Photos By Gail

I recently went on one of my urban adventures to the city of Newark, New Jersey, where I visited the small but impressive Newark Museum of Art. That’s where I found this week’s Pink Thing, or things, as there are many of them. I’m sure you will agree, they are quite lovely.

Part of the wonderful and super-informative exhibit Unexpected Color: A Journey Through Glass (featuring the Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection of Steuben Glass), these (and other) colorful early works 20th-century glass were made by Steuben Glass Works co-founder and designer Frederick Carder. As fond as I am of art glass, I has only seen Carder’s work once previously.

Frederick Carder experimented with glassblowing techniques to create vibrant jewel-toned colors, and his designs were inspired by ancient Roman, Chinese, and Art Nouveau glass. His further experimentation with a range of materials lead to the creation of many different lustrous colors, including the pink hues seen here. His Rosaline glass combined Amethyst Ruby, and Alabaster, creating a soft pink. He also perfected his version of Gold Ruby, a glass formula used for thousands of years, by melting bits of gold into a sand and chemical mixture.

Unexpected Color: A Journey Through Glass  Will be on View Through December 31st, 2024 at the Newark Museum of Art.