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Wiener Werkstatte ceramics feature modern designs

When the Arts and Crafts movement thrived first in the British Isles and then in the United States, Vienna, Austria, had the Wiener Werkstatte (Vienna Workshop). Founded in 1903 by designer Josef Hoffmann, painter Koloman Moser and financier Fritz Waerndorfer, the workshop, which lasted until 1932, was a cooperative community of artisans making all kinds of decorative and functional products. Everything from tableware to postcards to furniture to jewelry was made from quality materials with innovative, artistic designs. Like the modern designers that came later in the 20th century, ...

Library services at risk

Support libraries! Contact your Congressional representative regarding the Executive Order to defund the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Without Federal funding, Interlibrary Loan and other valuable library services to public, K-12, academic, and special libraries will be at risk! Minitex services will be greatly impacted if funding is lost. Minitex services offer a variety of resources including scholarly databases from high school to graduate level, item requests from libraries across the state, historical archives, job and licensure exam preparation, over 9,000 e-books for ...

Hall trees are both decorative and functional

With April showers comes the question: What do you do with your dripping raincoats and umbrellas? By the Victorian age, wealthy households had hall trees or hall stands in the entryway. They were functional pieces, kept against a wall to save space and featuring a place for everything: coat hooks, an umbrella stand, a bench with storage and often a shelf for small items. They usually have a mirror, too; after all, you want to look your best when you’re leaving the house or visiting someone else’s. And speaking of looks, hall trees were rarely just functional; they were often highly ...

Thinking of Spring

Spring is my favorite time of year! It is full of hope and anticipation for the warm days ahead. I challenge you to not smile when you see the spring flowers start peeking up from the cold winter soil. I chose some outdoor-themed books to inspire you to start your spring/summer planning. “Beginner’s Guide to Garden Planning and Design: 50 Simple Gardening Ideas for Adding Style & Personality to Your Outdoor Space” (712 Yoest) takes you through many design features to elevate your outdoor space. The section on lighting gave me some interesting ideas for my patio. I enjoyed ...

Salt has played an important a role in human history as it does at the dinner table. It provides necessary nutrients, and it made food preservation possible long before refrigeration. The difficulty of obtaining it and the amount of processing required made it extremely valuable. Many known prehistoric towns were salt production sites; human migration, trade, and even wars have been driven by access to salt. For centuries, salt was served at the table in open dishes, which collectors may call salt cellars, salt dishes open salts, or simply “salts.” It wasn’t until the 1900s, ...

National Library Week

National Library Week is April 6-12, 2025. This year’s theme is “Drawn to the Library!” Millions of people visit their local libraries each week. During 2024, New Ulm Public Library visits totaled 87,342 or 1,680 visits per week on average. So what’s the draw? Although our core services remain books and information, we do so much more! Young families stop in for play and storytimes, students meet to study and socialize, job seekers use computers to create resumes and fill out applications, local organizations use our meeting room for educational and civic events, families ...