What do sea turtles have in common with an astronaut? Both are captured in the enchanting glass paperweights featured in Paperweight Pals, a book for very young readers published by the Museum last summer. Written by executive director, Karol B. Wight, the book presents ten paperweights from the Museum’s collection of more than 1,000 examples which depict people, places, and flowers.
The pals inside these paperweights offer young readers the opportunity to explore shapes, colors, and numbers, and have also recently been the inspiration for a new song by a local musician.
Doc Possum is a singer-songwriter who performs at family events in the local region. No stranger to the Museum, he has been performing at Little Gather events since the release of his CD, Pouch Music, in 2004. In the past, Doc has written about the story of glass, incorporating objects from the Museum’s collection into his song lyrics. This year, he was excited to write songs based on the theme of the Paperweight Pals book. When asked if there was a special paperweight that he liked when writing the lyrics, he declined to pick a favorite, saying, “It wouldn’t be fair to pick just one!”
To travel to the moon, you must be very brave... (Paperweight, 1969, 78.4.180)
Doc began writing and playing music when he was seven years old, and has never stopped. His songwriting transitioned to children’s music as a result of his family. He has two children, now ages 14 and 12. “When they were younger, I was playing music, and staying home with the kids,” said Doc, “And that influenced what I was writing about.”
Doc’s original song “Look Inside” expands on the story of Paperweight Pals in a fun, energetic tune that encourages children and their parents to dance around – a popular activity at Little Gather events.
Well they hold things down while you’re dancing around The Paperweight Pals
They’ve got so much to say in a colorful way The Paperweight Pals
Look inside what do you see
A story to be told for you and me
At the summer finale Little Gather, Museum glassmakers held a special hot glassmaking demonstration for the kids and families in attendance and crafted a glass sea turtle, one of the animals featured in the paperweights.
Four green turtles crawl to the sea...
Paperweight Pals is available for purchase in the GlassMarket. Learn more about the paperweights featured in the book: cmog.org/set/paperweight-pals.
Song lyrics courtesy of Doc Possum: www.docpossum.com
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