The Corning Museum of Glass has unveiled the preliminary design for an expansion that will create a new North Wing, featuring light-filled galleries for its collection of contemporary works in glass (pictured), as well as one of the world’s largest facilities for glassblowing demonstrations and live glass design sessions.??

Designed by architect Thomas Phifer and Partners, the 100,000ft2 expansion will dramatically enhance the visitor experience for the Museum’s growing domestic and international audiences. The $64 million project, fully funded before groundbreaking by major benefactor Corning Incorporated, is scheduled for completion in 2014.

??“We are the world’s leading art museum dedicated to glass,” said Karol Wight, Executive Director of The Corning Museum of Glass. “Over the past decade, we’ve experienced tremendous growth: In our collections; in our increasingly diverse audiences; and in the breadth and ambition of our public programs, especially those that allow visitors to experience the energy of artists and designers at work. This is a transformative design that responds to those demands and further enables us to bring glass to life for the 400,000 people who visit our campus each year,” she added.