The New Bedford Museum of Glass NEWSLETTER€¦ · The New Bedford Museum of Glass After almost a...
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VOLUME 4, NUMBER 1 Spring 2011 NEWSLETTER The New Bedford Museum of Glass After almost a year of construc- tion and preparation, the New Bedford Museum of Glass met with a warm re- ception at its Grand Opening celebration over the weekend of September 11th. The opening coincided with the annual Sandwich Glass Show held on nearby Cape Cod, and many collectors visiting the area were able to attend both events. The local community also turned out in force; Mayor Scott Lang was among the 250+ attendees. In an exciting de- parture from the typical ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Mayor was invited to ac- tivate the Museum’s 1871 crystal table fountain by rotating the hour-glass shaped fonts. The crowd held its breath as he tipped the center bulbs, and then broke into applause as the jet sprang to life. No one looked more delighted than the Mayor, who managed to pull off the ceremony without a splash! The evening featured live mu- sic by local artists, speeches, tables full of hors d’oeuvres, and several crates of fine wine. Standing prominently and appropriately in the center of the dessert table was a chocolate dipping fountain! Visitors were able to socialize and wander freely through the museum Museum Celebrates Grand Opening! galleries, library and gift shop before the commencement of ceremonies. In the new galleries, 50 mon- umental display cases housed more than 1000 beautiful specimens of glass ranging in period from ancient to con- temporary. Included in the displays were two exceptional examples of Royal Flemish glass donated by long- time museum members Carmen and Terry Freeman in memory of the late Edie Lawson. The glass made a red car- pet entrance, arriving by special carrier only the day before the opening! Also on display were outstanding examples of art glass and early American glass on long-term loan from the Benning- ton Museum, and fine Pairpoint glass on loan from member Phil Gardella. Although the chocolate foun- tain and the wine have long-since stopped flowing, many exciting new pieces have been added to the dis- plays. Please stop to see them! L.A.C. Figure 1. New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang stands to the left as an appreciative crowd applauds the demonstration of the NBMOG table fountain. A new exhibit at the Museum has met with glowing reviews! 358 examples of Vaseline glass from the collection of Richard M. Bacik and his late wife, Carol, are presented in the installation “Atomic Green Vaseline: Uranium Glass in Everyday Life.” Mr. Bacik donated this extraordinary col- lection to the Museum last year in memory of his wife, and museum in- tern Angela D. Curry organized the exhibition to coincide with the Muse- um’s Grand Opening last September. “Vaseline glass” is a collec- tor term for glassware deriving its bright yellow-green color from the presence of uranium in the composi- tion. It was first developed in Europe in the 1840s. Uranium gives the glass its unusual property of glowing fluo- rescence when exposed to ultraviolet light! Ms. Curry assures us that despite the alarming connotations of uranium and radiation, the glass is perfectly safe. The average person is exposed to more radiation on a daily basis from their natural surroundings than they would receive from a years expo- sure to the Museum’s fine collection. Vaseline glass is still in produc- tion, both in the U.S. and abroad. Here in New Bedford the Mt. Washington Glass Company used a formula con- taining uranium and gold to produce its famous Burmese glass. The Bacik col- lection, supplemented with loans from two private collections, encompasses a wide selection of uranium glass of all types. As you admire it, please re- member: no lead apron required! L.A.C. No Lead Apron Required!
Transcript of The New Bedford Museum of Glass NEWSLETTER€¦ · The New Bedford Museum of Glass After almost a...
