24 hours in the life of a small museum:
Last night was our monthly local glass study group. Winter is gone and our friends escaped months of captivity - we had probably 60-70 pieces of glass to pass, share and comment on and two dozen attendees. Great to see everyone and some neat glass- as always. Our biscuit jar collector had two Victorian art glass examples and some other art glass from others made for a colorful and interesting session.
Today we had an exploratory party from the Rush Light Club (early lighting collectors) exploring having a convention of theirs here at MAG in October, a reporter from the local television station, a pottery delivering an order of local handmade pottery that includes actual glass inserted into the wet clay and fired to leave a neat glass inclusion... add a dozen or more collectors/ tourists visiting... and we placed the new shelves made by museum faithfull Woody and Becky into our first large window showcase to house the new and emerging collection of contemporary glass from all 50 states...
for a small place it was One Busy 24 hours indeed. Now we set up the Gallery to host our annual American Paperweight Circle Saturday! It is one exciting, never dull place!
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Saturday, March 21, 2015
MAG just ended our annual Glass Flakes weekend. Select scholars who are researching and publishing are invited to participate in a network weekend at the Museum. Three members joined by virtual connection (with some technical concerns) and ten in attendance. It was a great two days of fellowship, shared enthusiasm and idea exchange. Great things always come from this dynamic group. One highly visible outcome is the creation of The Glass Flakes Press- a small publishing project that seeks manuscripts that larger publishers would not likely consider due to small sales or narrow topics or ? With three Glass Flakes Press books published several more are on the way.
Other projects here?
Sure...
we ( a group of 4) cross checked the ID of several hundred oil lamps,
a group of three worked on the recent donation of 500 plus EAPG spooners,
a major discussion was held about the work needed to create a manuscript on Spills,
and much more.
It is amazing how much energy can be created when others share you interest and passion!
We now shift gears at MAG to prepare for next weekends American Paperweight Circle and two other days of meetings.... plus the dedication of our Pumpkin Patch!
come join....
Other projects here?
Sure...
we ( a group of 4) cross checked the ID of several hundred oil lamps,
a group of three worked on the recent donation of 500 plus EAPG spooners,
a major discussion was held about the work needed to create a manuscript on Spills,
and much more.
It is amazing how much energy can be created when others share you interest and passion!
We now shift gears at MAG to prepare for next weekends American Paperweight Circle and two other days of meetings.... plus the dedication of our Pumpkin Patch!
come join....
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Events.
If glass is about light and color, as I so often argue that it is, then a Museum is about activities, people, stories and a creatively open space.
A museum should celebrate and encourage the spirit of creativity. EVEN if it is a history museum, And MAG is, largely, a history museum.
A museum should maintain a safe space where we can look back and dream forward.
It is my firm belief that MAG has grown in the past few years to begin to earnestly and energetically embrace the mission of activities and events.
In February 2015 we had a first time Chocolate Lovers Feast. Over 200 people attended. It was a wonderful success in a small town. It brought people from the community and region into MAG that had never been here. An awesome accomplishment unto itself. It also confirmed to many of those attending that MAG was a vibrant, living, fun place/ entity. That seems an even loftier accomplishment. As a final measure, it served successfully as a fundraiser, with the sponsorship of the local CVB for advertising. Event conclusion - exceeded expectations, exceeded goals.
Up next?
Our annual American Paperweight Circle. For dealers, collectors, makers and the generally curious.
Fun note- we will dedicate a new display case near the Museum entrance that shall affectionately be called "The Pumpkin Patch."
This case holds our large free blown pumpkin from Bellaire Ohio made for the 1913 Pumpkin Festival there. We "rescued" it from a dealer who had rescued it from a warehouse. It is not frequently called The Great Pumpkin and will be the display center piece as we surround it with a literal "pumpkin patch" of glass pumpkins and gourds handmade around American by various artists. The dedication will make the new exhibit a permanent display, related the glass pumpkins back to their origins as paperweights, and give cause for MAG to award each attendee with a mini-pumpkin on a necklace and a certificate declaring them a member of the Order of The Pumpkin Patch. Over a dozen small and diverse pumpkins and glass gourds will be in the new exhibit awaiting arrival of their future friends.
Glass Pumpkins, several glass artists showing and offering their wares, dealers, enthusiasts, collectors and you? The APC should be MAG's next fun and successful event.
dean
17 March 2015
If glass is about light and color, as I so often argue that it is, then a Museum is about activities, people, stories and a creatively open space.
A museum should celebrate and encourage the spirit of creativity. EVEN if it is a history museum, And MAG is, largely, a history museum.
A museum should maintain a safe space where we can look back and dream forward.
It is my firm belief that MAG has grown in the past few years to begin to earnestly and energetically embrace the mission of activities and events.
In February 2015 we had a first time Chocolate Lovers Feast. Over 200 people attended. It was a wonderful success in a small town. It brought people from the community and region into MAG that had never been here. An awesome accomplishment unto itself. It also confirmed to many of those attending that MAG was a vibrant, living, fun place/ entity. That seems an even loftier accomplishment. As a final measure, it served successfully as a fundraiser, with the sponsorship of the local CVB for advertising. Event conclusion - exceeded expectations, exceeded goals.
Up next?
Our annual American Paperweight Circle. For dealers, collectors, makers and the generally curious.
Fun note- we will dedicate a new display case near the Museum entrance that shall affectionately be called "The Pumpkin Patch."
This case holds our large free blown pumpkin from Bellaire Ohio made for the 1913 Pumpkin Festival there. We "rescued" it from a dealer who had rescued it from a warehouse. It is not frequently called The Great Pumpkin and will be the display center piece as we surround it with a literal "pumpkin patch" of glass pumpkins and gourds handmade around American by various artists. The dedication will make the new exhibit a permanent display, related the glass pumpkins back to their origins as paperweights, and give cause for MAG to award each attendee with a mini-pumpkin on a necklace and a certificate declaring them a member of the Order of The Pumpkin Patch. Over a dozen small and diverse pumpkins and glass gourds will be in the new exhibit awaiting arrival of their future friends.
Glass Pumpkins, several glass artists showing and offering their wares, dealers, enthusiasts, collectors and you? The APC should be MAG's next fun and successful event.
dean
17 March 2015
George was the long serving and historically aware president of the American Flint Glass Worker's Union (AFGWU). Today his archives and those of AFGWU president prior to and after him live safely in the archives of the Museum of American Glass in West Virginia (MAG). www.magwv.com
AND George's desk sits in front of a six exhibit case display of objects from the AFGWU within MAG. So.... it seems proper that a blog originating from MAG should also be born at George's desk - a site that witnessed vast strokes of glass history in America.
Here it is:
a blog about the Museum and archives and collections and events and people from AFGWU's presidential desk within MAG.
The topics will vary and drift. And they are the thoughts and opinions of only one person, Dean Six the MAG executive director. The expressions here are not the official voice of MAG nor any of it's officers or affiliates. .Just me.
with that precautionary note - FORWARD
dean
AND George's desk sits in front of a six exhibit case display of objects from the AFGWU within MAG. So.... it seems proper that a blog originating from MAG should also be born at George's desk - a site that witnessed vast strokes of glass history in America.
Here it is:
a blog about the Museum and archives and collections and events and people from AFGWU's presidential desk within MAG.
The topics will vary and drift. And they are the thoughts and opinions of only one person, Dean Six the MAG executive director. The expressions here are not the official voice of MAG nor any of it's officers or affiliates. .Just me.
with that precautionary note - FORWARD
dean
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