Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass makes art accessible

Amy Moorefield:We’re at the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass in Neenah, delving into this delicate art. [bright string music] I met up with Executive Director Amy Moorefield to explore how the museum is working to make glass art accessible for all.

Angela:I love that, ’cause when you think of glass as an art form, you don’t typically think of necessarily fun, and then the “all” part.

Amy Moorefield:So, we are an admission-free institution, and our founder, Evangeline Bergstrom and John Nelson Bergstrom, wanted that. That was a mandate. It’s part of our founding documents. We reenvisioned our mission about three years ago. We really wanted to have an outward approach to feel more welcoming, which is a really big charge, is to have people come in the door. It’s a little bit challenging for parents when they make that decision, whether they want kids in, because it’s, you know, we hear a lot, “Hands at your sides, hands at your sides!” [Angela chuckles] Glasswork is all about kind of equality, and, you know, it’s a democratic approach in how it’s made, and it’s one of the oldest art forms in the world. We just want people to feel a little bit more ease to come to the museum.

Angela:I love that. So you have child-friendly activities that still involve glass. So tell us about some of the feedback that you’ve gotten from community members who come to visit the museum.

Amy Moorefield:It’s not unusual to hear, “We’ve never known that this glass museum existed.” Our institution’s been around since 1959, so there’s lots of families who say, “Oh, I remember going on a field trip here or taking art classes here.” And so, that sense of kind of community pride and nostalgia is something that we really relish here at the museum.

Angela:We left the gallery space for a look into the archives, which was full of surprises.

Amy Moorefield:Oh, wow!

Angela:And it’s glowing ’cause it’s radioactive?

Amy Moorefield:Correct.

Angela:Then I headed to Art Activity Day, which is held once a month and invites guests to create their own glass art. I sat down with Taylor who manages the studio here to try my hand at this fragile art form.

Taylor Moeller-Roy:We’re gonna make some butterflies today.

Angela:Mm-hmm.

Taylor Moeller-Roy:We have different wings cut out here. We have different, like, sheet glass here, which are awesome. Different pieces you can use to decorate your wings. So they’re symmetrical.

Angela:Mm-hmm.

Taylor Moeller-Roy:We also have stringers here that I like to break and use.

Angela:Got it.

Angela:As I’m doing this, I’m recognizing I have not done anything artistic since, I don’t know, elementary school. [both laugh] The last time that I used glue for anything is elementary school. So I feel like it is beneficial, right, to have this type of experience.

Taylor Moeller-Roy:That’s kind of the best part about things like this is we try to give people the skills to work with glass, but we try to keep everything as flexible as possible so that everyone can feel welcome and at home here.

Angela:I love that.

Taylor Moeller-Roy:Even if they don’t feel like they have a lot of artistic experience.

Angela:Absolutely, and maybe they’re tapping into something that they didn’t know they had, artistically speaking.

Taylor Moeller-Roy:Yeah, absolutely. That’s my favorite feedback, is when people say, “I love to bring my family here.” People who I see come back month after month for Art Activity Day ’cause it’s their favorite day of the month.

Angela:I don’t think I’ve ever done glass art before. So, you’ve checked a box off of my bucket list that I didn’t know was there until today.

Taylor Moeller-Roy:Awesome.

Angela:It’s been added and completed. So, thank you so much, Taylor. [laughs]

Taylor Moeller-Roy:Yeah, happy to! [playful music]