Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass is home to many beautiful glass treasures, including paperweights, sculpture, and Germanic drinking vessels. On from December 23rd through June 16th in the Museum’s Blue Gallery, Under The Sea: Marine Life in Glass, showcases fourteen works of art in which artists have found their muse in the flora and fauna of the world’s oceans. Works featuring fish, kelp, turtles, and water-loving birds by artists including Janet Kelman, Colin Richardson, Josh Simpson, Rick Ayotte, and factories such as Caithness and Perthshire will be on exhibit.
Did you know that the first paperweight Evangeline Bergstrom collected was an antique Baccarat from 1847? It was by chance that she found herself in an antiques show in Florida while satisfying her interest in stamp collecting. The paperweight reminded her of a weight that belonged to her grandmother more than fifty years prior. In fact, Mrs. Bergstrom didn’t start collecting paperweights until she was 63 years old! In this exhibition located in the Mabel R. McClanahan Memorial Study Gallery, take a journey into the past and examine antique French paperweights that Mrs. Bergstrom – or her contemporaries – would have collected. Learn about characteristic hallmarks of lampwork, millefiori and sulphide paperweights from the big three factories of St. Louis, Clichy and Baccarat as well as Pantin and St. Mande. Who knows what exciting discoveries you will make?
As a center for extraordinary glass experiences, Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass offers unique discoveries to ignite creativity, spark fun, and cultivate learning for all. We are pleased to exhibit glass art made by area high school students in this, the 2023 Fox Valley Area High School Glass Exhibition. After creating glass art in the classroom, and in the museum glass studio, students have the opportunity to share their work in this public setting. Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass strives to expose the community to the versatility of glass while encouraging the creativity of talented young artists in the area with this annual exhibit. The 2023 Fox Valley Area High School Glass Exhibition and Glass Experience Days are supported in part by Chilton Area Community Foundation Fund within the Chilton Area Community Foundation and the Lilian Noble Memorial Fund.