Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass
Officially opened in 1959, the Bergstom-Mahler Museum of Glass has its roots in the early 1870s with a little girl named Evangeline Bergstrom and her love of a glass paperweight in her grandmother’s parlor. Over 50 years later, a weight similar to her grandmother’s became the first of over 600 unique paperweights Mrs. Bergstrom would acquire over the years. Housed in the Bergstrom’s mansion, the museum’s name includes that of glass enthusiasts Carol and Ernst Mahler for their donation of a unique collection of Germanic glassware. Today, the admission-free museum is home to nearly 5000 unique glass objects, hosts multiple exhibitions and tours in its nine galleries, provides free community outreach events, and teaches over 160 classes. “We’re very proud of our mission, to provide extraordinary glass experiences to spark fun, kindle creativity, and illuminate learning for all,” notes Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass Executive Director Amy Moorefield. “We really just believe in providing opportunities for people of all ages to learn more about glass.”
Location: Neenah, WI
Grant Amount: $3,000
Grantee: Free-admission museum dedicated to providing extraordinary glass experiences to spark fun, kindle creativity, and illuminate learning for all.
“We’re deeply grateful to Fox Cares for enabling us to continue feeding our community a love of glass.”
~ Amy Moorefield, Executive Director,
Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass
Fox Cares Foundation works with the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass to fund the Golden Ticket Scholarship program. Designed to provide barrier-free access to art programs, golden tickets allow individuals and families to experience artistic activities they would not otherwise be able to access or afford. Partnering with school districts, mental health and memory care groups, community clubs and organizations, shelters, and more, the Museum has given out over 500 golden tickets. Fox Cares funding also supports numerous other initiatives directed at improving awareness of the Museum and increasing accessibility and affordability of learning and creativity development programs. “Because learning about glass and being creative makes us be more creative learners.” Moorefield continues, “And that’s the business we’re in, providing opportunities to help us appreciate our own humanity.”
Click here to learn more about the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass.