Steuben County introduces interactive online travel guide

(Corning, NY) The Steuben County Conference & Visitors Bureau is pleased to introduce the 2008 edition of the official Steuben County Travel Guide entitled “Hot Glass! Cool Lakes! Superb Wine!”. New this year, Steuben County is introducing a fully interactive online version, in addition to the annual print version.

To access the virtual version of the visitors guide, visit the official county tourism website at http://www.corningfingerlakes.com/. Click on the “Free Travel Guide” link on the navigation bar. Readers can then use their cursor to turn the pages of the virtual travel guide, just as they would turn the page of a traditional print guide.

Peggy Coleman, President of the Steuben County Conference & Visitors Bureau said,
“As the trend for researching travel online continues to grow, it is very exciting that Steuben County is offering interactive options for our visitors. It provides one more tool to our visitors to help move their travel buying decisions in our favor.”

Benefits to the online version include hot links which can connect readers immediately to websites for more information. Readers can get specific information about an attraction, event or accommodation with one simple click in the interactive guide. Readers also have the option to print one or multiple pages of the guide if they’d like to have print information in hand on the road. Of course visitors can call or email the Steuben County Conference & Visitors Bureau to request that a copy of the printed guide be mailed directly to them.

The print version of this year’s guide is sporting a sophisticated new cover and there are several new tourism businesses listed in the guide for the first time this year. New accommodations are Shetland Meadows B&B near Keuka Lake, the Captain’s Cottage in Hammondsport, and the new Microtel Inn & Suites in Bath. Other new listings include Keuka Lake Vineyards, Circle “C” Stables, Ranger Outfitters, Conhocton River Fly Shop, Sommerville Pottery, Earth Paint and Fire Studio and the Color Wheel Art School. A new section this year highlights “Learning Vacations” offering information on culinary classes, art classes, health and wellness classes, and classes in outdoor skills. Classes range in length from a few hours to five-day workshops.

Graphic Solutions of Painted Post designed the guide. Printing was done by Printing Methods, Inc of Rochester. 100,000 copies of the guide were produced and will be distributed through visitor information centers, welcome centers, AAA offices and consumer travel shows. The guide is also used as a response piece for requests for information generated from E-newsletters, print ads, and tourism websites. Supplies of the guides can be picked up at the Steuben County Conference & Visitors Bureau office at 1 West Market Street in Corning. Call 936-6544 to request a copy.

The Steuben County Conference & Visitors Bureau was established in 1994 to promote the tourism industry of Steuben County and to stimulate economic growth by attracting visitors, groups, and conferences to the county. The CVB is funded primarily by an occupancy tax paid by overnight visitors staying in hotels, motels, and bed & breakfasts.
Tourism is a $156 million a year industry in Steuben County. Tourism-related sales tax collections result in annual tax relief for county residents of $219.02 per household.

Rockwell Museum kicks-off “Perspective Series” with Collectors’ Nancy & Alan Cameros

Crafted to Perfection: The Nancy & Alan Cameros Collection of Southwestern Pottery

CORNING, NY – On Wednesday evening, the Rockwell Museum of Western Art in Corning hosted the first of four programs in a “Perspective Series.” In connection with current special exhibition, Crafted to Perfection: The Nancy and Alan Cameros Collection of Southwestern Pottery, collectors’ Nancy and Alan Cameros engaged an audience with stories of their pottery and the relationships they have developed with many fine artists of the Southwest along the way.

“We can’t look at a piece without having a story about it – where we found it, who we bought it from, what it represents,” remarked Nancy. “It isn’t just buying a pot – it’s what we’ve learned along the way.”

The presentation began with a brief history of how the couple began collecting. In the early 1980s, Alan’s position as chairman of the Museum Trustee Association took he and Nancy to Santa Fe to scout the location for the association’s national conference. Already glass enthusiasts and collectors, they eagerly purchased what Nancy calls “a pretty souvenir.” Though this initial pot was mass-produced for tourists, it inspired an enduring interest in the craft and culture of the Southwest.

For the last 25 years, Nancy and Alan have researched and collected some of the most exceptional Native American pottery. Acquiring pottery by the finest contemporary and historical artists of the Southwest, their collection has grown to over 200 works of art. It is the Rockwell Museum of Western Art’s distinct honor to host more than 100 of these pieces in a never-before-seen public exhibition. Crafted to Perfection: The Nancy & Alan Cameros Collection of Southwestern Pottery is on display at the Museum now through May 18, 2008.

