Isle of Wight Museum of Glass at Arreton Barns has received its largest-ever donation of over 600 pieces of glass.
Long-time glass collector Roger Willsmer, 76, of Upminster, Essex, contacted the museum in mid-November 2019 offering almost his entire collection.
Most of it was made by Isle of Wight Studio Glass and some by Mdina Glass from the late 1960s to the 1980s. It includes many important pieces signed by Michael Harris, the founder of both these studios.
The donation will increase the size of the museum collection by about 50%.
Anton Doroszenko, museum curator, says:
“We have had donations before, but nothing of this magnitude. We are most appreciative of Roger’s generous gift and will care for it well.”
The museum says it will take about a year of planning to determine the best way to display a significant part of the new donation. In the meantime, most of it will be kept in storage.
Anton adds:
“Because of space and resource limitations we will have to select what’s displayed in the exhibition, choosing the best pieces for permanent display while rotating the rest”.
Isle of Wight Museum of Glass opened in March 2016. Since then it has expanded exhibition space by half, built a brand new galley, taken on new staff, and opened a shop.
One can’t wait to view it, a must on everyone’s bucket list I am certain.
You would think our council would fund this, they are good at throwing cash at lame ducks.
Very negative, I’m sure the people who visit will have a smashing time.
Once you have seen two or three glass vases with smears and streaks of colour dribbled through the glass with a mauve metallic irridesent tone, it gets boring for normal people. Something as the rain sheets down outside for the elderly to arrive by coach get ripped off on tea and cake, before rinse and repeat at other Island ‘attractions’.