Corey Pemberton (American b. Reston, VA, 1990) received his BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2012. He has completed residencies at The Pittsburgh Glass Center (PA), Bruket (Bodø, NO), Alfred University (NY), as well as a Core Fellowship at the Penland School of Crafts (NC). He has exhibited work at the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (CA), The Contemporary Museum of Art in Raleigh (NC), and has work in the permanent collections of The Museum of Art and Design (NY), The Boston Museum of Fine Art (MA), and The Chrysler Museum of Art (VA).

Pemberton currently resides in Los Angeles, California where he splits his time between the nonprofit arts organization Crafting the Future, painting, and his glass practice. He strives to bring together people of all backgrounds and identities, breaking down stereotypes and building bridges; not only through his work with Crafting The Future but with his personal artistic practice as well.

Juror Statement
One of the things I love most about craft is that we are encouraged to make objects that exist in conversation with the objects and makers who came before us. Our practices are built upon generations of accumulated knowledge, passed from one set of hands to another. We learn through observation, repetition, and experimentation, gathering techniques and traditions that fill our tool belts and allow our respective crafts to remain alive and evolving. There is something beautiful about this continuity: the understanding that even our most individual expressions are part of a much larger, ongoing conversation.

The works selected for this exhibition exemplify this notion. They demonstrate a respect for the histories and traditions of glassmaking while contributing something distinctly their own. Through personal style, experimentation, and, in many cases, deeply personal experience, these artists remind us that tradition is not static. It is something we inherit, interpret, challenge, and ultimately reshape.

I believe we are who we are because of the people, places, and experiences that have touched our lives. The same is true of the objects we make. Our influences need not diminish our originality; rather, they provide the foundation from which our individual voices emerge. To me, the most courageous makers are those who can acknowledge and honor these influences while remaining vulnerable enough to share something authentic about themselves through their work.

What excites me about this exhibition is the way these artists balance reverence with invention, technical knowledge with personal expression, and the familiar with the unexpected. Together, their works demonstrate that the future of glass is not built by abandoning its past, but by inviting new voices, perspectives, and experiences into the conversation.