Support YOUR museum
Please support YOUR Museum today!
“As a member for over thirty years, Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass is a special gift to our local and worldwide communities. The educational programs, fascinating exhibits, and fun events continue to be fresh and inspiring. I’ve made countless wonderful friendships and am grateful for my museum family.” – Rosann Baum Milius
“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” Oscar Wilde
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the staff of Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass, I am deeply grateful for your past support. With the continued generosity of our loyal benefactors, we have been busy making plans for an abundance of both new and renewed projects. These special events and projects will serve the community, boost the regional economy, and celebrate the arts.
- Museum Renovations Beginning in 2023, the museum built in 1930, will undergo renovations to galleries and upgrades to exhibition spaces, last done in 1994. The upgrades will take place over the course of a year, and be staggered so that only one space will be closed at a time. Grants have been written, and donations and gallery naming opportunities will be sought to support the substantial costs. Please consider contributing to our growth!
- Between Seeing and Knowing, an installation by Anna Boothe and Nancy Cohen, will be exhibited October 8, 2022 – February 5, 2023, with a members’ opening reception October 7 at 6:30 pm. An early preview and champagne toast to the new exhibit will be held for NARM members and sponsors at 5:30 pm. Comprised of hundreds of glass objects, both wall-mounted and suspended, this installation considers the artists’ long-standing interest in and in-depth study of Tibetan Buddhist thangka It will fill the Mahler Gallery and become a quiet, meditative space in which programs relating to it, such as meditation practices and yoga classes, will take place. https://bmmglass.com/exhibits/current/
- Art After Dark These free, quarterly events have returned, with live music, food trucks, micro-breweries, and art for the whole family, including the kids’ tent. Come celebrate Hispanic Heritage with ethnic foods, music, and dancing on Thursday, September 15, 5-9 pm. https://bmmglass.com/art-after-dark/
- Art Activity Days These monthly family-friendly Saturdays are so popular that we have begun a timed and ticketed admission, to minimize the number of art-makers in the classroom. Pick-up art kits with virtual instruction, necessitated by Covid, are still being utilized by some participants. We are able to offer 100 kids from underserved communities’ scholarships for Art Activities Days because of the generosity of the Fox Cares Foundation Fund within the Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Region. https://bmmglass.com/product-category/classes/art-activity-days/
These are some of the means by which we are committed to providing bold visions and high-quality experiences in glass, admission free. We ask for your financial support in fulfilling our mission to provide extraordinary experiences to spark fun, kindle creativity, and illuminate learning for all. Please consider supporting YOUR museum.
Consider a donation to Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass
$100 supports a creative activity for K-12 students.
$150 underwrites our Lilian Noble Fund that supports artist awards.
$250 funds an Art Activity Day for families.
$500 provides a studio experience for people with memory loss.
$1,000 underwrites a creative activity for underserved community members.
$2,500 funds free admission to the museum for all.
$5,000 provides a new work of art to inspire
$10,000 sponsors an exhibition season.
Name your gift and imagine the possibilities
Art Donations
For donations of art, please contact Amy Moorefield, Executive Director, at 920.751.4658, x301.
Legacy Giving
Mabel R. McClanahan Study Gallery: Leaving a Legacy of Education
Mabel R. McClanahan
Mabel R. McClanahan Memorial Study Gallery
The Mabel R. McClanahan Memorial Study Gallery is a gift from long-time friends of the museum, Gary and Marge McClanahan, in memory of Gary’s mother, Mabel. Born and raised near Doering, WI, Mabel R. McClanahan (1918-2012) moved to Appleton in 1946 to work as bookkeeper for Herbert Crane. After 40 years with Crane Engineering Sales, Inc., she retired as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the multi-million dollar company.
Mabel was also an extremely active community and civic leader, championing small business development, women’s advocacy and education throughout the state and nation. Among the many organizations she served were Goodwill Industries of Northeast Wisconsin (Director), Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Director), and the Appleton Area Board of Education (President).
In the 1950s, Mabel joined the local chapter of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women. She became a leader of the organization, advancing through the Wisconsin and national offices to become the National President for 1967-1968, when the organization had more than 170,000 members. In this position, she led a major effort to enact legislation that would ensure equal opportunities and equal pay for both men and women.
After she retired, Mabel refocused her energies and partnered with her son Gary in his business as a paperweight dealer. A paperweight enthusiast herself, Mabel was active in the Paperweight Collector’s Association, a national organization. It is because of Mabel’s great interest in paperweights and her commitment to education that this study gallery was named in her honor – to continue the pursuit of knowledge in glass and art, and to make the art of the paperweight more accessible to the public.
Legacy Giving Language
As an expression of confidence in our mission, friends of the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass have pledged to partner with us to make our vision of being a place for exciting discoveries in glass a reality. In an effort to provide assistance on how you can include our non profit organization in a bequest, examples of language to place in your will or trust are suggested below. Your attorney can tailor these statements to fit your specific situation.
Totally Unrestricted Bequest
“I give and bequeath ____% of my estate (or of my trust) (or a specific dollar amount) to the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum Inc., Neenah, WI. This bequest may be used in such manner as the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum Inc. shall in its sole discretion determine.”
Restricted Bequests
“I give and bequeath____% of my estate (or of my trust) (or a specific dollar amount) to the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum Inc., Neenah, WI.” The donor will state the restricted purpose of how the bequest should be used.
Endowment
“I give and bequest____% of my estate (or of my trust) (or a specific dollar amount) to the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum Inc., Neenah, WI to be added to the organization’s endowment.”
Residuary Estate
“I devise and bequeath all of the property owned by me at my death, real and personal wherever situated, to the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum Inc., Neenah, WI, the sale of such property would be added to the organization’s endowment (or state the restricted purpose of how the bequest should be used).”
Provisions for Managing Unrestricted Bequest
In order to demonstrate our stewardship of bequests, the staff and board of directors have set forth the following provisions for directing unrestricted gifts. These provisions ensure that gifts will be applied to the greatest need of Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass to best serve the mission and vision of the organization and the donor’s legacy.
Gifts of $1 to $25,000 will be directed for the staff’s discretionary use. Recent examples include building improvements, collection digitization and object acquisition.
For all unrestricted gifts of above $25,000, 20% will be directed toward the endowment fund, thereby supporting the sustainability of Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass. This percentage will be reviewed every five years by staff and board. The remaining percentage will be used to support strategic initiatives. The staff will make recommendations to be approved by the Executive Committee.
Expression of Appreciation
To recognize the commitment of making a planned gift, each donor will be recognized at Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass.
If you are considering a bequest and need more information, please contact:
Amy Moorefield
Executive Director
Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass
Tel. 920. 751. 4658, ext. 311
E-mail: moorefield@bmmglass.com