
Wheaton Wednesdays
July 19 & August 16, 2023
Open Late with FREE Admission
11 a.m. to 8 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 8 p.m. Highlights include a glass mask design contest in the Glass Studio, collaborative glassmaking demonstrations, special exhibit tours in the Museum of American Glass and Folklife Center, a Community Mural Squares art project, 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!

Glass Studio
Design a Glass Mask Contest – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
After visiting The Good, the Evil, and the Funny: Ritual & Mask Dance of Latin America exhibit in the Folklife Center, design a mask inspired by your experience. Select designs will be picked by the Glass Studio Team to be sculpted out of glass. Bring your designs to the Studio each hour before 5 p.m. for a chance to watch your vision come to life! A special reception featuring last month’s designs will take place at 4 p.m.!
July 19 – 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Watch as Glass Studio Director Alex Rosenberg transforms molten glass into delicate blown glass forms!
August 16 – 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Meet our newest Glass Studio Interns, learn more about their work, and watch them collaborate on new designs.

Museum of American Glass
Revel in the enchanting glass worlds of Amber Cowan in the Alchemy of Adornment exhibit. Cowan transforms American pressed glass into exuberantly adorned diorama-like wall installations & free-standing sculptures using centuries-old glassblowing & flameworking techniques. Her works are rich in symbolism with themes of transformation, femininity, and nostalgia.
Guided Tours – 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., & 3 p.m.
Experience a 30-minute docent tour of the Alchemy of Adornment exhibit.
I-Spy Family Fun – 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., self-guided
Look closely through the Museum displays with an I-Spy activity the whole family can enjoy! Discover what inspires the creative minds of glass artists.
Bottoms Up: Two Centuries of American Drinking Glasses
August 16 – 6 p.m.
Whether you prefer milk or martinis, join us for a special 30-minute evening tour of the drinking glasses designed to hold your favorite beverages.
Down Jersey Folklife Center
In The Good, the Evil, and the Funny: Ritual & Mask Dance of Latin America exhibit, explore a comparative perspective of ritual and celebratory use of masks, their costumes, and dances, as well as an interpretation of symbolism and aesthetics associated with the cultural heritage of the Latin American communities in our region.
Take a Docent Tour
4 p.m.
Experience a 30-minute docent tour of the exhibit exploring the “Concepts & Aesthetics of Good & Evil.”
Newspaper Basket Weaving
1 p.m. to 3 p.m. & 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Learn a basketry technique that has been around for centuries! Traditionally, fibers like weeping willow, honeysuckle, and grapevine are used for this type of basket weaving, but innovative basket weavers are experimenting with new materials, including newspapers, aluminum, and plastics. The weaving process remains unchanged, and baskets are durable enough for continuous use. Let us weave together!



Community Mural Squares: Art & Nature
July 19 – 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
August 16 – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
During this FREE activity, become inspired by the natural world by walking down our nature trail and visiting the pollinator garden. Paint a wooden tile showing how nature inspires you. We will seal the wooden tiles and display them in a large, quilt-like mural. Bring your friends & family back to WheatonArts to see the completed community mural!

Community Clay Coils
August 16 – 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
In the Pottery Studio
Play with clay! Our Potters are offering visitors the opportunity to learn how to roll a clay coil and attach it to one larger, free-form community piece. The finished project will be glazed & fired by the Pottery Studio and placed in the Discovery Garden for everyone to see. Documentation on the process can be followed via Instagram by searching the hashtag #CommClayCoils.

Education Studio
Fused Glass Magnet, Pendant, or Suncatcher
Fee-based, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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 inside the Event Center
Break Art, Make Art: Ceramic Mosaics
July 19 – 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
August 16 – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Explore the possibilities of using ceramic shards to make a mosaic composition. The WheatonArts Potters share their pottery shards for you to break into small pieces to create a small mosaic along with glass gems.
En Plein Air Easel Art Using Pastels
July 19 – 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
August 16 – 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Enjoy en plein air (outdoor) sketching activity on our scenic grounds. We have various native plants, pineland flora, and fauna to learn about and sketch. Pick a miniature easel & blanket on the ground to create comfortably.
Garden Rock Painting
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Discovery Garden
Paint a rock, leave a rock! Help us add community art to our Discovery Garden by painting a rock with imagery that is meaningful to you. Find a special location in the garden and place your rock for all to enjoy.
Sidewalk Chalk
11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the blacktop
Play games or create works of art using sidewalk chalk!
Music on the Grounds
12 p.m. to 3 p.m. – The Rollers
4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. – Chris Lax
Food Vendors
2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. – Top Shelf Mobile Cuisine
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Mac’s & Munchies
2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. – Chef Steve’s Popcorn


Book Signing with Italian American Author Lorraine Haddock
July 19 – 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
In her new book, Bella Figlia della Mamma, Haddock celebrates the growing bond between mothers and daughters, emphasizing the culture and traditions carried from Italy to America by Italian women in a poetic way. Stop by the General Store to meet Haddock and get your copy of the book signed!