This is a very interesting wonderful place if your interested in glassmaking & the history thereof : History of WheatonArts
The important American glass industry began in southern New Jersey because of the availability of natural resources such as wood, sand, soda ash and silica. The nation’s earliest successful glass factory was founded in 1789 by Caspar Wistar in nearby Salem County in Millville. Many of the nation’s foremost glass factories operate in South Jersey.
In 1888, Dr. Theodore Corson Wheaton, a pharmacist, began making his own pharmaceutical bottles in a glass factory in Millville. From these beginnings today’s giant glass manufacturer, Wheaton USA, formerly Wheaton Industries, Inc., evolved.
Early in the 1960s Dr. Wheaton’s grandson, Frank H. Wheaton, Jr., visited the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York. He discovered that much of the glass created and produced in southern New Jersey was displayed in this museum. He felt that these treasured museum pieces should be displayed in the areas in which they were produced...southern New Jersey.
WheatonArts (formerly Wheaton Village) became his goal. He searched for and finally located a collection of American glass from the Bucks County Glass Museum in Pennsylvania. This became the foundation for what is now the finest collection of American glass at WheatonArts.
The early collection was housed in the Wheaton family home on High Street in Millville. During this period, Mr. Wheaton assembled a group to build and design what he envisioned as a “typical cross-roads glass community at the turn of the 20th century that included a glass museum.”
In 1970, the first buildings at WheatonArts opened to the public. The present administration building housed the museum collection. There was also a gatehouse, a General Store, a museum store called the “Brownstone Emporium,” and support facilities for carpentry and painting.
Soon construction began on the Museum of American Glass and the T. C. Wheaton Glass Factory. Until completion of the factory, glassblowing demonstrations were conducted in a glass furnace placed in a small structure adjacent to the entrance. The museum opened in 1973, followed shortly thereafter by the opening of the T. C. Wheaton Glass Factory, Dr. T. C. Wheaton Pharmacy, West Jersey Crafts, Arthur Gorham Paperweight Shop, Crafts and Trades Row and a barn. (The Pharmacy is now the “Down Jersey Folklife Center” and West Jersey Crafts has become “The Gallery of Fine Craft.”
To better utilize the facilities offered by the glass factory, a program to support emerging contemporary glass artists was created in 1983. Recognizing the needs of these artists to have access to hot glass, a group of artists including Paul Joseph Stankard and Tom Patti worked with WheatonArts to establish the “Creative Glass Center of America.” Through CGCA, contemporary glass artists are provided with the facilities, equipment, time and housing to further develop their art.
Today, WheatonArts consists of over 60 acres with 20 buildings. The Museum of American Glass houses over 6,500 objects, both historic and contemporary. The fully operational glass factory presents daily, interpretive demonstrations for the public with artists showing traditional and contemporary glassblowing techniques. In the Craft Studios artists demonstrate the traditional southern New Jersey crafts of pottery, wood and flameworking. The 1863 C. P. Huntington Train, 1876 Centre Grove Schoolhouse, Arthur Gorham Paperweight Shop, Christmas Shop, and the Education and Event Center now complete the attractions. The 100-room Country Inn by Carlson®, PaperWaiter Restaurant and Pub, and Heritage House Banquet Facility are located adjacent to WheatonArts.
WheatonArts has achieved recognition not only on a local and regional level, but, through its collections, programs, seminars, and exhibitions, on both a national and international level.
April to December
Open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission
$10.00 Adults
$9.00 Senior Adults (62+)
$7.00 Students
Children 5 and under are free
Only service animals allowed on the grounds
An exhibition and sale of contemporary flamework in The Gallery of Fine Craft. Apr 12, 2008 to May 18, 2008
"Living Traditions Portrayed: Indian Folk Arts and Crafts." Down Jersey Folklife Center exhibition. May 09, 2008 to Dec 31, 2008
CGCA Fellows Open Studio Free admission. 7 p.m. in Glass Studio. May 09, 2008
WheatonArts Glassblowers At Mercer Museum, Doylestown, PA. May 10, 2008 to May 11, 2008
Paperweight Fest. Register for this event. Open to the public on May 17, Noon to 5 p.m. only. May 14, 2008 to May 17, 2008
Smart Art The Gallery of Fine Craft's eco-friendly exhibit with a focus on innovative designs in art created from recycled, repurposed and/or sustainable materials. May 31, 2008 to Jul 13, 2008
Fantasy Faire Jun 07, 2008 to Jun 08, 2008
Marble Weekend 2008 Jun 21, 2008 to Jun 22, 2008
WheatonArts Glassblowers At Kutztown Folk Festival, Kutztown, PA. Jun 28, 2008 to Jul 06, 2008
"Highwater Sculptural Invitational 2008" Gallery of Fine Craft Jul 19, 2008 to Sep 01, 2008
to Jul 29, 2008
Antique Fire Apparatus and Muster. Free admission to show only. Aug 17, 2008
WheatonArts Glassblowers At Hay Creek Festival, Morgantown, PA. Sep 05, 2008 to Sep 07, 2008
Festival of India: A Multitude of Cultural Expressions Presented by the DJFC. Sep 13, 2008 to Sep 14, 2008
Crafts of India To coincide with the Down Jersey Folklife Center's exhibition and festival The Gallery will exhibit and sell works crafted in India. Sep 13, 2008 to Oct 19, 2008
Indian Traditional Culture Conference Presented by the DJFC. Sep 19, 2008
2008 Golf Classic Sep 23, 2008
Festival of Fine Craft Oct 04, 2008 to Oct 05, 2008
WheatonArts Glassblowers At WheatonArts Festival of Fine Craft Oct 04, 2008 to Oct 05, 2008
WheatonArts Glassblowers At Cape May Victorian Week Oct 11, 2008 to Oct 12, 2008
2001-2006 WheatonArts All Rights Reserved
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