Wheaton Springs

Image of a banner for Wheaton Springs. The background of the banner is a photo taken of the top and smokestack of the WheatonArts Glass Studio. There is a bright blue sky, clouds, and green trees behind it. There is white text on the top right corner of the image that reads "Wheaton Springs". There are two circular images on the bottom left of the banner. The image on the left is of a member of the WheatonArts Glass Studio team blowing glass and using a large pair of metal tweezers to sculpt the orange hot glass at the end of a metal rod. The image on the right is of a WheatonArts Ceramic Artist smiling while using both hands to sculpt a tall mass of clay on a potter's wheel.

WHEATON SPRINGS 2025

FREE on Saturday, April 5
10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine!

Join us for our free 2025 “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, flameworking, and more. Discover a series of free hands-on projects to create across campus, and discounted glass-fused projects in the Education Studio. Enjoy a bite to eat from food vendors.

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!” 

 

Get Your FREE Ticket Now!

Please check back for programming updates as the event gets closer.

Image of a glass piece by Ginny Ruffner resting in front of a white background. The piece is comprised, from left to right, of a long yellow and blue streaked diamond shaped piece. The left half is yellow and the right is blue. This piece is resting on top of a long oval shaped patterned piece that is resting on its side with a large dip in the bottom side. This piece is connected with a flat round gold piece to a dark green spiral. The spiral extends up into three small cylindrical spikes. The top spike has a red orb with small gold tube like spikes with black square attachments on the top. Each square dips down at the top. The red orb also has a small gold attachment on top of it. There is a long red, black, and white speckled long diamond piece attached to the right side of the spiral. There are four more of the gold spikes with black attachments attached to this piece and a green leaf-shaped piece attached to the top with dark green detailing on it. The diamond shaped piece is attached to a dark orange flat round piece. This piece has two light orange flat circles attached to it that extend upward before connecting to the diamond piece. The dark orange piece also has a long winding flat piece that connects to the dark green spiral. The top of the diamond piece has two yellow flat circular pieces extending upward. On top of the top piece has a light green hourglass-shaped piece with yellow and dark green horizontal stripes. The top portion of the piece has three light blue pieces that make the hourglass piece look like the body of a headless and armless mannequin with the light blue pieces serving as the neck and shoulders. At the top of the top light blue pieces is a an oval shaped piece that fans like a shell at the top. This piece is a mix of dark green and light green vertical sections that compliment the fanning at the top. There is also an image of the top half of a naked person with long blonde hair.
Image of a clear wine glass inside of a large vertically rectangular clear encasing. The piece is resting on a black surface with a pale wood frame.

Photo by Elizabeth Lamark

Close up image of a round brown woven basket with a lid. The lid is resting against the bottom portion. Each portion has thing vertical black stripes that bend around the sides at an angle. The center of the lid has a large bright light blue spot.
Image of a piece from the Down Jersey Folk Life Center exhibit. The piece is comprised of three interlocking pieces of wood holding up a stone bowl-like piece filled with large strands. Attached to the right side of the bowl is a large pale piece of wood that branches off into two at the top.

EXPLORE – Exhibitions

Museum of American Glass
Transformations: The Wasserstein Collection of Contemporary Glass features almost 60 masterworks donated to WheatonArts by Linda and Henry Wasserstein. Shown in its entirety, the collection includes work by founders of the American Studio Glass Movement and other contemporary artists, including many women, who transformed glass into a medium for sculptural design, self-expression, social commentary, and thought-provoking concepts.

redundancies
Glass artist David Schnuckel is the guest curator for redundancies, a solo exhibition of his work. Schnuckel’s devotion to technique and the conventions of “doing things well” are prompted by a provocative and equally thoughtful exploration of “(un)doing things well.” Out of curiosities with conflict and how human vulnerability parallels material vulnerability, redundancies both contemplates the lure of idealism and relishes in the poetics of mishap, the flawed, and the faulty.

Join us at 2:00 p.m. in the Museum of American Glass for a guided tour “Highlights of Our 2025 Special Exhibitions.”

Down Jersey Folklife Center
Communities and Cultures of Down Jersey
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Join us for an Exhibition opening with light refreshments and talk about the Down Jersey lore. Explore the variety of stories, legends, beliefs and practices of South Jersey residents, including the famous legend of the Jersey Devil, basketry and woodcarvings together with a variety of ethnic folk and traditional arts in our region.

