KENT, Ohio – The Kent State University Museum presents Collecting Cup Plates: A Loan Exhibition from the Thomas E. Kruggel Collection in the Tarter/Miller Gallery through Dec. 8.
The exhibition, which is supported by the Ohio Arts Council, features more than 200 antique and contemporary pieces.
Different techniques, i.e. transfers, hand-painting, and fluorescence are represented, including those which fluoresce under ultraviolet light.
What are they? Cup plates were made of china or blown glass and were used in the 1800s to prevent teacups from staining tables and cloths. Their production was facilitated, and their popularity increased by the invention of the glass press in 1827. According to Kruggel, cup plates were among the first pressed glass items.
During the course of the 20th century, cup plates became collectors’ items, reflecting the nature and the times in which they were made.
The Pairpoint Glass Company began pressing cup plates in 1974. These were the first and only made with full lead crystal. The molds were engraved by hand, many by master engravers Alvin A. White and Andrew Bourbon. The majority of this company’s plates have been commissioned by historical societies, museums, churches, and other non-profit organizations.
Kruggel, a flutist and teacher from the Cleveland area, has been collecting antique and commemorative cup plates since 1978. The first president of the Ohio Buckeye Chapter of the former Pairpoint Cup Plate Collectors of America, Kruggel wrote articles for the the group’s newsletter and spoke at the organization’s national convention in Hyannis, Mass.
Some of his own designs were engraved by Alvin A. White and produced by Pairpoint Glass.
Kruggel reception. Visitors can joy Join Thomas Kruggel from 5:30-7 p.m. June 20 for a curator’s talk and reception followed by the 7 p.m. showing of the classic film Bombshell (1933). Cost is $10. Call Judy Jerkich at 330-672-3450 by June 14 for reservations.
The Kent State University Museum is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 4:45 p.m. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
The museum is located in Rockwell Hall on the comer of East Main and South Lincoln streets on the Kent Campus. Group rates are $4 per person; other admission prices are: general $5; seniors $4; children 7-18, $3.
For additional information call 330-672-3450 or visit www.kent.edu/museum.