Look for other programs in the Perspective Series
February 20, 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. The Curator’s Perspective: Sheila K. Hoffman
April 1 & 8 The Potter’s Perspective: Pottery Class with Linda Huey
TBD The Gallery Perspective: Charles King, King Galleries of Scottsdale
Exhibition Catalog

With the support of Nancy and Alan Cameros, the Rockwell Museum of Western Art’s Curator of Collections, Sheila K. Hoffman developed an exhibition catalogue to accompany the collection and public exhibition. The nearly 200 page hard-bound exhibition catalogue is available for purchase in the Rockwell Museum of Western Art Trading Post.

About the Rockwell Museum of Western Art
Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Rockwell Museum of Western Art is located in the center of the Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York Sate and in the heart of Corning’s Gaffer District. The Museum is open to the public seven days a week; hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Membership to the Museum includes yearlong free admission. For more information, please visit us online at www.rockwellmuseum.org.

Domestic Lace making and the Social Fabric of the Italian American Community in Corning

For Immediate Release
January 21, 2008


WHAT: Exhibit opening: Lace, the Spaces Between: Domestic Lace making and the Social Fabric of the Italian American Community in Corning
WHEN: Friday, February 22, 2008 7 PM
WHERE: The Benjamin Patterson Inn Museum
59 W. Pulteney St.
Corning, NY 14830
CONTACT: Jessica Cunningham, Corning Painted Post Historical Society, 607.937.5281
Connie Sullivan-Blum, The ARTS of the Southern Finger Lakes, 607.962.5871 x222

Lace, the Spaces Between:
Domestic Lace making and the Social Fabric of the Italian American Community in Corning

The Corning Painted Post Historical Society and The ARTS of the Southern Finger Lakes invite the public to share the joys and hardships of the Italian American immigrant experience through the practice of lace making. Lace, the Spaces Between: Domestic Lace making and the Social Fabric of the Italian American Community in Corning opens at the Benjamin Patterson Inn Museum, 59 W. Pulteney St, on Friday, February 22, 2008 at 7:00 P.M., and runs through December 19, 2008.

Domestic handmade lace is a metaphor for the Italian American experience in Corning. It symbolizes cultural continuity as well as the cultural disruption of assimilation. It carries social meanings about the role of women, beauty and cleanliness, the home, the immigrant experience and tradition. Rejecting domestic lace is a means of embracing modernity, and assimilation into the dominant culture. The material properties of lace reflect this. Lace is, in the words of one woman, “threads hanging in air.” It is connection through cotton thread as well as the absence of connection expressed in the negative space of lace patterns. Lace is a way to tell the particular story of Italians in Corning and the common story of change through immigration and between generations.

Jessica Cunningham, director of Corning Painted Post Historical Society, is excited about this exhibition. “This exhibit not only shows the beauty of lace as art, it is also a story of change in a close knit community.”
This exhibition is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Additional funds were also provided by The Elmira-Corning Community Foundation, Corning Inc., and LaVere Media.


For more information please call the Corning Painted Post Historical Society at 607.937.5281 or The ARTS 607.962.5871 x 222.

Dr. Frank's Winery Donates Historic Book Collection to Cornell

Dr. Frank's Winery Donates Historic Book Collection to Cornell

Hammondsport, New York – January 15, 2008 – Dr. Frank's Winery helps to make the viticulture and winemaking collection at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station's Lee Library one of the best in the country. The Konstantin Frank family book donation consists of 132 titles (96 for Lee Library and 36 for various libraries on the Ithaca campus). The collection is composed of 19th and 20th century titles on a wide variety of topics including horticulture, plant science, viticulture, enology, chemistry, nature, history and literature with the largest single subject category being wine and grape related material. When Dr. Frank emigrated to the United States in 1951 from Europe, he sacrificed all other luggage and only brought his precious collection of books. The collection shows Dr. Frank to have been multilingual as these texts are in English, German, French and Russian.

Of particular interest in the collection were a number of wine appreciation titles signed by the authors to Dr. Frank. Also of special notice were French and Russian ampelographies and a multi volume history of horticulture in Russia. Researchers will no doubt be intrigued by the numerous handwritten notes which illustrate Dr. Frank's view on grape varieties and various vineyard practices.

The grape growing and wine making titles, which compose the largest portion of the donation, will contribute greatly to the Lee Library's already impressive holdings in those areas. The Lee Library's viticulture and enology collection, said to be the finest east of the Rocky Mountains, is comprised of over 2,700 books and over 40 current subscriptions to periodicals from around the world. Together with the larger Cornell Library system these holdings in enology and viticulture exceed 7,000 titles. The Lee Library (located in Geneva,NY) will also be setting up a display about Dr. Konstantin Frank containing ephemera found in the book collection. Some of the historical materials found were vintage photos, tickets and papers.

