Thursday, December 22, 2011

Did you know that membership in the Carder Steuben Club is only $35 per year for singles and $55 per couple? Join now-today- for 2012. Go to www.cardersteubenclub.org

Marshall Ketchum gives his opinion on reliable Carder Steuben Glass resources.

Alan

The Ericson books are not reliable. There are photos in these two books that are not Steuben and the text has many errors.

Marshall

Helaine Fendelman of New York City sends this information along following our discussion of self publishing. If interested in pursuing, use Helaine’s name as an entry reference point.

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Bob Weinberg of Huntington, New York goes on to another subject.

I am forwarding this email because altho most Carder Steuben collectors are not fanatics about paperweights, how would they feel if a major newspaper attacked a display of Carder perfumes because “no one uses those things anymore – they are from a time before showers were widely available” or some such nonsense. I am sure we all appreciate that paperweights have always been collected for their beauty and creativity and do belong in museums. I definitely am not promoting Selman who makes its living selling paperweights! But I am going to send a little note to the editor myself. Here’s to a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and a great year of collecting in 2012. Bob

— On Wed, 12/21/11, L.H. Selman Ltd. wrote:

From: L.H. Selman Ltd.
Subject: Tribune Attacks Rubloff Exhibit
Date: Wednesday, December 21, 2011, 3:18 PM

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Chicago Tribune Attacks Rubloff Collection

December 21, 2011

Dear Tova,

An odd thing happened this morning… a reporter from the Chicago Tribune newspaper attacked the Chicago Art Insititue’s Rubloff paperweight exhibit calling it a… “display of dozens of objects that just don’t seem worthy of space in one of the world’s great art museums.” The reporter goes on to state that paperweights are… “moderately pretty hunks of glass…” and the only reason “…this gathering of tschotchkes (is) getting such pride of place…” is that Arthur Rubloff donated a lot of money to the Museum. In fact, the upper right corner of the paper’s front page describes the collection as a “museum misfire.”

We are amazed and a bit confused by the reporter’s characterization of an art form we have all come to love and respect. The rich history, the dedicated and talented artists, the active collector groups, and the beauty of the art itself all combine to make paperweights, and, in particular, the Rubloff exhibit, a joy for so many people around the world.

If you disagree with the Tribune’s perspective, please take a moment right now to write an email to the reporter, Steve Johnson, and to his editorial boss, Scott Powers. You can reach them at:

sajohnson@tribune.com

slpowers@tribune.com

It is important that they both hear from as many people as possible as quickly as possible so that the newspaper will be encouraged to write a positive follow up article that will reinforce to the Art Institute that it should not lose confidence in its support of the Rubloff exhibit.

We know this is a busy time of year, but please do it today. It can be short and to the point and it will still get the job done.

The excerpt from the Tribune article that speaks to the Rubloff exhibit is included below.

Our very best to you and yours for the holidays and the coming new year!

Mitch and Ben

December 21, 2011

MUSEUMS’ SORRY SPECIMENS

Exhibit: The Arthur Rubloff Paperweight Collection

This downstairs room, we can only presume, was to be part of a larger exhibit highlighting the desk implements of Chicago’s monied class. But somehow the Marshall Field Stapler Assemblage and the Tom Ricketts Gallery of Ornate Letter Openers got lost in the mail. So we are left with the Rubloff paperweights, a loving display of dozens of objects that just don’t seem worthy of space in one of the world’s great art museums. These are moderately pretty hunks of glass whose highest best use, as near as I can figure, would be for office work done out of doors on windy days. Or they could be murder weapons for a mystery writer trying to class up her stories. The exhibit designer seems to have struggled with this one, too: Says one card, “The Arthur Rubloff Paperweight Collection: A Variety of Sizes.” It might constitute one of the three great paperweight collections from the “Classic period” (1845 to 1860). But the key words there are “paperweight collection.” And the key words in this gathering of tchotchkes getting such pride of place, I suspect, are “Arthur” and “Rubloff,” after the man who bequeathed many art works to the museum and whose name is also on an auditorium and a whole building there. Earn enough scratch in your lifetime, and your hobbies can become everyone’s.

www.cardersteubenclub.org

Any opinions expressed by participants to the Gazette e-mail newsletters are the opinions of the authors and are not endorsed by or the opinions of the Carder Steuben Club.

2012 Carder Steuben Club annual Symposium will be held at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY from September 20-22, 2012.