.

PLATTEVILLE, Wis., September 30, 2022 — Unleash your curiosity at The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums during the 12th-annual Wisconsin Science Festival the week of October 10-16! Each year, the Wisconsin Science Festival highlights a specific aspect of the world around us. This year’s focus is a nod to the International Year of Glass. As part of the festivities, the Museum will debut a new exhibit titled “The Science and Art of Glass,” available for viewing all week long. Plus, on Wednesday, October 12, the Museum is offering free Museum Admission, Guided Mine Tour & Train Rides for all attendees and live glass beadmaking demonstrations offered by Julie Lukosaitis of Beadazzled By Julz. Advance registration is recommended by visiting www.mining.jamison.museum/programs.
The Museum’s Science and Art of Glass exhibit follows glass from its ore form as Driftless Area sandstone through its transformation into wondrous inventions like high-performance window panes produced by Cardinal Glass right here in our region. It also includes a selection of glass artifacts representing a cross section of everyday life in rural southwestern Wisconsin from the turn of the 19th century through the 1930s, when uranium was commonly used as an ingredient to color glass — a feature that causes the objects to fluoresce under ultraviolet light.
“Connecting the sandstone under our feet with high-tech windows of today and historical glass artifacts collected by Rollo Jamison give visitors an idea of the Driftless Area sense of place and a philosophy of technological innovation based on respect for ancestors, places, and community,” said Museum Director Erik Flesch. “We invite all to come celebrate the story and wonder of glass with us!”
“Glass is something that we all use, in ways that are both ordinary and surprising,” says Laura Heisler, director of outreach at Morgridge Institute for Research and co-founder and outgoing director of the Wisconsin Science Festival. “From Platteville to Sussex, Marshfield to Madison, we’re holding a number of events around the state that highlight the importance of glass in science, industry, art, medicine and more.”
The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums are located on Main Street in Platteville, Wisconsin, in the heart of the historic Upper Mississippi Valley lead-zinc mining region. The mission of the Museums is to continue in the pursuit of excellence in the areas of regional and mining history. To achieve that purpose, the Museums are commissioned to be custodians of the past; to interpret the rich lead and zinc mining heritage of the region; as well as to preserve, interpret, and display the artifacts that define Southwest Wisconsin. The Museums are open daily from May to October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cultural programs, special events, and virtual tours are offered year-round. Follow The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. For information and registration, visit: www.mining.jamison.museum/programs or call (608) 348-3301.

The Wisconsin Science Festival is a weeklong, statewide celebration with more than 300 in-person and virtual activities in communities across Wisconsin. Most events are free, including hands-on activities, talks with scientists and authors, films, performances, nature hikes, take-home science kits and much more. “The festival creates a unique gathering of events that celebrate science, art and technology across our entire state, highlighting the vast amount of expertise and curiosity we can be proud of as Wisconsinites,” says Sam Mulrooney, incoming director of the 2023 festival. Check the Wisconsin Science Festival website for the full festival schedule: www.wisconsinsciencefest.org.