Different Strokes for Different Folks: Glass From the Harter, Jastremski, and Sawyer Gifts February 16, 2011

It has frequently been noted by the chroniclers of such phenomena that, after coins and stamps, glass is the third most collected medium internationally. Upon analysis, this fact is not astonishing since glass has the ability to take on myriad forms and an incredibly broad range of color, and can be manipulated into a reflection of almost any desired style. Indeed, it has done all of these things since the secrets of its manufacture were discovered nearly four thousand years ago. Given this huge range of form, color, and style, it is not surprising that glass would attract an equally broad spectrum of collectors. That this is so is mirrored in three significant recent gifts to the museum's glass collection: the American studio glass from the estate of John Burton "Burt" Harter; the American presses glass from the gift of Florence Jastremski in memory of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Stanwood Duval Jastremski; and the far-ranging collection of Jack M. Sawyer. The glass collected by each of these donors is as different in character as their personalities. Each was attracted to a completely different aspect of glass production. That diversity makes for an extremely interesting and visually rich exhibition.