This is a post in the My Things series on this blog. In it I chronicle items I own. I seek to describe why I own the item, whence it came, and what value it provides . . . and any other tidbits of interest.
Many scoff at paperweights. Within the minimalist world, the paperweight is used as a symbol of a thing that is not needed. I agree, it is not needed, yet I have one and it will remain.
It is not used to hold papers from blowing around. Happily, I have air conditioning.
Rather, this paperweight is a piece of art. In a home that is essentially neutral in color the paperweight offers just a smidgen of color.
I live in Millville, NJ. Within walking distance from here is WheatonArts, a celebration to the town’s glassblowing history. There one will find in the Museum of American Glass a collection of paperweights from significant glassblowers.
One of those glassblowers, Tony DePalma, guided me as I made this paperweight. My mother visited me one summer and I took her there. We each made a paperweight under DePalma’s guidance.
This paperweight was in my classroom until last year. Looking around the classroom one day I asked myself, “Is there anything in here that I would take with me when I retire?” The paperweight was the only thing. I took home that day. I now have the freedom of knowing I can walk away from teaching on a moment’s notice and not miss a thing.
This paperweight is one of the few things (cast iron skillet is another) I know will go with me when I retire.