Documenting Laura Donefer's Glass Fashion Show

Laura Donefer is known for artwork that pushes boundaries by exploring memory, assault, bereavement, joy and madness. Celebrated for her innovative, colorful blown glass and flameworked Amulet Baskets, the artist has been using glass as the primary medium in her work for over 40 years, all while teaching, promoting the glass arts worldwide, and producing her unforgettable Glass Fashion Show (GFS). Donefer has produced 15 of her extraordinary fashion shows, many for the Glass Art Society (GAS). In fact, at GAS Murano 2018, her remarkable and ground-breaking event included 33 glass costumes worn by models as they glided past thrilled onlookers through the canals of Murano, Italy.  Award-winning documentary filmmaker David Marshall of Blue Sky Projects Films has undertaken a years-long documentary project dedicated to capturing both the history of Donefer's GFS and the work artists are undertaking to present a captivating and memorable show at GAS's June 2026 conference to be held at the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York. Writes Donefer's assistant and GFS participating artist, Jennifer Hand: "Ten years ago this June, Rik Allen stepped onto a catwalk at the Corning Museum of Glass in a full astronaut getup accompanied by David Bowie's Major Tom and changed my life forever. I found my community in the rapturous throng of creative, compassionate and collaborative humanity who cheered alongside me that night: Die-hard lovers of glass art united by the magnificent spectacle of Laura Donefer's Glass Fashion Show. It was my first Glass Art Society conference, and though the days before the grand finale had been filled with inspiring content and exciting connections, nothing could have prepared me for the cascading emotions I felt witnessing the wild, weird wonder of the artists who had spent years creating costumes for this one-night-only performance. It would have been inconceivable to me at the time, but two short springs later, I danced in my own glass costume on Murano's grand canal to an equally exuberant crowd. It may be challenging for those who have not had the pleasure of attending one of these happenings to fully appreciate their splendor, but for prior participants and audience members alike, the verdict is unanimous - there is nothing on earth like the GFS. Since Donefer hosted the inaugural show at the first Canadian GAS Conference in 1989, she has traveled around the world putting on versions of the event - including several at Corning, Toledo and Toronto, and one particularly raunchy romp in New Orleans. AACG member Beth Hylen, who has been in every glass fashion show except the first, credits the events with transforming her from a quiet librarian to a glassy diva. Hylen describes that experience as a "dream," saying, 'Strutting on the stage is so much fun. The energy behind the scenes is electric, and Laura encourages us to energize our performance on stage. I love working for months creating weird and wonderful wearable glass, and there's nothing like watching the artists who put so much time to create their creations seeing it all come together.' An evening of transcendent beauty is arguably an end goal in itself, but the GFS has impacts far beyond the moment when the last bow has been taken and the last shard of glass swept from the stage. In the years leading up to each fashion show, Donefer provides her encouragement, advice and mentorship to each participant, building a sense of community and modeling her style of unapologetically ebullient leadership to each new generation of GFS artists. GFS veterans seeing each other in the wild at glass world events have a unique bond, and, if we're being fair, an almost evangelical zeal to lure outsiders into the fandom. Neither Donefer nor the models and artists for the performance are compensated for their time, materials or travel to participate - they work their glassy magic into exquisite wearable art out of sheer love of the community and the desire to make the audience gasp in astonished joy.. When Donefer delivers lectures on the history of the Glass Fashion Show, she shares a multitude of stories from her decades leading this singular aspect of the glass field - friendships made, injuries narrowly avoided, and institutional boundaries skirted. Profound storyteller that she is, her lectures are equal parts entertaining and educational, but alone they cannot tell the full story of this cultural phenomenon. Recognizing the magnitude of Donefer's contribution to the trajectory of the glass community, award-winning film maker David Marshall of Blue Sky Projects Films has undertaken a years-long documentary project dedicated to capturing… the Glass Fashion Show…  Marshall has begun filming interviews with Donefer and her participating artists, including teams from Murano, Hilltop Artists in Tacoma and Project Fire in Chicago. Film crews will also be on hand in Corning this June to do cinematic justice to the detail and exquisite skilling of this year's costumes, which have been mandated by Donefer to be the most extravagant ever - headpieces, footwear, and head-to-toe glass on every model. Between the passion and labor of the artists and Marshall's thoughtful filmmaking, the documentary will properly honor and record the unparalleled contributions Donefer has made to glass history." Enjoy this podcast conversation with Donefer, Hand, and participating artists Susan Bloch and Hylen, about their memories of and contributions to the Glass Fashion Show. Supporters of Donefer's Glass Fashion Show are welcome and encouraged to donate via GoFundMe to help defray the costs of production. Executive Producer credits are available above a certain threshold of donation, and inquiries can be sent directly to Donefer at [email protected]. To donate, please visit: https://gofund.me/3e4039468