VOLUME 4, NUMBER 1 Spring 2011
NEWSLETTERThe New Bedford Museum of Glass
Afteralmostayearofconstruc-tionandpreparation,theNewBedfordMuseumofGlassmetwithawarmre-ceptionatitsGrandOpeningcelebrationover theweekendofSeptember11th.TheopeningcoincidedwiththeannualSandwich Glass Show held on nearbyCapeCod,andmanycollectorsvisitingtheareawereabletoattendbothevents.The local community also turned outinforce;MayorScottLangwasamongthe250+attendees.Inanexcitingde-parturefromthetypicalribbon-cuttingceremony,theMayorwasinvitedtoac-tivate the Museum’s 1871 crystal table fountain by rotating the hour-glassshapedfonts.Thecrowdhelditsbreathashetippedthecenterbulbs,andthenbrokeintoapplauseasthejetsprangtolife.Noonelookedmoredelightedthanthe Mayor, who managed to pull off the ceremonywithoutasplash! Theeveningfeaturedlivemu-sicbylocalartists,speeches,tablesfullof hors d’oeuvres, and several crates of fine wine. Standing prominently andappropriately in thecenterof thedessert tablewasachocolatedippingfountain!Visitorswereabletosocializeandwanderfreelythroughthemuseum
Museum Celebrates Grand Opening!galleries, library and gift shop beforethe commencement of ceremonies. Inthenewgalleries,50mon-umental display cases housed morethan1000beautifulspecimensofglassranginginperiodfromancienttocon-temporary. Included in the displayswere two exceptional examples ofRoyalFlemishglassdonatedby long-time museum members Carmen andTerry Freeman in memory of the lateEdieLawson.Theglassmadearedcar-petentrance,arrivingbyspecialcarrieronlythedaybeforetheopening!Alsoondisplaywereoutstandingexamplesof art glass and early American glasson long-term loan from theBenning-ton Museum, and fine Pairpoint glass on loan from member Phil Gardella. Although the chocolate foun-tain and the wine have long-sincestopped flowing, many exciting new pieces have been added to the dis-plays. Please stop to see them! L.A.C.
Figure 1. New Bedford Mayor Scott LangstandstotheleftasanappreciativecrowdapplaudsthedemonstrationoftheNBMOGtablefountain.
A new exhibit at the Museumhas met with glowing reviews! 358 examples of Vaseline glass from thecollectionofRichardM.Bacikandhislate wife, Carol, are presented in theinstallation “Atomic Green Vaseline:Uranium Glass in Everyday Life.” Mr.Bacik donated this extraordinary col-lection to the Museum last year inmemoryofhiswife, andmuseum in-tern Angela D. Curry organized theexhibition to coincidewith theMuse-um’s Grand Opening last September. “Vaseline glass” is a collec-tor term for glassware deriving itsbright yellow-green color from thepresence of uranium in the composi-tion. It was first developed in Europe in the 1840s. Uranium gives the glass its unusual property of glowing fluo-rescence when exposed to ultravioletlight!Ms.Curryassuresusthatdespitethealarmingconnotationsofuraniumand radiation, the glass is perfectlysafe. The average person is exposedto more radiation on a daily basisfrom their natural surroundings thantheywouldreceivefromayearsexpo-sure to the Museum’s fine collection. Vaselineglassisstillinproduc-tion,bothintheU.S.andabroad.Herein New Bedford the Mt. WashingtonGlass Company used a formula con-taininguraniumandgoldtoproduceitsfamousBurmeseglass.TheBacikcol-lection,supplementedwithloansfromtwo private collections, encompassesa wide selection of uranium glass ofall types.Asyouadmire it,pleasere-member:noleadapronrequired!L.A.C.
No Lead Apron Required!
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The Schimmelpfeng Collection ofContemporary Glass Paperweights
Member Richard P. Schimmelp-fenghasgenerouslydonatedhismag-nificent collection of almost 200 glass paperweightstotheNewBedfordMu-seum of Glass! Representing many ofthe best known contemporary artists,the collection spans two generationsofcollectors.Itwasstartedbackinthe1970s by Richard’s father, Harold W. Schimmelpfeng.Hisgardenabuttedthegarden of Scarsdale, NY, neighbor Paul Jokelson,theleadingauthorityandau-thorinhisdayonthesubjectofFrenchglass paperweights. The paperweightcollectingbugspreadfromonegardentothenext,andthenfromfathertoson. Eachpaperweight in thecollec-tion presents a fascinating study incraftsmanship,creativityandbeauty;atiny world of its own encapsulated inglass.TheglassdomeofoneexamplebyartistRickAyottesheltersaclusterof flowers and powdered blueberries fromtheravagesoftimeandalsofromhungrymuseumvisitors(Fig.1).Near-byaRickAyotterobinfreezes,startled,caughtintheactoffeedingawrithingcaterpillar to a hungry fledgling (Fig. 2). Another beautiful Ayotte weight fea-turesscarlettanagers(Fig.3).Alumi-
by Laura A. Coffin
Figures 1-4(clockwisefromleft):BlueberryandFloralBouquetbyRickAyotte,Nashua,NH, dated 2004, D: 4”, acc. 2011.002.087; Pair of Robins with Caterpillar by Rick Ayo-tte, Nashua, NH, dated 1980, D: 2 11/16”, acc. 2011.002.082; Scarlet Tanagers with CaterpillarbyRickAyotte,Nashua,NH,dat-ed 1980, D: 2 13/16”, acc. 2011.002.080: Moon Jellyfish Sculpture by Richard Sa-tava, Chico, CA, dated 2007, H: 6”, acc.
