Wheaton Wednesdays

Image of the banner for Wheaton Wednesdays. "Wheaton Wednesdays" is displayed, in large white text, over a multicolored patterned background with four fireworks. The background is a diagonal gradient that starts in the bottom left corner with blue, turns to purple, then pink, red, orange, and yellow. The gradient ends with green in the top right corner after the yellow.

Wheaton Wednesdays
July 16 & August 20, 2025

Open Late with FREE Admission
11 a.m. to 7 p.m. rain or shine!

WheatonArts is open late on two special Wednesdays this summer! Experience the grounds with creative activities designed for the entire family from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Highlights include design contests in the Glass & Pottery Studios, special exhibit tours in the Museum of American Glass and Folklife Center, free family art activities, a campus-wide scavenger hunt, live music, and more.

Wheaton Wednesday dates are FREE to the public, part of WheatonArts Family Days! Presented by PNC Arts Alive!

AUGUST ACTIVITIES ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN RED.

Image of a round brown woven basket with a lid. The lid is resting against the bottom portion on the right side. Each portion has thin vertical black stripes that bend around the sides at an angle. The center of the lid has a large bright light blue spot.

Down Jersey Folklife Center

In Communities and Cultures of Down Jersey, the exhibition offers a cross-cultural exploration of folk and traditional arts as associated with their ethnic, occupational and regional versions.

July 16 – Artistic Expressions of Immigrant Experiences and Cultural Heritage
2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Shikha Dwivedi, Indian Henna
Images of the Old and New Home

4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Nadine LaFond, Visual Arts and Music
Haitian-American Perspectives: Living in Two Cultures

August 20 – Artistic Expressions of Immigrant Experiences and Cultural Heritage
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Annie Peng and Chung-Fan Chang, Chinese Brush Painting
Images of the Journey

3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Ritu Pandya, Indian Batik Painting
Transforming New Jersey Cultural Landscape

5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Gunjan Pandya, Indian Folk Dance
The Story of the Journey in Music and Dance

Glass Studio

Design a Glass Monster Contest
July & August – 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Let your imagination fly and design a monster! Our Glass Studio Team will sculpt select designs out of molten glass. Visit the Glass Studio each hour before 6 p.m. for a chance to watch your vision come to life!

Image of one of the glass masks chosen from the "Design a Glass Mask" contest held during Wheaton Wednesday. The mask is attached to the end of a glass-blowing pole. The face of the mask is white with a purple smile and purple circles for eyes. At the top of the mask are two dark purple triangular ears with a short maroon and orange horn in the middle. The image was taken in the Glass Studio, where WheatonArts Glass Artist Kendall Frank is speaking into a microphone in the background.
Image of WheatonArts potters Amy Pesseller and Phyllis Seidner-Vesely. Amy and Phyllis are wearing WheatonArts t-shirts and are sitting around two pottery wheels, smiling at each other while shaping clay. They are surrounded by a variety of clay projects.
Image of three clay jack-o-lanterns lined up in a row outside in front of the WheatonArts Pottery Studio. The jack-o-lanterns have large open mouths, curly green stems, and a beige pumpkin body.

Pottery Studio

Stop by the Pottery Studio to see wet clay sculpted into beautiful and functional works of art throughout the day. Ask to take a kiln tour while you’re there!

July 16 – Bird Bath Design Contest
Let your creativity soar by submitting a ceramic bird bath design for our ceramic artists to make! At the end of the day, one adult and one child design will be picked to be reproduced in clay. Winners will receive the final piece after it’s glazed and kiln fired around 2-3 weeks later.

August 20 – Jack’O’Lantern Design Contest
Try your hand at designing a ceramic Jack’o’lantern for our ceramic artists to make! At the end of the day, the artists will pick one adult and one child design to reproduce in clay. Winners will receive the final piece after it’s glazed and fired in the kiln, about 2-3 weeks later.

Museum of American Glass

Visit the Museum for special tours of one of our new exhibitions, Transformations: The Wasserstein Collection of Contemporary Glass.

July & August – Guided Exhibit Tours
Experience a 30-minute docent tour of the Transformations: The Wasserstein Collection of Contemporary Glass exhibit.
1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m.

Image of a piece of glass art from Judith Schaechter. The piece is square with a frame comprised of alternating dark blue and light blue squares that are separated by black lines and have a black tree-branch like design inside of them. The inside square of the piece is a light blue with a black six by five grid on top of it. Each light blue square created by the grid has small evenly spaced black dots inside of it. At the bottom there is a black and white section that uses the white to create a honeycomb-like pattern. On top of all of this is a small child with blonde hair wearing a red, orange, and black and white dress posing inside of a ring of flying birds.

