethink the way CMoG tells the story of glass in America.”

Coinciding with the opening of Tough Stuff, the Museum’s Rakow Research Library has embarked on a collection project centered on still-living artists who got their start during this period. Comprising oral histories, interviews, video, photography, archival ephemera, and more, the Library will create a living archive devoted to the contributions, innovations, inspirations, and technical knowledge of these artists to future generations of glassmakers and the public.

Throughout the exhibition run of Tough Stuff, the CMoG campus will be activated by special programs that complement the exhibition. These will include:

• Connected by Glass lectures or panels featuring exhibition artists in conversation with scholars;
• a lineup of women artists featured in the exhibition to headline the CMoG Hot Glass Team’s 2026 Guest Artist Series;
• a Tough Stuff-themed iteration of the Museum’s Annual Seminar on Glass which will bring together artists, curators, collectors, and scholars to celebrate and explore this pivotal period in glass art history in October 2026;
• a launch of the exhibition catalog in the fall of 2026.

About the Corning Museum of Glass

The Corning Museum of Glass is the foremost authority on the art, history, and science of glass. It is home to the world’s most important collection of glass, including the finest examples of glassmaking spanning 3,500 years.

Live glassblowing demonstrations (offered at the Museum and on the road), bring the material to life. Daily Make Your Own Glass experiences at the Museum enable visitors to create work in a state-of-the-art glassmaking studio.

The campus in Corning includes The Studio, a year-round glassmaking school, and the Rakow Research Library, with the world’s preeminent collection of materials on the art and history of glass. The Museum is located in the heart of the Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State. Children and teens, 17 and under, receive free admission.