Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of GlassCurrent & Coming Exhibits

New Art on the Block: Selections from the Permanent Collection

October 31, 2024 – April 6, 2025

At Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass, our mission is to provide extraordinary glass experiences to spark fun, kindle creativity and illuminate learning for all. This exhibition celebrates the generosity of our museum benefactors, and highlights gifts of artwork to the museum during the past two years. These acquisitions serve to broaden the interpretive scope of our permanent collection holdings – now totaling 4,940 artworks – while simultaneously increasing artist representation. New Art on the Block showcases recently acquired artwork by Jen Blazina, Dale Chihuly, Wes Hunting, William Morris, Colin Reid, Cathy Richardson, Richard Royal, Ginny Ruffner, and Preston Singletary.

As an American Alliance of Museum’s accredited institution, Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass strategically acquires artwork that enhances our mission as a leading glass museum through exhibition, interpretation, and research. Through these gifts, we are able to continue engaging our audiences with the exciting world of glass art.

Farm to Flame: Gene Koss

September 20, 2024 – February 9, 2025

After obtaining his Master of Fine Arts degree at Tyler School of Art at Temple University, Gene Koss started the Tulane University glass program and brought the movement of glass art to New Orleans. He uses steel and glass to create monumental works. Working with serial cast glass parts to enlarge scale and combining these elements with steel and wood, he has raised glass sculpture to the realm of public art. Koss’s work has had a profound impact on American artists working in both steel and glass media.

Koss is the recipient of numerous awards including the National Endowment for the Arts; the New Orleans Community Arts Award; and Pace-Willson Art Foundation grants. His work is included in numerous private collections and has been displayed in museums and galleries throughout the United States and abroad, including the International Biennale for Contemporary Art in Florence, Italy, and has been featured in International Glass Art, Contemporary Glass-Color, Light & Form and Glass Art from Urban Glass publications. Koss is represented by Arthur Roger Gallery in New Orleans, LA.

In 2019 Gene Koss Sculpture was published by Arnoldsche Art Publishers, Stuttgart, Germany, and released internationally. The monograph features Koss’ most important artistic achievements created during his 45-year career, and, through insightful essays by well recognized critics and curators, places his sculptures in historic perspective.

Lead Sponsorship of this exhibition provided The Boldt Company.

Sharon Fujimoto

August 9, 2024 – February 16, 2025

Based in Amherst Junction, Wisconsin, artist Sharon Fujimoto creates art and functional objects using glass as the basic medium. She believes in the simplicity of form and color and the fact that “…’accidents’ are a beautiful thing.” She says, “I am not the master of my medium, I simply go with the flow as a witness, a participant and a supervisor. The end result is a one-of-a-kind object that will hopefully endure trends and fads – a piece that will make a connection with the artist and the viewer.”

As a result of her selection as the 1st place winner, sponsored by Rosann Baum Milius, of the 2023 GLASS Arts Festival, Fujimoto’s art will be on exhibit in the museum’s Blue Gallery through February.

Sharon Fujimoto. Untitled, 2023.

One-of-a-Kind: unique perthshire paperweights

may 24, 2024 – January 26, 2025

Perhaps no name is more synonymous with contemporary Scottish glass than that of Perthshire Paperweights. Founded in 1968 by Stuart Drysdale,Perthshire Paperweights was borne out of a desire to preserve the classic designs of antique millefiori paperweights produced by the French factories of Baccarat, Clichy and St. Louis. In fact, it was an article and accompanying photographs featuring the collection of the Bergstrom Art Center
in the July, 1965 issue of Woman’s Day magazine that piqued Drysdale’s interest of creating paperweights in the style and artistry of the old masters.

This exhibition features one-of-a-kind examples of Perthshire paperweights and related items. Some of the examples served as prototypes for
later designs, while others were created to commemorate an event or memorialize and individual. On exhibit in the Mabel R. McClanahan Memorial Study Gallery.

Perthshire Paperweights, Inc. Spaced Millefiori, ca.1980