Page 70 - 2024 Southern NJ Vacationer

WHEATONARTS
South Jersey’s Hidden Gem
WHERE DO YOU GO TO GET OUT
of the city and away from the boardwalk crowds while still enjoying unique sights, shopping, and creative entertainment? You stop at WheatonArts and Cultural Center in Millville, N.J.! There you will discover an incredible arts nonprofit campus with paved walkways leading to various offerings including the Museum of American Glass, Down Jersey Folklife Center, Glass Studio, Pottery Studio, museum stores, and much more. Initially designed as a “turn of the 20th-century glass town” in the 1970s, WheatonArts has grown into an unusual cultural destination. It’s a staple for the region’s cultural diversity, a place for artists to explore the limits of their creativity, hosts popular weekend events, and is recognized internationally for fostering unique collections and programs.
Circling at the heart of WheatonArts is the Museum of American Glass, housing one of the most comprehensive collections of glass produced in America. Explore the first glass bottles made in America, the intricate glass art paperweights of Paul Stankard, thought- provoking works by contemporary glass artists, as well as the record-holding world’s largest hand-blown glass bottle. Special exhibits change each year, and in 2024, the museum is plotting a grand illusion of an exhibition titled
Centuries of Tomfoolery, examining evolving cultural mores and society’s sense of humor through trick glasses, early American whimsies, and masterful contemporary glass pipes that purposefully obscure their function.
With the museum as the heart of WheatonArts, the Glass Studio is undoubtedly its heartbeat! Holding the essence and history of South Jersey glassmaking in an inspired recreation of the 1888 T.C. Wheaton Glass Factory, the Glass Studio is a place of amazement and wonder as you watch skilled artists sculpt molten hot glass into extraordinary works of art. Demonstrations change daily, from glassblowing to mold pouring, and
artists worldwide come to collaborate and experiment with traditional and innovative glass making processes, pushing the limits of their creativity. Artists, including Netflix Blown Away stars Deborah Czeresko, Alexander Rosenberg, Grace Whiteside, and prominent artists like Michael Joo and Kait Rhoads, have worked in the Glass Studio in recent years.
In addition to the hot glass making demonstrations, you can also experience pottery and flamework up close. The Pottery Studio truly brings imagination and artistic process together as ceramic artists demonstrate the transformation of wet clay into functional
68 SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY VACATIONER