nescent moon jellyfish floats tranquilly in thecolumnofglass inwhichartistRichardSatavacaptured it,ashockoftentacles draping dangerously fromits ghostlike body (Fig. 4). More than onevisitortothegalleryhasposedthequestion,“buthowdotheymanagetoplacetheseobjectsintheglass?”Uponhearingthattheobjectsinquestionarethemselves made of glass, they oftenrespondwithexclamationsofdisbelief. ApaperweightcreatedbyCathyRichardsonfeaturesatinyfrogsittingamidst a cluster of lily pads (Fig. 5).Onewrongmoveandhewill jump tothenextshelf,whereasculpturecre-ated by Debbie Tarsitano modestlywraps a brilliantly colored dahlia insoftly sculpted leaves (Fig. 8). Several planetsdesignedbyJoshSimpsonarefrozen mid-orbit around an abstractgolden paperweight (Fig. 7). Located oneshelfbelowisapastel-coloredor-chidsuspendedmagicallyincrystalairby itsmaker,VictorTrabucco(Fig.9). Itisnotonlyintheirclevermim-icry of nature, however, that theseartists excel. Several abstract paper-weights were designed solely to cap-ture and manipulate color and light.
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Others feature colorful, intricate pat-terns assembled from tiny millefiori (“thousand flowers”) cane. No minor manipulationsofglassarethese;eachrepresentsyearsoflaborandpractice. Paperweights often appeal as demonstrations of an artist’s glassmak-ingknowledge,skillandartistry.Itfol-lows,naturally,thatoneofthemostre-wardingaspectsofbeingapaperweightcollectorisdevelopingtheabilitytorec-ognize and appreciate that wonderfulvirtuosity.Andtoshareitwithothers. Asked about his favorite piece,Richard says that he couldn’t possi-blychooseasingleexample.Headds,however, that Satava’s jellyfish is es-peciallypopular. Judgingfromthere-action of museum visitors we wouldhavetoagree.Weencourageeveryonetostopbyandpickout theirownfa-vorites.Then,shouldthequestioneverarise, “Is there still a call for paper-weights in this digital age?,”wehopetheanswerwillbearesounding“Yes!” As for Richard Schimmelp-feng, the latest news is that hisshelves have gotten lonely with-out their beautiful paperweights,so he has started to refill them. The collecting adventure continues!
Figures 6-9 (clockwise from above toright): Magnum pedestal paperweight withred,whiteandbluecane,St.Louis,France,dated 1977, H: 5”, acc. 2011.002.079; In-habited Planet with Satellite by Josh Simp-son,Shelburne,MA,dated1992,H:3”;acc.2011.002.053; Crystal sculpture with bluedahlia, Debbie Tarsitano, Westford, MA, c.2006, OH: 8”; acc. 2011.002.084; Mag-num lily paperweight by Victor Trabucco,Buffalo, NY, dated 1986, D: 3 3/4”, acc. 2011.002.061.
Figure 5 (left): Lily Frog paperweight byCathy Richardson, Winnona, MN, dated2007, D: 3 1/4”, acc. 2011.002.060
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NewBedfordMuseumofGlassNewsletter Vol. 4, #1
©Spring2011
Museum&Shop61 Wamsutta St.
