Josh Simpson, Artist

When the staff at The Corning Museum of Glass realized that their paperweight collection was approaching its 1,000th piece, they wanted to celebrate the occasion with an outstanding piece of artwork. They chose renowned glass artist Josh Simpson and issued a challenge: Could he create one of his signature Megaplanets, but make it weigh more than 100 pounds? Not only would this be an artistic challenge, but also an incredible technical achievement. In creating this piece, Simpson has pushed the technical boundaries of glassmaking. Increasing the size meant more than simply working on a larger scale: It meant changing the entire process, from the design of the piece to the physical layout of the studio.