MILLVILLE, NJ - The “Curator’s Choice” exhibit, January 19 – March 9, is an opportunity to highlight significant objects in the Museum of American Glass’ collection that are easily overlooked with more than 7,000 pieces on display. The pieces were acquired by the museum in 2007. They illustrate the variety of American glass the museum collects, by donation or by purchase, in a given year. The piece’s price or value is not a criterion for this exhibit, rather the importance to the collection in telling the story of American glass.

■ Dirigible Fish Bowl - The unusual fish bowl in the shape of a dirigible (airships used during the 1930s) was patented by Charles P. Askew for the Canton Glass Company of Marion, IN on May 28, 1935. The company produced the bowl for several years. The fish bowl was a gift from Anna and Bud Walker.

■ Rose Amber and Burmese Lemonade Glasses - As early as 1883, the Mount Washington Glass Co. of New Bedford, MA, and the New England Glass Co. of Cambridge, MA, were producing glassware which was shaded from transparent amber to a deep red. This parti-shaded glass was called “Amberina” by the New England firm and “Rose Amber” by Mount Washington. The coloration was created by selectively reheating portions of the still hot completed piece. Gold oxide was contained in the amber glass formula. While the hot piece was being worked, it remained amber in color, but when reheated at a higher temperature, the gold became a deep red. It has always been difficult to distinguish between these Mount Washington and New England pieces. In 1885, the Mount Washington company introduced their Burmese glass which was also a parti-shaded glass but this time shading from opaque pink to yellow. Again created by selective reheating, the gold in the formula was dissolved in aqua regia. The Burmese lemonade glass helps to positively identify the Rose Amber piece because of their identical shape, and that Mount Washington was the only company that marketed Burmese in America. The lemonade glasses were purchased with donations to the Museum Acquisition Fund.

■ Milk Glass Animal Covered Dishes - Over the last several years, the museum’s Milk Glass collection has grown due to the generosity of the Rabin family. Many of the pieces which the Rabins had placed on long-term loan have now been donated to the Museum. This opaque white glass was referred to by glass companies as “Opal” glass. Covered animal dishes were popular in the late 19th century. The covered “Frog” dish was made by McKee & Brothers of Pittsburgh in 1890 and was given in memory of Elizabeth Kassab LeCleire. The covered “Deer” dish, given in memory of Robert Whelden, was produced for the E.C. Flaccus Company of Wheeling, WV, in 1890. Patented on August 6, 1889 by Atterbury & Company of Pittsburgh, the covered “Ribbed Fox” dish was given by the Rabins in memory of Milt Papas.

■ St. Francis and Bird Plaques - Michael and Frances Higgins, considered American pioneers of the Studio Glass Movement, began their glass careers by slumping and fusing glass in the 1940s. By the 1950s, the Higgins’ were designing and making glass for the Dearborn Glass Company of Bedford Park, IL. They opened their own studio in the 1960s where they created innovative glass tableware, sculpture and jewelry. At Dearborn, they made a wide variety of plaques that were usually framed. The plaques were a gift from Gail Wilson Britton.

■ “Blue, Black and White Collar and Cuff” - Maret Sarapu, a 2007 Creative Glass Center of America Fellow, studied glass art at the Estonia Academy of the Arts and received a masters degree from the University of Industrial Arts of Helsinki in Finland. Each CGCA fellow leaves a piece to the museum documenting their fellowship. Sarapu’s piece was created in the pâte de verre method of fusing particles of glass. Blue, black and white represent the colors of the Estonian flag.

■ Caravan Bowl - Maurice Heaton, considered one of the pioneers of the American Studio glass movement, was born in Neuchatel, Switzerland in 1900 and immigrated to the U.S in 1914. A third generation glassworker, who began working with enamels on glass in 1933, Heaton invented a process in 1947 of fusing crushed enamels to the undersurface of glass. By 1961, he adapted his technique to lamination whereby the colored enamels were fused between multiple layers of flat glass. The flat layers of glass were placed over a containing mold and heated in a kiln. The heated flat glass would slump, taking on the shape of the mold. This technique is called “Slumping.” This “Caravan” bowl, made in 1959, is one of the largest pieces that Heaton created and illustrates the multiple layering of enamels that he perfected. The bowl was a gift from Gail Wilson Britton.

■ Cut Tumbler - This unusual cut glass tumbler or beaker has been attributed to the Fisher brothers’ New York Glass Works of New York, NY, about 1830. Richard and John Fisher with John Gilliland founded the glass factory in 1820 on 47th Street and 11th Avenue. Shortly thereafter, Gilliland left the firm leaving the company to the two brothers. The business, known for cut glass table wares and chemical bottles, closed in 1840. This tumbler is cut and engraved with the figure of a man with the initials of “RF” above the gentleman’s top hat. Around the rim are the words “The First Flint Glass Maker In America.” The old glass term “Flint” refers to the manufacture of a clear glass with lead oxide in the formula. Lead glass was invented in England by George Ravenscroft in 1676. Lead oxide helps make a very clear glass and also produces a soft glass which is easy to cut. Today, most authorities consider the Bakewell firm of Pittsburgh, PA, to be the first glass factory to successfully produce “Flint” glass in America. This tumbler was a gift from Dianne Gregg.

