Carder Steuben Classes Offered in April in Corning:

Hi Alan, Jenny Monroe here. Tom Dimitroff and I want to share information about two courses featuring Carder coming up in April. Thanks!

Two short courses will be offered by Watson Homestead about glass, and especially Carder Steuben, this April in Corning, New York. The courses have been designed by Jenny Monroe, Elderhostel Coordinator at Watson Homestead. Jenny spent 23 years as educator at the Rockwell Museum, coordinating early Friends of Carder Symposia, and offering programs and trips related to the Carder Collection. Since 2002, she’s been creating Elderhostels (now called Road Scholar) programs at the Homestead which is located 8 miles west of Corning. She and her husband also collect Carder shades.

In all her 30 plus annual programs, the Corning Museum of Glass is featured to some extent, but two are glass-intensive and one features Frederick Carder in particular. This April there are two sessions – April 11 to 14 called All About Glass From the Crystal City and Around the World and April 17 to 22 called Trio of American Genius: Mark Twain, Glenn Curtiss and Frederick Carder. Either or both may be of interest to Carder collectors, especially since they feature lectures by Tom Dimitroff.

All About Glass (April 11-14) features eight lectures by Tom and Corning Museum of Glass curators: Jane Spillman, Tina Oldknow, Florian Knothe and Steve Koob. In addition presentations about the Rakow library collections, the history of the 1972 flood, a walking tour of historic Market Street, an appointment to blow an ornament and fuse a sun catcher at the Studio and a wine tasting at the home of a local glass collector.

The American Genius course (April 17-22) features lectures about three famous and creative individuals of the late 19th and early 20th centuries – with lectures and visits to local museums and sites related to each. For Twain, it’s off to Elmira to Quarry Farm where he wrote most of his famous novels during 20 summers spent there, plus the Twain study and resources at Elmira College, the Chemung Valley History Museum and the Clemens’ family gravesite. For Curtiss, it’s Hammondsport and Keuka Lake, his birthplace and site of the famous 1908 first flight over water, plus the Glenn Curtiss Museum and lectures about this inventor extraordinaire. And for Carder, it’s Corning and the historic sites on the Southside hill related to his life and Steuben Glass. For most of the participants, Carder will be the one they don’t recognize, but after a few days with Dimitroff and Monroe, they’ll never be the same again!

Registration to participate is handled through Road Scholar, see website info below. Costs for the courses are:
All About Glass, course # 9535 (3 nights/four days) $490 per person, double occupancy, $75 single supplement, $394 without accommodations.
Trio of American Genius, course # 19204 (5 nights/six days) $673 per person, double occupancy, $100 single supplement, $553 without accommodations.

For collectors, Corning has so much to offer. Come for both courses and spend the three days in between with plenty of time to study in the galleries or maybe make some glass of your own at the Walk-in Workshop or at Hands-on Glass Studio. There are three weekend workshops at the Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass, April 16-17 –
Beginning Glassblowing, Borosilicate Animal Figures, or Beginning Stained Glass.

Can’t come in April? Don’t worry – the All About Glass course will be offered again December 5 to 8 and the Trio of American Genius will be offered November 13 to 18, 2011.

Ready for more information? Go to www.roadscholar.org and search for “Corning.” There you will see all of Jenny’s courses currently on sale. Single or double occupancy are available, or if you don’t want to stay at Watson Homestead, consider the “without accommodation” option. Jenny can also offer very reasonable accommodations at Watson Homestead between programs. Road Scholar/Elderhostel programs are all-inclusive – including meals, motel-style accommodations, transportation, fees and gratuities. These programs, while designed for retired participants, are open to adults of any age. For information about glassmaking, go to www.cmog.org to find Studio listings, or visit Hands-on Glass studio at www.handsonglass.com. If you have questions, please send an email to Jenny at watsonjenny@stny.rr.com.
Hope to see many of you in Corning!

Jenny Monroe
watsonjenny@stny.rr.com
Elderhostel/Road Scholar Coordinator
Watson Homestead Conference & Retreat Center
9620 Dry Run Road
Painted Post, NY 14870
Office phone: (607) 962-0541 ext. 403
Fax: (607) 962-5752
www.watsonhomestead.com