100 Years Of Bakelite’ At Mark Twain Library

REDDING — The Mark Twain Library in Redding is presenting a special exhibition of selections from The Amsterdam Bakelite Collection this spring. The exhibition, “Heat and Pressure — 100 Years of Bakelite” will run until May 30 and is open to the public, during library hours.

The exhibit includes a selection of more than 250 rare bakelite objects and related materials assembled from the Amsterdam Bakelite Collection, owned by Reindert Groot, a professional photographer and film producer living in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The display is supplemented with loans from Jorge Caicedo, a New York City designer, and personal items owned by Hugh Karraker of Redding, a great grandson of the Bakelite inventor. Additional support has been given by companies such as the Dutch Corodex, the Danish Pressalit, and the Belgian Vyncolit/Sumitomo.

Mr Karraker and Mr Groot first met in March 2007 at an exhibition created by the Museum for the History of Sciences at the University of Ghent, Belgium, to celebrate Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863-1944)and his invention.

Bakelite is a synthetic resin invented 100 years ago and named after its inventor. Say the word “bakelite,” and a kitchen historian will recall the handles on old Revere ware saucepans, a vintage jewelry collector may think of a colorful deco brooch, and an industrialist might explain how bakelite, “the material of a thousand uses,” gave birth to the modern world.

“Heat and Pressure — 100 Years of Bakelite” illustrates the history and significance of Bakelite and its enormous influence on the daily lives of nearly everyone in the 20th and 21st centuries. The Mark Twain Library’s eight display cases highlight the wide variety of applications of Bakelite including “Industry,” “Toys and Games,” “The Office,” and “Image and Sound.” Each grouping portrays vivid examples of a great variety of products and forms influenced by the design trends of the eras, including Art Deco, Bauhaus, and Streamline, along with more recent designs by French designer Philippe Starck for Telefunken and Alessi. Also on display are technical and household products that are still being made today.

The library is on Diamond Hill Road at the intersection with Route 53 in Redding. It is open Monday through Thursday from 10 am to 7 pm, Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from 1 to 5 pm. For additional information call 203-938-2545 or visit MarkTwainLibrary.org.