Corning Museum of Glass embarks on $64-million expansion An artist's rendering of the facade of the expanded Corning Museum of Glass in upstate New York. Corning Museum of Glass June 7, 2012, 8:05 a.m. The Corning Museum of Glass in upstate New York will undergo a $64-million expansion that will add approximately 100,000 square feet of space to its facilities. The expansion, designed by architect Thomas Phifer and Partners, is expected to be completed in 2014. The museum's executive director is Karol Wight, who served at the Getty Museum for more than 25 years -- most recently as the senior curator for antiquities -- before leaving the Los Angeles institution last year. Wight said in a statement Wednesday that the Corning Museum has experienced "tremendous" growth, and that the expansion is intended to help accommodate the "400,000 people who visit our campus each year." By way of comparison, the Getty sees well over 1 million visitors each year. Wight has experience with museum renovations. She helped to oversee the $275-million renovation of the Getty Villa that was completed in 2006. The Corning Museum said the expansion is being funded in full by Corning Inc., the glass and ceramics manufacturing giant. The company was the founder of the museum, but the museum exists separately as a nonprofit entity. Getty launches full text website for art history Getty Museum's senior antiquities curator leaving for Corning Museum of Glass