Stories told through glass
New Duncan & Miller museum director driven by ‘history and storytelling’
Janine Surmick’s favorite item in the Duncan & Miller Glass Museum isn’t one of the elegantly crafted pieces of tableware that is behind glass, or one of the swan-shaped dishes.
Instead, it’s a vintage glass-making press that sits in the museum’s basement on Ridge Avenue. It came from a glass plant in Ohio, and it’s just like one of the presses that could have been in the Duncan & Miller factory on Jefferson Avenue more than a century ago. Surmick likes the press because it’s a tangible link to the human side of glassmaking – that all the antique glassware that is now prized by collectors did not materialize out of thin air, but were the result of human ingenuity and toil.
Surmick explains that “history and storytelling” both drive her.
“What’s so special to me about being here is people,” she said. “A human being behind the glass created that and designed that.”
Surmick will have the opportunity to tell the story of the Duncan & Miller Glass Company and its fabled history as the museum’s new executive director. She started in April, and is the first person to fill the role.
Surmick comes to the job with a varied background. A native of New Jersey who later settled in Reading with her family, Surmick majored in philosophy at Alvernia College (now Alvernia University), focusing on the German philosopher Martin Heidegger. She was also a theater minor, and firmly believes that, yes, liberal arts majors can find meaningful employment after graduation.
“I’ll die on that hill,” she said.
She came to the Pittsburgh region when she started work on a master’s degree in creative writing at Chatham University. Before long, she was involved in nonprofit organizations in the region, including the RiverQuest, the educational and environmental nonprofit, and founded Literacy Abridged, which provides resources to help children up to age 5 sharpen their reading skills. A published poet, Surmick has also done some travel writing, is a member of Kiwanis and was a counselor on funerals and burial options for the Catholic Cemeteries Association of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
The different jobs she has tackled “really lends itself to be able to address different circumstances as they arise,” Surmick said.
Jon Day, president of the museum’s board, said he and other members of the board were impressed with her background.
“We thought she’d fit in with us,” he explained.
The next few months promise to be busy ones at the museum, which settled in its location in 2019 after years of being in a house on Jefferson Avenue. The National Duncan Glass Society is having its annual sale of glass, jewelry and other items at the Washington County Fairgrounds July 11-12. Various events are on tap to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, including an “America the Beautiful” art show Aug. 29, and a bourbon tasting and silent auction Sept. 19. A Victorian-era bridal shower is planned for Oct. 11 and floral design workshops are scheduled for Nov. 24 and Dec. 23.
Surmick is hoping to expand educational opportunities for children during her time at the helm of the Duncan & Miller Glass Museum and increase awareness of the museum among their parents and grandparents. The museum “should not be a hidden treasure at all.”
“It’s not just beautiful (glass),” she added. “It’s the stories of the individuals who worked there. That’s the heart of it.”