The 20th annual Festival of Fine Craft takes place at Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center on October 6 and 7, rain or shine. This event features the work of approximately 150 juried, contemporary and traditional artists. Throughout the WheatonArts campus, artists working in clay, fiber, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed medium, wearable art, wood, and more will display and sell their work. Attendees will also interact with demonstrating artists working in a variety of mediums, listen to live music, and enjoy refreshments from gourmet food trucks.  The crowd-favorite “WheatonArts Glass Pumpkin Patch” will be displayed in the center of WheatonArts’ campus. Hands-on family art activities will be available both days from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Visit wheatonarts.org for more information and event updates.

April through December

Join us every Saturday morning at 10:30am in the General Store at WheatonArts for Story Circle!  Enjoy a reading of one of our favorite children’s books followed by “create your own story cubes”, a hands-on art making activity. Two versions of “create your own story cubes” will be available.

Story Circle is recommended for up to 12 years of age.

There is no charge to shop, stroll, and visit Story Circle on the museum porch or lobby except during the Festival of Fine Craft, October 6 & 7, 2018. To explore the museum a general admission ticket will be required.

The Festival of Fine Craft is now over, however the WheatonArts’ Glass Pumpkin Patch is remaining open across from the Pottery Studio until the pumpkins run out! More than 2 thousand glass pumpkins are still there in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors; each of which have been uniquely handcrafted by WheatonArts’ resident glass artists. All of the glass pumpkins are available for purchase and visitors are invited to find their favorite pumpkins and share them on our Facebook page. Proceeds from the glass pumpkins go to supporting arts educational programming at WheatonArts.

Show us your favorite glass pumpkins with the hashtag: #WAglasspumpkins

Trick-or-Treat and interactive performances for families from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Rain or Shine).

Find out why this event has quickly become a local family tradition. Trick-or-Treat in your Halloween costume at WheatonArts. Children will have a chance to meet and take pictures with traditional costumed characters, such as the Mummy, the Grymm Witches, the too-tall scarecrow and many others. Throughout the grounds, actors will perform an eclectic mix of short skits capturing the Halloween season.

This event is scare-free and family friendly. Admission is FREE! Part of WheatonArts Family Days! Presented by PNC Arts Alive! 

HalloWheaton is part of “Customer Appreciation Week.” WheatonArts Museum Stores say “Thank You!” to our customers between Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, November 4, 2018.

In case of inclement weather trick or treating and shows will be inside the Event Center.

November 13 through November 17 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Down Jersey Folklife Center.

Tibetan master artist Losang Samten will visit WheatonArts for a special 5-day residency to create the “Wheel of Life” mandala. This image in colored sand is both a visual aid to interpreting the cycle of life and a symbolic comment on the consequences of life choices. The medium of sand reminds the viewer of the impermanence of all things. All visitors are invited to observe the artist at work, to discuss with Losang the creative process, and to learn about the meanings of the mandala elements. A special station will be available for those who want to try the technique.

On Saturday, November 17, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Losang Samten will conduct the mandala dismantling ceremony. Admission this day is FREE for all visitors through WheatonArts Family Days! Presented by PNC Arts Alive! 

Saturday, December 1, 2018
1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

This participatory workshop takes place alongside Bryan McGovern Wilson’s work “The Atomic Priesthood,” part of the Symbiotic Spheres exhibition in the Museum of American Glass. Attendees are invited to imaginatively engage the work and the questions, stories, and puzzles it provokes. With guidance from Wilson and Dr. Howell, attendees will first create a sketch and then write a brief story inspired by the work. Both sketch and story will seek to send messages through vast stretches of “deep time,” reaching across centuries and even millennia, enabling participants to wrestle with fundamental questions about how humanity communicates via symbols, signs, and stories.

Sketching materials will be provided while supplies last. This workshop falls on WheatonArts Family Days! Presented by PNC Arts Alive!, offering FREE admission to all visitors.