This summer, the Corning Museum of Glass is taking to the water, bringing glassblowing demonstrations all over New York state via the Erie Canal and Hudson River in the GlassBarge for a four-month tour. The mobile museum launched in Brooklyn Bridge Park on May 17, and its travels correspond with the bicentennial of the Erie Canal’s creation.
It’s free (with a reservation) to come onto the boat between 11am and 6pm and watch the glassblowers—also known as gaffers—create beautiful pieces of art as the boat sways in dock on the East River. The show is held every hour, on the hour.
For more information on glassblowing’s history and origins in Corning, NY as well as an introduction to GlassBarge’s 2018 tour, you can download the PastPort app. Pastport details each of the Barge’s stops on an interactive map and shows points of interest in each of the stops.
The GlassBarge will be docked in Brooklyn through May 28 (Memorial Day) and afterwards move to Yonkers, NY. Check their website for a full list of locations and dates!