Flameworking Artist Bill Futer shapes a piece of pink glass cane over a torch in the Flamework Studio.
Image of WheatonArts Glass Artist Alexander Rosenberg working at a glass blowing bench. Alex is using one hand on a glass blowing rod that has a large yellow vessel-shaped hot glass piece with a smaller tube-like opening at the top of it towards the end of the rod. Alex is blowing into a metal tube that curves at a right angle towards the hot glass. There is a small cone towards the end of the tube. Alex is wearing glasses, a short sleeve black shirt, and a large protective sleeve on the left arm.
A wood-carved gnome by local artist Domenick Maggio is displayed over a white background. It is holding a yellow flower, "wearing" a green painted shirt, and has a long white beard, with a floppy brown hat covering its eyes.
Image of WheatonArts Ceramic Artist Terry Plasket leaning over a tan potters wheel. He is using both hands to sculpt a beige circular lid with a small knob sticking up from the center of it. There are small rectangular silver pieces holding the lid in place. There are three beige clay pots resting at the front of the images, eight beige clay vessels resting on top of beige discs in the background of the photo. Three taller clay vases and the top of a luminary are resting behind the vessels with a few more clay pieces behind them. Terry has a long pony tail and a short beard. He is wearing glasses, a yellow short sleeve shirt, and black short-sleeve shirt under the yellow.

EXPERIENCE – Artist Demonstrations

3D Printing
Aritimi Design Studio brings their mini printer to demonstrate the 3D printing process from start to end. 

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!

Chinese Paper Cutting
Watch master artist Hou-Tien Cheng as he performs free-form style paper-cutting.

Glass Marbles & Eggs
In the Flamework Studio, visit with glass artists Bill Futer and Jason Gordon as they demonstrate the making of glass marbles and glass eggs using glass rods, a torch, and gravity. 

Glass Studio Demos
Wheaton Arts’ studio artists each have a unique artistic practice which they have been developing over the winter season in our shared studio.  Throughout the day they will be demonstrating techniques unique to their interests and specialities in hot glass.  Demonstrators include Jeremy Hayes, Josh Metzger, Tiffany Leps, Ismael Rodriguez, Patty Clune, Katey Murphy and Alexander Rosenberg.  Demonstrations will run from 10:00 am until the studio closes at 4:00.

Gnome Carving
Visit the Gallery of Fine Craft to see local woodcarver and artist Domenick Maggio. His Gnome series is a bestseller, and he continues to add new designs. Stop by to see his latest gnome Willow, ask questions, and interact with Domenick as he carves!

Loom Weaving & Spinning
Join the Third Star Fiber Artist Guild to learn the timeless traditions of spinning yarn and weaving on a loom.

Paper Studio Demo
Join paper artist Cherelle Oriolo to try your hand at writing with glass pens.

Pottery Studio Demos and Tours
Watch Senior Potter Terry Plasket as he decorates pots with wax and stencils and Craft Studio Manager Phyllis Seidner as she puts together bird houses. Join us in the Pottery Studio at 11 a.m., 12 p.m., and 1 p.m. for a Kiln Tour to learn about the glazing process of clay.

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.

CREATE – Family Art Activities 

Paper Roll Birds
Create your own charming songbirds and chickens using recycled paper rolls in this fun and eco-friendly craft activity! Transform paper towel and toilet tissue rolls into colorful birds with just a few simple materials. Use markers to add vibrant patterns and details, then attach string to hang your songbird or place your chicken on a wooden perch for a playful, farmyard touch. Whether soaring through the air or roosting on a stick, these delightful birds will bring creativity and joy to your springtime crafting!

Crawling Caterpillar
Create a cute and colorful caterpillar that looks like it’s crawling on a leaf in this fun nature-inspired craft! Participants will bring their caterpillars to life using a simple tissue paper scrunching technique. Using bright colors, expressive eyes, and playful details, each caterpillar will be unique. Perched on a paper leaf, these wiggly critters are a perfect way to explore creativity while learning about nature.

Twirling Lady Bugs
Watch your ladybug spin and twirl in this delightful craft activity! Using simple materials like cardstock and markers, you’ll create a twirling ladybug that dances through the air with just a little breeze. Add bold red and black patterns, googly eyes, and other designs to bring your ladybug to life. This hands-on project is perfect for kids of all ages, combining creativity with a touch of movement for a craft that’s as fun to watch as it is to make!

Fused Glass Magnet, Pendant, or Suncatcher (fee-based)
Create a fused glass project of your choice starting with a 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 projects will be ready to pick up or ship (for a fee). This glass fusing activity has a discounted fee of $10 per magnet/pendant and $20 per suncatcher.

Image of a square-shaped fused glass make your own piece held with two hands towards the camera. Under the piece is a clear plastic cup with colorful glass frit inside of it and a silver utensil. The base of the piece is white. It has red frit gathered in a small circle in the middle of the piece, seven yellow triangular pieces gathered around the red, and small multicolored frit pieces gathered around the design in the background on top of the white base.

Food Vendors

Enjoy a selection of flavors with the following food vendors and picnic on the grounds during your visit.

Karen and the Nut
Macs & Munchies
Pizza Queen Mobile
Top Shelf Mobile Cuisine
Wilson Kettle Corn

In the General Store, excite your taste buds with food samplings of jams, dips, pickles, and fruit shrubs in bright spring flavors from Tait Farm Foods, Wildwood Specialty Foods, and Kilhaney’s Pickles.

Top Shelf Mobile Cuisine truck serving visitors to the Summer Antique and food market at wheatonarts

Please check back for programming updates as the event gets closer.