25th Annual Carder Steuben Symposium
Program and Schedule of Events
September 17-19, 2026
Corning, New York
All events will take place at the Corning Museum of Glass auditorium unless otherwise noted.
Thursday, September 17
3:00pm – Group Glass Making Session in The Studio
Attendees are invited to make your own glass item in this group session at The Studio, located across the back parking lot from the CMOG Auditorium, 1 Museum Way, Corning NY. Participants can choose to make a choice of an ornament or a flower. An additional registration fee of $35 per person is required. Check back for registration form link
4:00 – 5:30pm – Welcome Reception – The Studio Lobby
Begin the weekend with a Welcome Reception by meeting old friends and new in The Studio Lobby, located across the back parking lot of the CMOG Auditorium. We will enjoy beverages and hors d’oeuvres. Cash bar.
Friday, September 18
8:15 am – Breakfast
8:45 am – Welcome and Opening Remarks
9:00 am– 10:00 am Steve Bender; Steuben Senior Business Manager
Steuben Glass Today
Steve will share what’s new with Steuben Glass along with his thoughts and insights for the future.
10:15 am – 11:15 am Kenneth Braunstein
Stevens & Williams
Frederick Carder was inspired by the Portland Vase. This presentation will discuss the history and making of the Portland Vase, followed by the progression that led to the founding of Stevens & Williams. It will describe Frederick Carder’s involvement with the company and his accomplishments there. Finally, it will show the techniques used at Stevens & Williams, including which ones Frederick Carder developed and brought to the United States.
Dr. Kenneth Braunstein grew up in South Carolina. He attended Johns Hopkins University and the Medical University of South Carolina. His internship and residency in internal medicine were at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas. While there, he collected many stories about the John F. Kennedy assassination which, decades later, he turned into a novel. Dr. Braunstein practiced hematology in Atlanta, Georgia, until his recent retirement in November 2025.
Kenneth has been collecting glass since 1990, with an emphasis on Brilliant Period cut glass. He has many notable pieces on loan to CMOG, including the Fry Liberty Bell; an original piece of glass made by Arthur Nash as his masterwork and presented to Lewis Comfort Tiffany to join Tiffany Studios; Mt. Washington rainbow cut glass; and a Sinclaire salesman’s sample of monogram engravings. Kenneth has also authored numerous articles for the American Cut Glass Association.
11:15 am – 12:30 pm Tami Landis, Curator of Postwar and Contemporary Glass
Tour of Tough Stuff: Women in the American Glass Studio
Tough Stuff 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.
Tami Landis joined CMOG in 2023, where she oversees the Postwar and Contemporary Glass collection. Landis serves as the editor of New Glass Review, a publication of innovative glass art projects produced during the year, and oversees the Museum’s prestigious Rakow Commission, awarded annually to a contemporary artist.
Before joining CMOG, Landis held curatorial and educational appointments at the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) and the Western Gallery & Outdoor Sculpture Collection at Western Washington University. Landis holds a Master’s in Art History and Museum Studies from Bowling Green State University and a Bachelor’s in Art Education from the University of Toledo.
12:30 pm Lunch in the Auditorium; Carder’s Birthday Celebration
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm Claire Kovacs, Director of Museums and Galleries at Alfred University
The Paul Vickers Gardner Glass Center at Alfred University
Opened in April 2025, the Paul Vickers Gardner Glass Center was created to enhance education in the art and science of glass for artists, scientists, and glass enthusiasts through curriculum, workshops, lectures, and archival resources. This video will feature and explain the center located at Alfred University in Alfred, New York.
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Hugh McHarg, Director of the Rakow Library
Regan Brumagen, Manager of Research and Collections Strategy
Self-Told Stories at the Rakow Library
Hugh McHarg will describe the revitalized oral history program at the library and the importance of capturing personal narratives that expand the histories of glass and glassmaking. Regan Brumagen will discuss the recent collaborative project with the Carder Steuben Glass Association to digitize, transcribe, and make available recorded conversations with Frederick Carder. Through this talk, we gain a deeper understanding of how the Rakow Research Library drives the field of glass forward through oral histories—primary research materials that prioritize the agency of the narrators while creating ethical, authentic conversations.
Hugh McHarg joined the Museum in 2023 as the Director of the Rakow Research Library. Prior to that, McHarg held several positions with the University of Southern California Libraries. McHarg holds a Master of Fine Arts in Literary Arts from Brown University and a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from Miami University.
Regan Brumagen is the Manager of Research and Collections Strategy at the Rakow Research Library. She coordinates reference, instruction, and visitor services. Before joining the Museum staff in 2004, Brumagen worked as a reference librarian and instruction coordinator at several academic libraries. She has an M.A. in English and an M.L.S. in Library Science from the University of Kentucky.
