The Ohio Glass Museum is proud to unveil a major collection of glass candle holders amassed over nearly 50 years by collectors Al Schon and Roger Bridgewater of St. Louis, Missouri. The collection will be the 2024-2025 OGM exhibit titled DAZZLING! and will open to the public on September 12th, in the museum’s main gallery located at 124 W. Main Street in historic downtown Lancaster.

The exhibit, curated by OGM Art Director Anne Kiphen, will feature hundreds of candle holders from the private collection of Schon and Bridgewater, who have donated nearly all of the pieces on display to the museum.  

After decades of collecting, the couple decided it was time to downsize and they began searching for the perfect home for their collection.

“This collection began in 1977 with a pair of New Martinsville Man in the Moon candlesticks.  Because we collected American glass from a wide variety of manufacturers, we realized that we probably needed to explore museums that did not specialize in a particular manufacturer like Heisey or Fostoria,” Schon said. “An internet search found the Ohio Glass Museum which seemed a particularly appropriate organization since so much of our collection was made in the Ohio Valley glass houses.”

Kiphen said she and the board members of OG were delighted to receive such an extensive collection.

“The Bridgewater-Schon collection is now our largest with 583 glass candleholders, most of which are clear,” she said. “The clarity allows us to focus on the beautiful, graceful lines emphasizing the artistic talent of the original designers, and the many skills of the craftsmen who developed the finished product.”

Sponsored by Claypool Electric, DAZZLING! will open with a reception and remain on display throughout the summer of 2025. The Ohio Glass Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 4 pm. Additional information is available at www.ohioglassmuseum.org.