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Glassagama

Hybrid

Corning

New York

United States

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Glassagama

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Main Arch

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Features

Hybrid ceramics and glass kiln

Size

72

cu ft

Chambers

Year Built

2008

Owner

Corning Community College

Builder

Simon Levin

Contact

Fred Herbst
Office Telephone: 607 9629297 Extension 9356
E-mail: herbst@corning-cc.edu

Address

1 Academic Drive, Corning, NY 14830

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Excerpt and images from "The Glassagama: Ceramic and Glass Artists Work Together to Conserve Resources" by Fred Herbst on Ceramic Arts Network Daily

The first collaborative wood-fired glass and ceramics trial run took place in snowy November 2006 and was highly successful. Over the next few firings, it became evident that the design of our anagama was not ideal for expanding the scope of this research collaboration. We agreed that a new, purpose-built hybrid kiln design was needed. After much discussion with friends and fellow woodfire potters Liz Lurie, Julie Crosby, and Simon Levin, my concept for a new design firmed up. After completing the initial CAD drawings, I worked with Gibbs and Lewis Olson, gaffer at the Corning Museum of Glass to develop the unique glass working elements on this kiln. These features include the large side openings used for gathering molten glass and reheating pieces during the forming process, blowpipe heaters, and a wood-fired annealing chamber.

Gibbs, Olson, and I had a number of specific goals for this new kiln. First, and most importantly, was maximum flexibility in firing and working with ceramics and glass simultaneously. Large side openings would allow easier access for glass blowing and for the development of new hybrid techniques. Next, we were looking for a design that was quicker to load, fire, and cool than the two-week process required with the existing anagama. We also wanted a relatively simple design so that glass and ceramic artists with limited kiln building experience could construct this design and then quickly learn the skills needed to fire. A final critical goal was to make glass blowing as practical as possible "off the grid." Contemporary glass blowing relies heavily on the use of gas furnaces and equipment to keep the material molten 24 hours a day. This hybrid kiln allows for the use of renewable waste wood fuels in order to fire periodically -- saving huge amounts of energy and resources. Construction of the new Corning Wood-Burning Furnace began in November 2007 with a mix of new and recycled refractory materials, and it was fired for the first time in August 2008.

More: https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/The-Glassagama-Ceramic-and-Glass-Artists-Work-Together-to-Conserve-Resources

Glassagama
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