Explore the Museum
Dinner on your own
Saturday, September 19
8:15 am Breakfast
9:00 am – 10:00 am Tom Foozer
Vaseline Glass: Luminescent Treasures
This presentation will cover the official definition of Vaseline glass, manufacturers’ color names, the science of why it glows, a bit of history, and finally, treatments and decorations.
Tom Foozer is Treasurer of the Vaseline Glass Collectors, Inc., editor of The Glowing Report, the organization’s newsletter, and webmaster of vaselineglass.org. His priority is to preserve the knowledge, history, and heritage of glass manufacturing for future generations of glass collectors. Tom is co-author of the book Vaseline Glass: Canary to Contemporary. Tom and his wife, Janice, live in Cincinnati, Ohio.
10:15 am – 11:15 am Sue Maynard , CSGA member
The Century of Progress: The 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair
The 1933–1934 World’s Fair celebrated Chicago’s centennial and 100 years of scientific and technological progress. A tour of the fair gave visitors the chance to view acres of fascinating exhibits, take off for a ride in the Goodyear blimp, see themselves on live TV, and share in the scandalous spectacle of Sally Rand’s fan dance. Visitors could order a new Chevy, watch it be assembled in the GM Building, and then drive it home that same day. Sue will share the sights and souvenirs of this spectacular display of the technological and cultural achievements of the era.
After careers in teaching and IT, Sue has focused on collecting and researching 20th-century glass and pottery. In the 1980s, Sue and her husband, Steve, met Mr. Rockwell and began collecting Carder Steuben glass. They later became interested in Cowan Pottery, made in Cleveland in the 1920s, and Clarice Cliff pottery, produced in the United Kingdom during the 1920s and 1930s. Her interest in these artistic endeavors has led to writing and presenting programs for collector groups.
11:30 am – 12:30 pm Annual business meeting (members only)
12:30 pm Lunch in the Auditorium
1:45 – 2:30 pm Scott Hansen & Scott Coots
Workshop – Carder Steuben Identification Strategies
Is It Carder Steuben? What characteristics define Carder Steuben glass? Are there features that distinguish it from the glass of other manufacturers? How can you increase your chances of avoiding misattributions? What resources are available to help identify Carder glass?
Using examples of Carder Steuben glass and glass from other manufacturers, Scott Coots and Scott Hansen will discuss the defining characteristics of Carder glass, explain how they distinguish it from similar glass produced by others, and describe the sources of information they use to make accurate identifications.
Attendees are encouraged to bring examples of glass for which attribution questions exist to be included as part of the discussion.
Scott Coots and Scott Hansen are both long-time members of the Carder Steuben Glass Association (CSGA) and have extensive collections. Scott Coots currently serves as the Association’s webmaster, a position he has held for the past 10 years. Scott Hansen is a past president of the CSGA Board and has also served as vice president and webmaster. Together, they bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the study and identification of Carder Steuben glass.
2:45 – 3:45 pm Steve Skalsky
Members’ Spotlight – Living with Vintage Glass in Your Home
Association members share how they use and bring their Steuben and other vintage glass to life throughout their homes. This Members’ Spotlight highlights inspiring examples of creativity in elegant settings. Whether incorporated into seasonal décor, used to celebrate holidays, or featured as part of everyday living spaces, these exquisite glass treasures bring beauty, character, and personal style to every home.
Steve is a retired medical device product manager and senior principal development engineer, as well as a former aerospace engineer. He has been collecting Steuben glass since being introduced to it by his neighbor and work colleague, Marshall Ketchum, in December 1987 while attending Marshall’s Christmas party and admiring his glass-filled display cabinets. Steve is a former Friends of Carder member, past treasurer of the Association, and its current vice president.
FREE TIME See the Museum exhibits, shop in the Glass Shop or explore Market Street.
6:00 pm CSGA Banquet and Auction
Wine, Beer, Soda bar (cash/credit card bar) and Buffet Dinner and Auction
Lobby – Corning Museum of Glass
Casual or festive attire
Note: Cash, checks, and new this year, credit cards will be accepted as payment for auction items.
Please Note:
The recording of presentations and flash photography is prohibited. Photographs from a speaker’s presentation may not be used without the speaker’s permission.
Attendance at Symposium sessions including the Saturday banquet is limited to Symposium and dinner registrants and invited guests of the Association.
Attendance at the Annual Business Meeting is limited to CSGA members in good standing.
Carder Steuben Glass Association
18-19 September 2026
