When Victor Durand, Jr. established the Durand Art Glass division of his Vineland, New Jersey glassmaking company in 1924, Frederick Carder’s Steuben Glass Works was his only competition. Tiffany Studios had closed, as had the Quezal Art Glass and Decorating Company. Other firms, including the Imperial Glass Company, the Fenton Glass Art Glass Company and Union Glass Company had discontinued their art glass lines. This lecture will discuss the founding of the Durand Art Glass division, hiring of glass workers and the glass output until the shop closed after only 7 years of operation in 1931. Any similarities and overlap in production with Steuben will be explored.

Gay LeCleire Taylor, Independent Curator and Glass Consultant, is the former Director/Curator of the Museum of American Glass at Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center(formerly Wheaton Village) in Millville, New Jersey. During her tenure of over thirty-five years at the Museum, she organized over thirty exhibitions including “Glass Threads: Tiffany, Quezal, Imperial, Durand,” “The Fires Burn On: 200 Years of Glassmaking in Millville, New Jersey,” “Maximizing the Minimum: Small Glass Sculpture,” “20/20 Vision,” and “Out of the Mold.” She has written numerous exhibition catalogs and glass research articles. Ms. Taylor taught glass classes for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, the University of Delaware's Conservation Care Training Program, and the Winterthur Museum’s Fall Institute, and taught “The History of Glass” at Rowan University. She identified the glass collection at the Barnes Foundation for The Pew Charitable Trusts. She was the President and the Secretary of the National American Glass Club. She is a past member of the Board of the Paperweight Collectors Association and is a member of their Publications Review Committee. Ms. Taylor also serves on several local South Jersey arts boards and committees.

For those of you who have not heard of WheatonArts, it is a New Jersey gem. WheatonArts is an internationally acclaimed arts community located in Millville, New Jersey. It is a favorite of mine to visit and support. The renowned Museum of American Glass has a chronologically arranged exhibit on American glass which includes the world’s largest hand-blown glass bottle collection and an incredible paperweight collection. The museum has a nice collection of Carder Steuben glass that is displayed with Carder’s American contemporaries such as Durand and Tiffany. Here are two photos from Wheaton’s collection.

WheatonArts has daily artist demonstrations in their Hot Glass, Pottery, and Flameworking Studios. There is also the opportunity to explore the Folklife Center, walk the Nature Trail, or picnic with the GateHouse Café. The hot shop is a real treat, we always enjoy watching the resident and guest artists demonstrating their work. I hope to see you all at Symposium! — Karen Beeman, President

Come join your Carder Steuben Glass Association friends at our upcoming Zoom Social this Saturday, June 18, 2022 from 4:00-6:00pm EDT (1:00-3:00pm PDT). This is a light, fun way to meet some of the other CSGA members and enjoy a conversation about glass. Our theme is “We’ve Got the Blues” — please bring a piece of your favorite blue glass to share in discussion with other members.  Detailed information, a meeting link, and password will be sent to CSGA Members this Thursday before the session. We look forward to seeing you there!