Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass Celebrates Houdini with a special Art Activity Day!

In celebration of the 100^th anniversary of Houdini’s death, Museum is honoring his legacy with extraordinary glass and magic adventures! Make a special Art Activity Day activity ($20, pre registration), watch a magic show (free!) and listen to a poem about Houdini by Wisconsin Poet Laureate, Brenda Cárdenas (free!) plus Houdini inspired free kids’ activities. (Houdini and Jenny pictured at the left). Did you know that Harry Houdini once made an elephant named Jenny disappear? Create a glass elephant suncatcher (pre-register, $20), inspired by Houdini’s famous illusion or create a pet of your own, like one of his many beloved pets.

We’ll be joined by the famous Rondini, who will be performing a magic show in the Miron Construction Gallery at 11am. After making a free activity in our McClanahan Study Gallery, listen to a special poem about Houdini written and read by Wisconsin Poet Laureate, Brenda Cárdenas at 1 p.m. in the Miron Construction Gallery. Pre-registration for the glass activity is required.

For more information: https://bmmglass.com/celebrating-houdini/

And to register for the special Art Activity (Disappearing Jenny the Elephant): https://bmmglass.com/artactivityday/

About Rondini: Rondini has been performing as a magician since 1977. He has been awarded the title of the fox cities favorite performer many times but has performed throughout the mid-west. He met his fiancé, Angel, in 2013 and they began performing together as partners on stage and have performed in West Palm Beach and have just returned from performing in Venice Italy. 

About Brenda Cárdenas: Brenda Cárdenas is the current Wisconsin Poet Laureate and recipient of a 2026 Academy of American Poets’ Laureate Fellowship. She has authored Trace (Red Hen Press, 2023), winner of the 2023 Society of Midland Authors Award for Poetry and silver winner of Foreword Review’s Indie Poetry Prize; Boomerang (Bilingual Press); and three chapbooks. Her poems and essays have also appeared in many literary journals and anthologies, such as American Poetry Review, Poetry, Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology, and Prairie Schooner, which honored her work with their Strousse Award. She has co-edited two poetry anthologies, including Between the Heart and the Land: Latina Poets in the Midwest. Cárdenas is Professor Emerita of English at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. You can find her at brendacardenas.net.

Art Activity Day, A Celebration of Houdini is sponsored in part by Celebrating Houdini 1926-2026 and Anonymous. 

About Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass

Ranked in the top five glass museums in the country, Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass provides extraordinary glass experiences to spark fun, kindle creativity, and illuminate learning for all. Established in 1959, it has been an exclusively glass art museum since 2012, with four permanent collections: the world's most representative collection of antique and contemporary glass paperweights, the Mahler collection of Germanic vessels dating from 1573, a collection of Victorian Era decorative glass baskets, and a significant collection of contemporary glass sculpture.

The museum is admission free and operates as a private, not for profit, 501(c)(3) organization, independent of the City of Neenah. Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass has the distinction of being accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). The honor of accreditation means the museum meets the rigorous standards of professionalism and best practices for museums set forth by AAM.

Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass is grateful to its seasonal sponsors:

Miron Construction, The Boldt Company, Community First Credit Union, Northstar Asset Management, Associated Bank, City of Neenah, WI, Associated Bank, Jewelers Mutual, Legacy Private Trust Company, and Bergstrom Automotive. Supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

A very special thank you to our valuable media sponsors and vibrant local community foundations and organizations:

91.1 The Avenue, N.E.W. Printing, Wisconsin Public Radio, Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, Inc., Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Oshkosh Area Community Foundation

Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10:00 am–4:30 pm

Thursdays 10:00 am–8:00 pm and Sunday 1:00–4:30 pm

Admission: FREE



Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass

165 North Park Avenue, Neenah, WI 54956

Telephone: 920-751-4658, Website: bmmglass.com, Social: @bmmglass