The Conference is sold out, but there's plenty to enjoy with no badge required.

Corning is buzzing this week as the global glass community gathers for the 2026 GAS Conference, and the energy will spread well beyond the conference venues. While conference programming is reserved for registered attendees, Corning has rolled out an incredible lineup of glass experiences, exhibitions, and events that are free and open to everyone.

Whether you traveled here hoping to soak up the glass scene or you’re a local curious about all the excitement, here’s how to make the most of your time in town.

Conference Activities: Open to All

GAS Exhibitions

Thursday, June 4 · 9 am–5 pm and Friday, June 5 · 9 am–4 pm · Free and open to the public Juried showcases of work by member and student artists from around the world:

  • CONNECTIONS 2026: Glass from Every Angle (Member Exhibition) — CMoG Gather Gallery
  • EVOLUTION 2026: Emerging, International Talent (Student Exhibition) — The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes (Reception Fri, June 5 at 5 pm)
  • ILLUMINATE: GAS Member Light Exhibition — Friday, June 5, 7–10 pm, Centerway Pedestrian Bridge

GAS Market

Wed June 3 (10 am–4 pm) · Thu June 4 (9 am–5 pm) · Fri June 5 (9 am–2 pm) · Sat June 6 (9 am–12 pm) · GAS Market Tent, CMoG Courtyard

Browse the best glass vendors, tool makers, suppliers, and educational organizations from across the globe — all in one easily browsable marketplace.

Friday Festivities

GAS Jewelry Trunk Show — “Sparkle To Go!”

Friday, June 5 · 3–6 pm · Nasser Civic Center Ice Rink, 8 Civic Center Plaza Shop one-of-a-kind wearable art straight from the artists who made it, with more than two dozen jewelry makers from around the world.

GAS Goblet Grab + Sip

Friday, June 5 · 5:30–6:30 pm · USW Local 1000 Union Hall, 100 Civic Center Plaza A beloved, fast-paced conference tradition that’s open to the public. This free, high-energy event lets you grab a handmade drinking vessel — and your purchases and donations support GAS Loves Students, the free student membership program.

Illuminate Downtown

Friday, June 5 · 3–9 pm · Corning’s Gaffer District The community celebration of the week in the heart of downtown Corning, with over 100 boutique shops, galleries, and studios, plus around 40 restaurants, wine bars, and craft beverage producers along historic Market Street. Highlights of the free Illuminate Downtown event include live music, Steuben County vendors, mobile glassmaking and flameworking demonstrations, glassblowing at Vitrix Hot Glass Studio, and fireworks to close out the night.

More Exhibitions & Events Around Town

Corning’s downtown galleries and venues are filled with glass during conference week. Many are free; hours vary, so check signage at each venue.

  • “The Melting Point” — A Celebration of Borosilicate Culture · Union Chill, 34 W Pulteney St · Open viewing Thursday–Saturday, 2–6 pm. Collaborative works from 60+ leading contemporary flameworkers.
  • One Hundred Moments · Rakow Research Library · A non-juried collection of 6″×6″ works from mosaic, stained glass, bead, and fused-glass artists worldwide.
  • You Really Turn Me On · Hand + Foot, 69 W Market St · Through June 7 · A group exhibition on glass and light, set inside a downtown restaurant.
  • 40 Beads: ISGB President’s Collection · West End Gallery, 12 W Market St · Glass bead innovations curated by past presidents of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers.
  • Exhibitions at 171 Cedar Arts, West End Gallery, and The Glass Menagerie — downtown galleries worth a stroll.
  • Digital Dome Theater & Makerspace · SUNY Corning Community College · Dome shows (Two Small Pieces of Glass, Dark Side of the Moon, Worlds Beyond Earth) and laser-engraving workshops on select days, June 2–7.

At the Corning Museum of Glass

The world’s largest collection of glass — and a full day’s worth of things to see, all open to the public with museum admission (tickets are valid for two consecutive days).

  • The Fifth Annual CMoG Flame Collab · Corning Museum of Glass Amphitheater Hot Shop · Daily May 31–June 4 · Watch top flameworkers build a collaborative sculpture live.
  • Tough Stuff: Women in the American Glass Studio (through Jan 10, 2027) — a survey of the women who shaped the American Studio Glass Movement in the 1960s–70s.
  • 3,500 years of glass across the galleries
  • You can explore all kinds of glass-related information and materials at the Rakow Library, which is open by appointment Monday-Thursday 10 am-4pm

Visit visit.cmog.org to plan your day and book tickets.

At The Rockwell Museum

Upstate New York’s only Smithsonian Affiliate is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026 with “Rockwell Reframed.”

  • True Gravity by She Bends — a suspended neon installation in the historic rotunda exploring glass, light, and form (on view through March 2027). Free admission to view this installation during the conference.
  • Gateways: African American Art from the Key Collection — 75 works by 71 artists spanning 150 years.
  • The permanent collection of American and Western art, including Remington and Russell, plus contemporary Native American art.
  • Kids & teens visit free.

Visit rockwellmuseum.org to plan your visit.

Make the most of your visit — Corning is glowing this week, and there’s something for everyone.

Image credits: Ruth Tamura installing The Great Marble Tournament on Bay Fill at the gallery of the California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, 1969. Photo courtesy of the artist and the Libraries of the California College of Arts and Crafts; Antigravity: True Gravity by Kelsey Issel and Meryl Patacky of She Bends