The Museum Shop Annual Holiday Paperweight Arrives
Posted on Oct 6, 2016, by Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass
For many of us, the holidays have been shaped by tradition. At the museum, we are fortunate to be a part of many of your family traditions, one of which is the early October release of annual holiday paperweight from The Museum Shop. For the past 26 years, fans of the museum from across the country have supported our programming by purchasing the annual paperweight. The limited edition weights sell out almost every year and we are grateful.
Each December, shop manager, Laureen Endter and longtime shop volunteer, Liane Butitta begin a search for an artist who would be willing to design and craft the weight. Trying to give that opportunity to a different artist each year, they often choose an up-and-coming artist. The featured artist this year is Damon MacNaught. He joins other paperweight superstars who have created weights for the museum, including Peter McDougall, Paul Harrie, Shawn Messenger, Caithness, Mayauel Ward, and Gordon Smith.
MacNaught’s creation, “Joy”, includes a whimsical Joy cane that is surrounded by delicate stardust canes. Encircling those are a mixture of festive canes, including jelly rolls and green and blue snowflakes. Designed specifically in a limited edition of 50, each of these truly unique 2 ½” paperweights is numbered and includes the artist’s signature cane.
Damon MacNaught, proprietor of Bare Glass, lives and works in Silver Point, Tennessee. He received his Masters of Fine Art in Sculpture from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and a bachelor’s degree from Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York. He has worked in glass for the past nineteen years, ranging from Urban Glass in Brooklyn, N.Y to the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, TN.
The annual paperweight is on sale now and they are selling well. Don’t miss the opportunity to be a part of this annual holiday tradition. Call today to reserve your weight or order online. If you are a museum member, please order by phone to receive your member discount.