There are times when the scariest thing in the world is a brown box handed to you by a relative. The box is usually taped shut and may or may not have seen the light of day for quite some time. A few holidays ago, Ashley Kuehl traveled to Michigan to celebrate the season and exchange gifts with her family. While many were brightly wrapped, one presented itself in a brown box…taped shut.
Rather than frightening, the contents proved to be a beautiful mystery. Inside Kuehl found two pieces of deep, ruby red, hand-blown glassware from the 60s. They were a gift from Kuehl ’s 97 year old grandmother. One was a wine carafe, the other a unique bowl.
Even though she grew up with the glassware in her house. In this edition of Radio Chipstone, Kuehl tells contributor gianofer fields she never saw them used. Not once.
This is part 1 of 2. In part 2, we’ll speak to Kuehl’s mother in an attempt to solve the mystery of the ruby red glassware.
About the Host:
gianofer (JON nah fer) fields is an Art Historian and Material Culture contributor and curates the Radio Chipstone series. The project is hosted by the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and funded by the Chipstone Foundation; a decorative arts foundation whose mission is preserving and interpreting their collection, as well as stimulating research and education in the decorative arts.
About the Guest:
Ashley Kuehl lives in Madison and is still threatening to use the glass bowl to serve fermented vegetables.
Image: “Mystery” glassware pitcher discussed in the segment. Image courtesy of Ashley Kuehl.
This segment comes from the Radio Chipstone Archives on WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio. See here.
