What’s a glassinator? It’s what you get when a milliner and a hot glass blower collaborate on something special for GlassFest! Specifically, Christine A. Moore, featured milliner of the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup, and Janusz Pozniak, a finalist on the hit show Blown Away. A fascinator is a type of formal headpiece designed purely for ornamentation. Often attached to a band or clip, it serves no protective purpose, neither shading nor keeping noggins dry in a spring rain shower. But the linguistic mashup of glass and fascinator was too good to resist.

Last summer, Coleen Fabrizi, executive director of the Gaffer District, was talking with her friend Teresa Capuzzo, owner of Beagle Media, LLC, who shared that she has a friend in Wellsboro who is a celebrated milliner in the horse racing world (camhats.com). Being a wordsmith by trade, Teresa suggested that Christine could collaborate with a glass artist to create something really unique. “Teresa and I have a long history of ‘out of the box’ thinking,” says Coleen, “and so I immediately said, ‘I think I know the perfect glass artist.’” Coleen contacted Janusz, who’d moved to Corning with his family the previous year, and he agreed. The Glassinator will be unveiled on the CMOG hot glass stage in Centerway Square stage during GlassFest on Saturday, May 24.

But what is a glassinator? We won’t know exactly till Memorial Day weekend when both Christine’s fascinator and Janusz’s glass version of the same design will be revealed. The collaboration process began with Christine studying Janusz’s work and style at januszpozniak.com and getting inspiration for shapes and designs that would work well in cloth and glass.

“I had never heard of a fascinator before and was immediately intrigued,” says Janusz. “I was curious and decided to give it a go.”

Watching the hot glass demonstrations and studying the exhibits at the Corning Museum of Glass set Christine’s brain spinning with possibilities on how to design a fascinator that would showcase Janusz’s style and the glass medium. She made some sketches and sent them to Janusz. After talking with him, she got to work on a second set, and third.

Janusz says, “After a little back and forth, we came up with something that I think is a little different, and although it is still in prototype stages, I think it’s looking good.” They talk and share videos of their work, all in hopes of designing something that can actually be worn when created in glass. Weight is the main challenge.

“Any opportunity for two artists from different mediums to collaborate and step outside of their artistic lanes enriches the artists, the mediums, and the audience,” says Christine.

“I am happy to be working outside of my usual parameters,” Janusz agrees. “It’s fun to work with another artist and their different approaches.”

Coleen says, “As a fan of the art of glassmaking for the last twenty years and a person who has a passion for vintage hats, the idea of an artistic collaboration to create a glassinator was just too delicious of an idea to pass up. The extraordinary artistic abilities of Christine and Janusz are going to produce a magnificent creation, and I couldn’t be more delighted that GlassFest will be presenting it to the world!”

For more about these artists, see our cover stories for May and July 2024.