New Bedford, MA 02740(tel.) 508-984-1666
(web)www.nbmog.org
Exec.Director&NewsletterEditorKirkJ.Nelson
AssistantDirectorLaura A. Coffin
NBMOGisa501(c)(3)not-for-profit
educationalorganization
We are fast approaching our first summer as a fully functioning muse-um!Forthisextraordinaryaccomplish-mentwewishtothankallofyou,ourdedicatedmembers.Yoursupporthasbeeninvaluable!WiththeGrandOpen-ingbehindus,however,itisnowtimeto consider the many exciting proj-ects and challenges that lie ahead.An expanded membership base willstrengthentheMuseuminmanywaystomeetthesechallenges,soweareun-dertaking our first annual membership drive.Currentlywehave153members.Ourgoal is todouble thatnumberbytheendoftheyear.Ifyouhavefriendsor family members who might be in-terestedinjoining,pleaserecruitthem!Membership application forms areavailable at the Museum, or applica-tionscanbemadeonlinethroughthemuseum website, www.nbmog.org.
Display CaseDedication Plaques
New Members Needed!
NBMOG announces that eachof the fifty beautiful display cases built for our new exhibition galler-ieswillbearan individualizedmemo-rialordedicationplaque.Ifyouwouldlike to honor or memorialize some-onewithaplaquebearingtheirname,pleasecontactusatyourconvenience.The tax-deductible donation for eachplaqueis$500,andalreadynineplaqueshavebeensubscribed.Includedamongthe subscribers are the New EnglandPaperweight Collectors Association and the Founders Chapter of the NationalAmerican Glass Club! By participatinginthisimportantfundraisinginitiative,youcansupportthenewglassmuse-umandhonorormemorializesomeonespecial in your life at the same time.
Kenneth M. Wilson Reference Library Gifted to NBMOG
ThelateKennethM.Wilson,for-mervicepresidentoftheNBMOGBoardofTrustees,assembledareferenceli-brary of more than 400 volumes dur-ing his five decade career as a museum curator and prolific author. Mr. Wilson died at age 83 in 2005, and his family recentlydonatedhiswonderful librarytotheNewBedfordMuseumofGlass. Until now, many of the titleshavenotbeenavailablethroughpub-liclibrariestoscholarsworkinginNewEngland. Titles include Robert H. Brill’s exhaustive 2-volume study ChemicalAnalyses of Early Glasses (1999); theSoviet state publication Spanish Glassin the Hermitage (1970), the Kova-cek catalog Glas 1500-Heute (1993),H.W. Woodward’s Art,Feat&Mystery:The Story of Thomas Webb & Sons,
Glassmakers (1978), Hugh Tait’s Pilk-ington Glass Museum catalog (1965), numerous publications by the GlassAssociation, the Circle of Glass Col-lectors and L’Association Internatio-nale pour l’Histoire du Verre, lighting studies including Loris S. Russell’s AHeritageofLight(1968) and the Cata-logueof theNortonCollectionofAn-tique Historical Lamps (1914), a first edition of M.S. Dudley Westropp’s Irish Glass (1920), and bottle stud-ies including Thomas C. Haunton’s TippecanoeandE.G.BoozToo!(2003),Frank Peters’ Fruit Jar Manual (1973), and Rex R. Elliott’s Hawaiian BottlesofLongAgo (1971). Just to list a few! The Wilson gift also includesmany less-obscuretitlesaddressingawiderangeofglasstopics.Initsentire-ty thisgenerousdonationwillhelp toestablishNBMOGasthepremierglassresearchfacility inNewEngland.Cur-rently the NBMOG library holds morethan 6,000 catalogued publications.
Left: Orrefors vase, Orrefors, Sweden, c.1980, H: 5 5/8”, donated by Disa & Waldo Powell in memory of Disa’s mother, Klara Magnusson Netterstrom, acc. 2010.265Below:SantaMariadish,LibbeyGlassCo.,Toledo, OH, 1893, L: 7”, donated by Andrea & Alan Koppel, acc. 2010.179