Located on Keuka Lake a few miles north of Hammondsport, Dr. Frank’s has long been associated with the New York wine revolution. Its founder, Dr. Konstantin Frank, helped pioneer the introduction of the European vitis vinifera grapevines in the eastern United States. For his contributions in the American wine industry he was inducted into the Wine Spectator’s “Hall of Fame”. Now in its third generation, Dr. Frank's continues as New York's most award-winning winery. For more information, please contact Frederick Frank at (800) 320-0735 or visit the website at http://www.drfrankswines.com.

The ARTS Celebrates 35 Years

35th Anniversary Exhibit

Exhibit Reception:Wednesday, January 16, 5 - 7 pm

The ARTS is marking the organization's 35th Anniversary with a special exhibit in its Gallery on Market Street in Corning.

The ARTS, the region's arts council serving Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties, was chartered in 1972 as The Chemung Valley Arts Council. "To celebrate our anniversary, we decided to create a brochure that would capture and communicate the essence of The ARTS today", said Ginnie Lupi, executive director. "We started by listing all the ways The ARTS makes a difference in the community, and then put out a public call for photographs of anything that looked like the numbers 1-35.

"Lupi said that close to 20 artists submitted photographs and that designer and The ARTS Board member Marc Rubin chose images by Jan Kather, Zoey Newcomer and Rachel Philipson to be included in the brochure, which has been distributed widely throughout the region.The ARTS will exhibit the five winning photographs, a majority of the original photo submissions, and reproductions of Rubin's designs in an exhibit running through January 25.

Included in the exhibit are works from Dan Aloi and Lynn Dates, Elaini Caruso, Kelly Clark, Aleathia Drehmer, Paula Friedman, Janet Howie, Beth Hylen, Ginnie Lupi, Susan Nagle, Noel Sylvester, Brad Turner, Alan Voorhees, and Michelle Wlosinski.The reception is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit www.eARTS.org or call 962-5871 x225.

Get in Touch with Your Inner Tiki at Free January 2300° Event

Corning, NY – Grey January days bring dreams of swaying palm trees, sandy beaches and tropical shirts.

The Corning Museum of Glass offers tropical daydreamers a mid-winter Tiki boost on Thursday, January 17, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with its free event, 2300°: Tiki Fire and Ice.

This icy-hot energetic evening will feature live glassmaking demonstrations, Tiki-inspired live music, an interactive drumming circle, regional wine tastings, outdoor ice sculpture, and plenty of fire to heat up the night.

Local artist, Marshall Hyde, will inspire Corning Museum of Glass gaffers on the outdoor Hot Glass Show stage. Hyde, also known as FireMonkey Glass, sells flameworked glass Tiki beads at events around the world, including the Tiki Oasis in Palm Springs and San Diego, Calif.; the Hukilau in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; and the London Luau in London.

Ukulele-toting King Kukulele (comedian, actor, and ukuleleist, Denny Moynahan) emcees the evening. Live music is provided by the New York City-based Fisherman’s Vibraphonic Tiki Orchestra, a trio that plays a blend of "mid-century Exotica and Lounge Pop."

Participants can work out their own musical energy with the One-Heart Community Drum Circle, facilitated by Steve Calkins. They are invited to bring their own instruments or borrow some from Toko Imports of Ithaca at the event. The drumming circle takes place outside, surrounded by ice sculptures: ten tons of ice in the shape of a Tiki Garden, created by Streeter Associates.

To round out (and warm up) the evening, wine tastings will be provided by regional wineries. Tiki-themed food will be available for purchase, along with a bounty of complimentary hors d’oeuvres. A free shuttle bus will run from the Museum’s main parking lot off Rt. 17/I-86, exit 46, until 8:30 p.m.

Wineries represented during the evening include:
Montezuma Winery

Dr. Konstantin Frank

King Ferry/Treleaven

Lakewood Vineyards

Buttonwood Grove Winery

Ventosa Vineyards

Lamoreaux Landing

Sheldrake Point

Heron Hill Winery

Rooster Hill Vineyards

Fulkerson Winery

Atwater Vineyards

McGregor Vineyard

Damiani Wine Cellars

White Springs Winery

Red Newt Cellars

Hickory Hollow/Highland Cellars

Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards

At 2300o, hot glass gets interesting—and so do things at The Corning Museum of Glass. 2300o is a series of free, themed, art happening events at the Museum and each 2300o evening event features unique demonstrations using hot glass, live music and unique culinary delights.
Upcoming 2300o events and themes include:

February 21– 2300o: Roman Regalia

March 20 – 2300o: Spring Equinox

May 22 – 2300o: Tee Off for Summer

The Corning Museum of Glass (www.cmog.org) is home to the world’s most comprehensive and celebrated collection of glass, with more than 45,000 objects reflecting 3,500 years of glassmaking history. An independent, non-profit, educational institution, the Museum is dedicated to the art, history, science, research and exhibition of glass. The Museum is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day and from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the summer. Children 17 and under receive free admission.