Museums et al

[slagmarble]

Just so happens I was road tripping and stopped in both Akron OH and Weston WV to find one museum no longer exists and the other is well...for lack of a better word...gutted of marbles.  So what happened here and where did the displays wander off to?

[Steph]

 

This might answer part of your question: 

http://marbleconnection.com/topic/22938-museum-news/

 

[Al Oregon]

I assume you mean the Museum of Glass in Weston?  What did they say about the marble displays when you asked them?

 

[slagmarble]

The girl at the desk mentioned something to me about that being "what is left" which kind of got my attention.  Nice museum but the marble section given the state history was really just sad.  I'm not expecting like a hundred thousand dollars in marbles here but I think $2-300 might have covered what was loose under glass.  The packaging section was a little more interesting and that seemed much more detailed.  You might find better Akros purely by chance in an antique store for example.

I spoke for probably an hour with the owner and clerk of Roshells on the main drag and apparently the area is in a pretty major economic slump and they hate the mayor...heh.

[wvrons]

"what is left" I wonder where it went ? It was not WV marbles alone.  Most of what was displayed came from the National Marble Museum in CA. There were a large amount of marbles of all kinds and values which came from the National Marble Museum. Which the majority of were donated free by many collectors. I don't think all of what came from the National Marble Museum was ever out on display. A reason I never sent any marble donations. It would be nice if there was a place that you could think your marble donations would be secure and remain on display for the future.  Maybe someone's collection got larger or their pockets heavier or maybe not ???????? Maybe they are in storage ? I am not so sure that is what the people who donated them had hopes of.  

[slagmarble]

What I saw for machinemades was unimpressive very common examples, maybe 100 in total spanning 8 companies or so.  They had some handmade Germans but nothing remarkable.  The packaging was some master stuff, clearies, a bag spilled out to show contents...that was really about it.

 

Edit:  it was a grand total of 5 MFC slags, nothing by Christensen agate and if I recall right no Peltier either.  Many WV companies represented but basically common unremarkable stuff.

[Alan]

46 minutes ago, slagmarble said:

What I saw for machinemades was unimpressive very common examples, maybe 100 in total spanning 8 companies or so.  They had some handmade Germans but nothing remarkable.  The packaging was some master stuff, clearies, a bag spilled out to show contents...that was really about it.

 

Edit:  it was a grand total of 5 MFC slags, nothing by Christensen agate and if I recall right no Peltier either.  Many WV companies represented but basically common unremarkable stuff.

I imagine that they will accept donations for the displays.

The public wouldn't know and Akro corkscrew from a Indian - or care.

[slagmarble]

If they can house hundreds possibly thousands of pieces of tableware glass for the public I kinda wonder about that.  Even glass insulators had at least 30 different varieties along with a pretty cool miniaturized salesman type display.  The layperson probably wouldn't know one from the other there or most likely what they were even used for.

[Greatmacscott]

Smaller, local museums can have a sketchy history. I remember going to a community museum in central Indiana. They had a marble display and I commented on one marble that was really nice. The guy behind the counter asked what I thought it was worth. When I shot him a number, he unlocked the case and it went home with me.

 

I have been working on displays at a couple museums and libraries lately and have a couple of thoughts:

-          Sustainability – What is the financial support for the museum.

-          Publicity – How does the museum promote itself. Is it locally featured by local tourist/travel groups? Does it have a national reputation?

-          Professionalism – Is the staff trained in traditional museum practices and techniques or are they friends/family of the founder/collector

-          Legal Ps and Qs – Is there a contract outlining what the loaned items are and how long the marbles are on exhibit. What are the responsibilities of the lender and the museum. What happens if the lender dies or the museum closes. Is it a loan or a gift.

-          Insurance – Who is insuring the collection in case of loss, damage, or institution closing.

 

A quick story from the toy and miniature museum:

We have a contract, insurance coverage is included and the staff has several professionally trained staff. I would carry items for the display into the museum, turn it over to a registrar, who catalogued everything. Next, everything was turned over to a curator for installation. I was a “guest curator” for setting up the exhibit and before I could touch anything, I had to put on the rubber or cotton gloves. All part of the professional of the institution. t

[Al Oregon]

Scott - great thoughts.  It'd be nice if there was a museum that would step up on a permanent display area/room for marbles.  I know they would get a lot of interest.  By the way, why did the museum not continue with Cathy's collection?  I think they had told her that they didn't want it any more.  Now they have changed their mind?

[slagmarble]

If there was a museum somewhere I knew was going to safeguard the contents for display I'd happily donate some slags.  Not chintzy stuff either, a healthy range.  For the record I'm also not implying wrongdoing here on anyone's part because I don't know the story behind anything in the museum.  I'm just sticking to the facts on what I saw and the disappointment felt.

[machinemades]

I just messaged with Mike Johnson about the marbles in WV museum. The person in charge is Dean Six, Mike’s co-author in American Machine Made Marbles. Mike was surprised to hear and checked it. He told me this morning that the collection supposed to be intact in the museum in a separate room full with marbles. He said he will check it in person in May. Is there a chance you might have not seen and missed this room?

[slagmarble]

There is no separate room with marbles.  When you walk in the main entrance you go past a desk that will be on your right, you make a left there and its 2 rows of glass covered cases.  One case had loose marbles with handmades/contemporaries on one side and machinemades on the other the second case was original packaging with the entire setup organized in sort of an L formation.  Imagine it like a huge open room with a very tiny portion off to the center-right of the building when facing the entrance from the street. 

The only separate room I saw was off to the far right end and was full of floor to ceiling display cases of glassware the museum is actually selling, i didnt see marbles there.  In total I think there may have been 3(?) rooms, I did not explore the very back past the insulators, and was directed to the spot I described by the ladies at the desk when I told them why I made a detour through WV.

[wvrons]

 Good to hear that it is still together some where in the Weston Glass Museum. I think that collection contained some rare and unique items including paper work and documents dealing with glass marble production.