WHEATON SPRINGS 2023
FREE on Saturday, April 1
10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine!
Join us for our free 2023 “kick-off” event celebrating a new season!
Celebrate the start of WheatonArts’ creative season with this free kick-off event highlighting our many daily offerings and hands-on programming! Explore thought-provoking exhibits in the Museum of American Glass and Down Jersey Folklife Center, showcasing glass collections and the complexities and values of traditional arts through modern-day times. Experience various artist demonstrations throughout the campus, including glassmaking, pottery, paper art, broom-making, large-scale murals, and more. Discover a series of hands-on projects to create, including pine-needle basket making, coffee filter butterflies, and glass-fused magnets in the Education Studio. Enjoy a bite to eat from food vendors and listen to live music by the Ceremonial Brass Band and soft jazz with Gil Thompson & Chris Angelino.
Wheaton Springs offers every visitor the chance to explore, experience, and create across a campus that inspires and heals the senses. Admission to all WheatonArts exhibits and artist studio demonstrations are FREE and open to the public, part of “Family Days! Presented by PNC Arts Alive!”
EXPLORE – Exhibitions
Museum of American Glass
Amber Cowan | Alchemy of Adornment
Let your imagination guide you in a delightful game of “I Spy!” Using flameworking and glassblowing techniques to remelt and sculpt scrap glass, artist Amber Cowan transforms American-pressed glass into exuberantly adorned works of art. Visitors of all ages will be enchanted as they discover dolphins, farm animals, toy trains, and other whimsical elements in her creations.
People, Place, Process
Honoring 50 years of glassmakers at WheatonArts, discover collaborations that artfully combine vision, artifacts that serve as muse, and tools that connect skills across time.
Down Jersey Folklife Center
The Good, the Evil, and the Funny: Ritual & Mask Dance of Latin America
Explore comparative perspectives of ritual and celebratory use of masks and mask dances, as well as an interpretation of symbolism and designs that reflect specific cultural meanings, aesthetics, and stories.
EXPERIENCE – Artist Demonstrations
Bead Weaving on a Loom
Watch as Paul Mc Allister uses a photograph and Excel sheet to begin planning a 204-color palette tapestry pattern and demonstrates how the beads are woven with a loom. Then try your hands at weaving a row of beads yourself!
Bird Related Pottery
Take a trip down to the Pottery Studio to see artists Terry Plasket & Phyllis Seidner demonstrating the creation of birdhouses, bird feeders, and birdbaths made using a variety of clay techniques.
Broom Making
Watch as Vicki Dyer demonstrates the making of whisk brooms, pot scrubbers, and cake testers from broom corn using a handmade tension-tying bench crafted from wood and copper.
Chinese Paper Cutting
Become mesmerized with the free-form paper-cutting styles of master artist Hou-Tien Cheng! Performer, designer, illustrator, and instructor in the ancient art of Chinese paper-cutting, he learned his skill from his grandmother. He perfected the art of paper-cutting to create mind-blowing illustrations without sketching or making marks in advance.
Glass Studio Demos
Meet & greet our Glass Studio Team as they demonstrate throughout the day! Watch creative demonstrations by Alex Rosenberg, Katey Murphy, Kendall Frank, Jeremy Hayes, Josh Metzger, and Tiffany Leps.
Glass Marbles
In the Flamework Studio, visit with glass artist Bill Futer as he demonstrates the making of glass marbles using glass rods, a torch, and gravity.
Gnome Carving
Visit the Gallery of Fine Craft to see local artist Domenick Maggio hand carve wooden Gnome figures. Ask questions and interact with Domenick as he carves gnomes filled with character!
Ink for Printmaking
Discover the basic process of making ink by hand with artist Cherelle Oriolo in the Paper Studio. Learn about the materials & process used to create the ink, and then test making your own ink at home!
Intaglio Etchings
Discover the printmaking process known as Intaglio! Maryann Cannon scribes her designs by hand onto an acid-resistant resin-coated zinc or copper plate and then dips them into acid, etching the exposed design permanently into the metal. The finished plate is later inked and rolled through the press, transferring the image onto cotton paper.
Large-scale Murals
Witness a public demonstration of a large-scale 8×8 foot painting by mural artist and glass painter J. Kenneth Leap. He has embellished buildings and outdoor structures all over the world. His goal when designing artwork is to spin a visual narrative for the viewer to get lost in something beautiful, entertaining, and educational. He investigates local histories and searches for community themes to become his subject matter. The resulting artwork celebrates each community’s unique narrative.
Woodcarving
One of the oldest traditional crafts in human history, discover various cutting techniques and styles of woodcarving demonstrated by local artists Hop Edwards & Ray Yoast.
Additional artist demonstrations include 3D Printing by Aritimi Design Studio, Pysanky Egg Designs by Heather Davis, Basket Weaving by Mary May, and Loom Weaving & Spinning by Third Star Fiber Artists Guild.
CREATE – Hands-on Activities
Coffee Filter Butterflies
Part art, part science! Coffee filter butterflies are a classic craft that combines design and the science of chromatography. Create colorful butterflies using markers, coffee filters, pipe cleaners, and water.
Faux Stained Glass Kite Suncatchers
Create a colorful kite suncatcher for your spring window! Learn how to create a suncatcher that resembles stained glass using construction and tissue paper.
Yarn-Wrapped Popsicle Stick Picture Frames
Frame your favorite photo with a handmade picture frame, perfect for mini polaroid photos. Choose from colorful yarn to wrap each side of your frame to fit your unique style.
Pine-Needle Baskets
Join us for a hands-on experience with Native American pine-needle baskets and enjoy the special displays of artworks featuring the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape master artist Tyrese “Bright Flower” Gould Jacinto that will include: beadwork, basket weaving, wampum belts, shell work, leatherwork, pine needle, and gourd arts. “I am inspired to create from the gifts of Mother Earth. The creation of my Lenape art is from the heart and mindset that forms from deep within.”
Fused Glass Magnet or Pendant (fee-based)
Create a fused glass magnet or pendant, beginning with a 2″ x 2″ inch pre-fused glass blank. Using small pre-cut pieces of glass and an assortment of accessory glass, including frit and stringers, create a design to be tack fused. After firing your fused glass, our artists will glue a bail or a magnet to the back, depending on your project choice. In one week, completed glass magnets and pendants will be ready to pick up or ship (for a fee). This glass fusing activity has a discounted fee of $10 per piece.
CELEBRATE – Live Music
Ceremonial Brass
On the WheatonArts grounds, feel energized with the Ceremonial Brass Band, which consists of five brass players: two trumpets, one french horn, one euphonium, and one tuba. “Our musical library has over 250 pieces and features a variety of genres: Popular, Broadway Show Tunes, Marches, Ragtime, and Standards.”
Soft Jazz with Gil Thompson & Chris Angelino
At the Folklife Center, enjoy the sounds of piano & bass. This Duo has performed together for over two decades in the Tri-State area. “Our musical “sound” is a blend of Traditional Swing, Blues, Latin, and other styles combined, which we use to form our own original arrangements of Classic Jazz Standards and Popular Music.”
Food Vendors
Enjoy a selection of flavors with the following food vendors and picnic on the grounds during your visit.
Top Shelf Mobile Cuisine
Chef Steve’s Popcorn
Frosbite
Got Pizza Mobile
Karen and the Nut