Judith Schaechter
Fine Example, 2000
Stained, cut, polished
and engraved glass
Photo courtesy of Judith Schaechter

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

A child is wearing a blue button up and safety goggles while designing a pendant to be fused in the center of the image. At the bottom of the image are materials for the pendant place in cups. There are 3 cups of materials and 3 containers of beads. The first cup on the left contains green glass pieces, the middle cup contains small blue glass , and the right contains small yellow glass. The pendant in the center has an orange base, a blue square glass fragment, a blue and yellow fragment, a square black fragment, and a bright yellow fragment. The kid is holding a small design tool in his right hand.

Education Studio

Fused Glass Magnet, Pendant, or Suncatcher
July & Aug – 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., fee-based
Create a fused glass magnet, pendant, or suncatcher beginning with pre-fused glass blanks. 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 attach a bail, magnet, or leather cord, depending on your project choice. In one week, completed glass 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. 

Free Family Art Activities

Chalk-Topia: Sidewalk Chalk Station
Created by the WheatonArts Teen Arts Council, Chalk-Topia is an interactive installation constructed from repurposed pallets, coated with vibrant chalkboard paint. This creative space invites visitors of all ages to express themselves by drawing directly on the pallet walls. With an array of colorful chalk at their disposal, participants can transform the station into a dynamic, ever-evolving canvas of community creativity.

Yarn Art
Transform a 4″x4″ wooden panel into a vibrant, tactile work of art using a variety of colorful yarns. Simply apply glue to the wood and arrange the yarn in unique patterns and designs, letting your imagination run wild. This activity is perfect for families, allowing everyone to express their creativity and take home a personalized piece of art. This activity is sure to delight both kids and adults alike.

3D Doodle Art
This engaging 3D Doodle Art activity invites young artists to transform flat templates into vibrant, three-dimensional masterpieces that pop off the page! Choose from a variety of animal templates, doodle designs on the templates to create patterns, and watch as your creation comes to life. Perfect for artists of all ages and skill levels, this project encourages creativity, uses simple techniques, and yields impressive results that will have everyone proudly displaying their dimensional animal artwork at home. Experience the joy of turning 2D into 3D through this activity that combines drawing, pattern-making, and sculpture in one captivating activity.

Cardboard Loom Summer Friendship Bracelet
Create friendship bracelets using a surprisingly simple cardboard loom technique that looks impressively complex but is beginner-friendly. This activity captures the nostalgic summer camp vibe of trading handmade treasures with friends while teaching basic weaving skills in an accessible, no-pressure format. Choose from a rainbow of thread colors to design personalized patterns that express your unique style—perfect for wearing, sharing, or starting your own bracelet-making tradition at home.

Image of an assortment of beads from Chris Coffman. There are two small light purple beads, three light small green beads, two small light pink beads, three clear beads with multicolor swirls in the middle, four clear beads with blue swirls around the middle, and three flower-shaped pink and purple beads with orange centers.

Gallery of Fine Craft Trunk Shows

July 16 & August 20 – Chris Coffman and Susan Boyce
Visit WheatonArts’ Flamework Artists Chris Coffman and Susan Boyce in the Gallery of Fine Craft as they showcase their newest glass jewelry collections. Each earring, bracelet, and necklace for sale is handmade by Chris and Susan using a torch.

General Store Trunk Shows

July 16 – Bill Futer
WheatonArts Flamework Artist Bill Futer is joining us for a “holiday preview” trunk show in the General Store featuring his ornaments and icicles from 1pm to 6pm.

August 20 – Deb DiMarco
Visit WheatonArts Flamework Artist Deb DiMarco in the General Store as she showcases her newest work. 

Music on the Grounds

July 16
2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – The Rollers
August 20
TBA

Food Vendors

July 16
Curry’s Culinary Corral
Frosbite
Taylor Made Treats (2 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
August 20
TBA
Image of Chris Lax performing outside in front of the Museum of American Glass. Chris is playing a guitar with a black and white houndstooth strap, while sitting in front of and singing into a microphone. Chris has a black hat, black sunglasses, a reddish brown beard, and is wearing a black t-shirt.

We will update this page as programming for the event becomes available. Please check for updates as the event gets closer. Thank you!