Yesterday my Arts Editor and I had the pleasure of touring one of the more obscure museums in the Twin Cities, the Minnesota Museum of American Pattern Glass. This is a museum devoted to pattern or pressed glass, produced mostly in America, dating from 1890-1925.
We were fortunate in that the founder, Peter Thomas, was at the front desk and more than willing to give us a lecture on the history and physical processes behind the entire pressed glass industry, and he presented this information with copious authentic examples. My Arts Editor was fascinated and plied him with questions, most of which he was able to answer in a thorough manner.
And then he turned us loose on the collection, and it was a real pleasure to go through the museum. It’s not huge, which is something of a relief for the museum walker familiar with the monstrously large (and I say that in the most loving way possible) Minneapolis Institute of Art; the Minnesota Museum of American Pattern Glass preserves a focus on its interest, while assuring you that you’ll still be able to walk out to your car afterwards.
The displays are composed in such a manner as to emphasize the beauty of their components. A single display often includes all known information concerning the elements. Everything is clean (the cleaning of which makes me dizzy at the very thought) dazzling, and well-curated, and Peter was more than happy to answer questions that came up as we strolled along.
While I collect nothing but dust myself, we do have a couple of pieces of pressed glass (circa unknown, but we figure 1930s), and here’s a picture of one. We’re told that this is a cup plate, used to set one’s cup on after the cup’s saucer has been used to cool one’s tea. This is one of a set of eight.
The Minnesota Museum of American Pattern Glass is at 15 South 1st Street, Suite A-4, Minneapolis MN, (on the corner of Hennepin Avenue and 1st Street South).
Check the website for hours. Hours are sharply limited, so make sure you get there on time and with time for lecture and tour, for which an hour and a half should be adequate. Parking is on the street, and, the museum, being on the ground floor of a condo highrise, has a dedicated external entry on Hennepin Avenue.