■ Paperweights - The museum received 36 paperweights in 2007. The two weights exhibited represent a selection from the gifts. The flower weight was made by Jon and David Trabucco, twin sons of paperweight maker Victor Trabucco of Clarence, NY. Victor made his first weights in the 1970s and the twins followed, creating their own designs in the 1980s. The museum has several pieces by Victor but this is the first weight made by Jon and David in the collection. Millefiori paperweights were made by Oregon artist Gary Scrutton in the 1980s. He called his business Parabelle Glass. Scrutton created some of the best modern millefiori paperweights. He stopped making glass about 2000. This is also the first Parabelle paperweight to be entered into the collection. Both paperweights came from the collection of the late Helen and David Horn who were longtime supporters of the Museum and WheatonArts. The paperweights were donated in their memory.

■ Good Luck Bowl - Glass collector Ruth Eaves donated seven pieces to the museum in 2007 including this Carnival glass bowl made by the H. Northwood Company of Wheeling, WV, between 1908 and 1915. When in production, glass manufactures called their ware “pressed iridescent glass.” It was a cheap alternative to the expensive hand blown iridescent glass of Tiffany and Steuben. The most recognized colors of Carnival glass are the bright orange “Marigold” and deep “Purple.” The more pleasing shades were blue, green, red and the soft pastel tones. The “Good Luck” bowl with the “Fine Rib” pattern on the back is blue and was one of the most popular Northwood pressed iridescent pieces.

■ Rich Cut Glass - The American style of allover cutting was called “Rich Cut” when it was in production but today many collectors refer to this glass as “Brilliant.” The over done style appealed to the tastes of the Victorian age. Produced between 1890 and 1915, cutting houses in the U.S. marketed hundreds of different patterns that fall into the categories of geometric or naturalistic. The first bowl is the geometric pattern “Rex” made by the Tuthill Cut Glass Company of Middletown, NY, in 1915. The footed ice bucket is another geometric pattern called “Hindoo” made by J. Hoare & Co. in Corning, NY. The third bowl is in a naturalistic pattern made by the Libbey Glass Co. of Toledo, OH, in 1906 and was named “Star and Feather.” The pieces were given in memory of Elizabeth Kassab LeCleire by her daughters.

■ Console Set - This black and clear cut glass console set was made by the Libbey Glass Company of Toledo, OH, between 1919 and 1930. The “Art Deco” style set consists of a large bowl with matching candlesticks that were usually set on a sideboard or console when not in use on the dining table. The bowl and matching candlesticks were a gift from Gail Wilson Britton.

■ Tyrian Vase - Frederick Carder, the founder of the Steuben Glass Works, named this glass “Tyrian” because the purple highlights reminded him of the famous purple fabrics made in ancient Tyre. Tyrian is one of the rarest types of Steuben glass. Due to the difficulty in making the pieces, only a small number were made and all were produced about 1916. When the pieces were produced, the first hot gather of glass was green. When the shape was finished, the piece was reheated and the purple overtones were achieved. The intensity of the purple could be deepened by subjecting the piece to the heat for a longer duration. Tyrian pieces were decorated with gold threads forming borders, vines and leaves and then sprayed while still hot with stannous chloride to create the iridescence. This vase was purchased with donations made to the Museum Acquisition Fund.         

The Museum of American Glass has one of the most comprehensive collections of American glass in the world. Over 7,000 objects are on display ranging from America’s first glass bottles to works by Dale Chihuly and other contemporary artists who work in glass. Changing exhibits are installed annually and they are recognized worldwide for their scholarly achievements and visual appeal.

The Museum of American Glass, Down Jersey Folklife Center, Glass Studio demonstrations and museum stores are included in the price of admission to WheatonArts. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in January, February and March. Reduced admission rates in effect: $9.00 Adults, $8.00 Senior Adults and $6.00 Students. Children five and under are free. The Ceramics, Flameworking and Woodcarving Studios are closed and the train is not operational during these three months only. WheatonArts will resume a six-day operating schedule April 1. For more information, call 800-998-4552 or 856-825-6800, or visit www.wheatonarts.org.

WheatonArts strives to ensure the accessibility of its exhibitions, events and programs to all persons with disabilities. Provide two weeks notice for special accommodations. Patrons with hearing and speech disabilities may contact WheatonArts through the New Jersey Relay Service (TRS) 800-852-7899 or by dialing 711.

Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. WheatonArts receives general operating support from the New Jersey Historical Commission, Division of Cultural Affairs in the New Jersey Department of State and is supported in part by the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism.

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