At every Symposium we endeavor to include either a glassmaker or a type of glass that was contemporary to Frederick Carder Steuben glass.  Knowing more about other glass makers helps deepen one’s recognition and appreciation for Steuben glass, as well as being interesting in its own right.

Cal Hackeman, a past President and current Director of The Stretch Glass Society, will be delivering a presentation on stretch glass at this year’s Symposium. With us, he will explore the origins of iridescent stretch glass, how it is created, who made it and what its intended uses were when it was introduced in 1916 and developed through the 1920s.  We will also look at the re-introduction of stretch glass in 1980 by the Fenton Art Glass Company.  With nine American glass companies producing over 50 unique colors and hundreds of shapes, stretch glass has something for everyone and every occasion.  It is truly glassware which is as relevant to today as it was to the lifestyles of the 1920’s. 

Cal Hackeman was born in rural New Hampshire and grew up in a home with an abundance of glassware and other collectibles.  When he was 12 years old, his grandmother gave him an Early American Pressed Glass (EAPG) rose bowl as a thank you for helping her clean the contents of her kitchen cupboard.  That bowl turned out to be “Gala” aka “Hawaiian Lei” by JB Higbee of Bridgeville, PA.  Over the next 50 years, Cal would acquire additional examples of EAPG and expand his interests to include Depression glass, furniture, Early American Flint glass, Iridescent stretch glass and other collectibles and antiques, including various ‘heirlooms’ from grandparents and great grandparents.  His interest in iridescent glass began in the mid-1980s with a modest purchase of stretch and Fenton glass.  Stretch glass became one of his leading passions and today his collection is one of the most extensive with over 5,000 examples.   

The 2025 Carder Steuben Glass Association Symposium and the Frederick Carder Birthday Dinner are now open for registration!

The annual Carder Steuben Glass Association Symposium will take place September 19-20, 2025 at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York. Plus, the CSGA is hosting The Carder Birthday Dinner, an event which hasn’t been held in several years. This dinner will be held on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at the Corning Country Club. You can register for both of these events on the CSGA website here.