Shelburne Museum Curator Kory Rogers Talks Action Figures and Fancy Glasses 

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• Bear Cieri
• Kory Rogers

Last week, Kory Rogers marked his 19th year at the Shelburne Museum. His official title is Francie and John Downing Senior Curator of American Art, named for longtime benefactors of the museum. Though nearly everything at the renowned institution fits within the rubric of American art, Rogers does have specialties. The curator, whose Oklahoma accent remains undaunted by his Vermont residency, has a background in the history of American design. He's happily hands-on with objects such as the museum's inestimable circus and decoy collections.

Rogers is perpetually engaged in planning and mounting exhibitions. Since the beginning of the pandemic, that has included a steady flow of virtual ones. Like museums worldwide, the Shelburne Museum has upped its digital profile, making its collections more accessible and homing in on what Rogers calls "niche" exhibitions. The current "Action Figures: Objects in Motion" is one of them.

Those objects are mechanical toys and other gizmos that can move "by turnkey, loaded spring, drawstring or a gust of wind," explains introductory text on the museum's website. Most were created in the late 19th or early 20th century. The accompanying videos show how the toys move, which of course is the point. Rogers' descriptions are lively, informative and sprinkled with sly wit.

Since last fall, Rogers has exhibited a personal collection on social media: eyeglasses. No, not fusty museum models; ones he actually wears. Sporting a number of styles in amusingly staged settings, the curator shows he knows from spectacles.

In a phone conversation, we queried Rogers about both movable toys and his passion for glasses.

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• "The Mysterious Ball"

Why did you curate the "Action Figures" exhibit?

It was purely selfish. I've looked at these objects almost 20 years, and I wanted to see them activated. I came up with a long list of items, and our conservator Nancie Ravenel looked at them to make sure they could operate safely.

We videotaped them and put them online. There's no audio because I'm in the background just squealing and talking about random stuff. Those video clips will be viewable through QR codes in the museum so people can watch them move.

I wanted to pull from the more playful parts of our collection. They had to have good stories, too. I like the drama.

Besides not preparing a physical space, how else is creating a virtual exhibit different from an in-person one?

It's nice because you can focus on these interesting thematic shows. I probably wouldn't be able to dedicate an entire gallery to this show, for example. It allows us to look at different parts of the collection. It's also easier for the curators because it's not as many objects.

Only 11 toys are in this exhibit. Do you know how many of these kinds of objects are in the museum's collection as a whole?

The list I had pulled together was at least 25. There are probably four times that, if not more. These were just ones that caught my attention.

I love the "Toy Fire-Escape."

It is really extraordinary. At the time it was made [1892], everyone was so afraid of fire. There was a bit of an educational element to it — what to do if there's a conflagration. It's a little gruesome.

I also really liked the elephant pull toy.

"Trumpeting Elephant Bell Toy," from around 1905, is just a lovely, elegant piece of design. It was cast in iron in a two-piece mold.

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• "Trumpeting Elephant Bell Toy"

Do you have a favorite in this collection?

Yes, I do. It's "The Mysterious Ball," just because [its inspiration] was a popular French circus performer, Leon LaRoche. He had a tragic end. He was hallucinating on a ship and went overboard, never to be seen again.

Whose gloved hands do we see in the videos?

Alex Kikutis, assistant collections manager. He was a great sport. We had to do multiple takes.

Why do you think people seem always to love movable toys?

I think it's because, even though we understand it's powered by a windup or cog and wheels, it seems like magic. I think we're drawn to the humor. Everybody loves moving things — we watch television, movies. It's a human trait.

Perhaps we have always needed fidgets.

Exactly. That's perfect. I need one of those, badly.

In the whirligig section, this museum text caught my attention: "...soldiers, police officers, and other martial figures appear to have been especially popular subjects. The prevalence of such characters suggests that the amusement these toys offered was subversive, pitting figures of power and authority in futile battle against the wind." Is there evidence supporting the subversiveness theory?

Yes, there are lots of examples of soldier, police and firemen whirligigs out there. Americans have always had that independent streak — they like to take the wind out of "the authority."

So, they were kind of antecedents to Donald Trump chew toys for dogs.

Exactly.

I always wondered why so many toys were made of cast iron. And then I read your line about post-Civil War foundries being repurposed from making armaments to domestic goods.

Yes, retooling from wartime to peace time. They knew there was a burgeoning middle class and people were receptive to children's toys.

I have to say the Clown Magician Automaton kind of creeps me out, because clown.

It is horrifying, but it's a great example of Mrs. [Electra Havemeyer] Webb's collection, great design. It was made for the middle class to entertain their friends.

Let's talk about your glasses! How many pairs do you own?

I'm currently at 23. That's growing, because I just went to Montréal a couple weeks ago, and I'm having a bespoke pair made just for me. They're from Bar à lunettes. There's a long bar, and a woman behind the bar helped me find the right glasses. I posted them on Instagram, and Marie-Sophie Dion, the owner, contacted me and asked if I wanted a pair made for me.

So you really are an influencer?

Yeah, I guess so. The big-name brands who I've been buying from are reaching out to me, too.

Why did you start collecting glasses in the first place?

No matter how much my weight fluctuates, my eyeglasses will always fit. That's why I always invest in high-quality eyewear. People always comment on them, and I appreciate them as works of design.

At what age did you start wearing glasses?

This is a funny story. I think I ruined my eyes. At age 9, my cousin Jeremy got a pair of glasses, and I was jealous. So, I went into an optometrist and lied about my eyesight so I could get glasses.

I trust you haven't continued to lie?

No.

Myopia?

Yes, I'm nearsighted.

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• Clown Magician Automaton

In the posts, I love the way you place yourself in front of some dramatic backdrop, such as the mirror that frames your head like a crown.

You gotta make it interesting. The canvas I'm working with is not that extraordinary.

Where do you find your glasses?

I usually look online or on Instagram. I source them in a variety of places — California, Oklahoma, New York, Montréal. But I've bought more pairs than anywhere at the Optical Center in Burlington. I've been a very good customer for 10 years.

Do you have some everyday hang-out-at-home specs that you throw on in the morning?

I have several pairs of those, by Oliver Peoples. They tend to be very lightweight metal.

What would be suitable for wearing to a Congressional hearing?

Those would be my [Jacques Marie Mage] Jax glasses — heavy black acetate, very classy, not overstated. That's what I would wear if I were being grilled.

Farmers market?

Good question. I think I would do my gold-rimmed glasses that I just got from Oliver Peoples. They're octagonal and have beautiful pierce work on them. They emulate these patterns that Japanese eyewear makers do.

Date night with Jonathan [Mikulak, husband].

That would have to be his favorite pair. They're made by a Japanese company called KameManNen — simple, round glasses, not fussy, high quality.

Staff meeting.

I would probably wear my bright Sabine Be glasses. They're distracting and throw off my colleagues.

If you were to mount a show of your glasses, how would you display them and, ideally, where would it be?

I would make plaster casts of the top portion of my head, set them on that, and paint [the heads] in the different colors of my moods. I'd have them in a circle so people would be immersed in the Kory Rogers experience. Where? Maybe the Round Barn.

Have you ever wanted to just get LASIK?

No, never. I think if I were forced to do it for medical reasons, I would still get glasses. Or I would just wear sunglasses all the time, like Bono. Or Anna Wintour, that's even better.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity and length.