New Bedford Museum of Glass
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The New Bedford Museum of Glass, located in
New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...
, is home to a wide collection of glass ranging from ancient Mediterranean unguent bottles to designs by contemporary artists such as
Dale Chihuly Dale Chihuly () (born September 20, 1941) is an American glass artist and entrepreneur. He is best known in the field of blown glass, "moving it into the realm of large-scale sculpture". Early life Dale Patrick Chihuly was born on September 20 ...
.


History

It was first established in 1993 as the Glass Art Center at the former
Bradford College Bradford College is a further and higher education college in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, with approximately 25,000 students. The college offers a range of full and part-time courses from introductory level through to postgraduate l ...
in
Haverhill, Massachusetts Haverhill ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Haverhill is located 35 miles north of Boston on the New Hampshire border and about 17 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 67,787 at the 2020 United States Cen ...
. After the college closed, the museum relocated to New Bedford in part due to the city's rich heritage of glassmaking. As a result, Mount Washington glass and Pairpoint glass compose a large part of the museum's collection. The New Bedford Museum of Glass originally opened in 2010 in one of the original buildings of the historic Wamsutta Textile Mills complex. After temporarily closing in 2019, it relocated to the historic James Arnold Mansion at 427 County Street in January 2022.


Glassmaking in New Bedford

New Bedford was one of the world's most industrious cities during the 1800s due to its easily accessible harbor and the fortune generated by the whaling industry. As a result, the Mount Washington glass company relocated from Boston to New Bedford in 1870. In 1880, the Pairpoint Manufacturing company opened, absorbing Mount Washington in 1894. Pairpoint remained in operation as a glass manufacturer until 1938 when it went out of business. It opened up again briefly as the Gundersen-Pairpoint Glass Company before being renamed for a final time to Pairpoint Glass Company.


Collection

The museum's collection numbers more than 7,000 items. The earliest example of glass on display is a core-formed vessel of eastern Mediterranean origin dating from 600 BCE. European glass includes a diamond-engraved wine glass of about 1690, an English seal bottle dated 1785, a glass portrait medallion of about 1813 representing Arthur Wellesley, the First Duke of Wellington, by English artist John Henning, and numerous other examples. Early American glass is particularly well represented in the museum galleries. The collection includes outstanding examples by the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company, the New England Glass Company, Thomas Cains' Phoenix Glass Works of South Boston, Bakewell, Page and Bakewell of Pittsburgh and many other celebrated makers. Examples of New Bedford glass include Mount Washington's Amberina,
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, Crown Milano, Lava Glass, Peach Blow, and
Royal Flemish Pairpoint Glass Company is an American glass manufacturer based in Sagamore, Massachusetts. It is currently the oldest operating glass company in the United States.John Zientek"The Revival of Pairpoint, America's Oldest Operating Glass Company,"G ...
art glass and Pairpoint engraved pieces. Contemporary artists include
Dale Chihuly Dale Chihuly () (born September 20, 1941) is an American glass artist and entrepreneur. He is best known in the field of blown glass, "moving it into the realm of large-scale sculpture". Early life Dale Patrick Chihuly was born on September 20 ...
, Edris Eckhardt, and Harvey Littleton. The museum's collection of American political glass, featured in a special installation at the New Bedford City Hall, is the largest of its kind on public display, numbering more than 500 items. Popular permanent exhibits in the museum galleries include "Contemporary Paperweights: The Schimmelpfeng Collection" and "Atomic Green Vaseline: Uranium Glass in Everyday Life." Another important resource at the museum is the Virginia Shaw Rockwell Research Library, which contains more than 6,000 publications on the subject of glass.


References

*http://antiquesandthearts.com/Antiques/CoverStory/2010-09-21__11-53-39.html *http://www.antiquetrader.com/article/new_bedford_museum_of_glass_sept_opening *http://www.cmog.org/dynamic.aspx?id=11916


External links

*
Grand opening celebration
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Bedford Museum Of Glass, The Buildings and structures in New Bedford, Massachusetts Glass museums and galleries in the United States History of Bristol County, Massachusetts Museums established in 1993 Museums in Bristol County, Massachusetts Art museums and galleries in Massachusetts Tourist attractions in New Bedford, Massachusetts 1993 establishments in Massachusetts