Educator’s Professional Development Day at WheatonArts
Dr. Iveta Pirgova, Director of Education and Cultural Studies
Join us for a day to celebrate the 350th anniversary of New Jersey through a variety of artistic and cultural expressions – May 23 (Friday), 10am – 4pm
Your schedule for the day will begin at 10am in the Glass Studio where you will observe the creation of a traditional Lily-pad pitcher and will be engaged in a hands-on glass casting of the legendary Jersey Devil. You will learn about the various glass decorating techniques used by the early glass-blowers and will be invited to participate in an exchange of stories about the Jersey Devil while trying to recreate its image in glass cast.
After a lunch break (on your own) you will be invited to a special guided tour of the new exhibition in the Museum of American Glass –“NJ 350:Through the Lens of Glass”. This special tour is created to not only enhance your visit to the Museum but to also provide you with new ideas for in-class projects. You will be invited to participate in our open dialogue about the multitude of histories manifested in glassworks, to explore the memory of how glass arts evolved over time and to learn about the various ways in which we understand and interpret glass.
At 2pm you will be invited to attend a special presentation on“Lenape Traditions and Culture” in the Folklife/Education Center given by a cultural specialist and representatives of the Lenape Native American tribe of New Jersey. You will learn about the history of the tribe and its involvement in educational and cultural activities as well as the ways in which its traditional music, dance and visual arts evolved over time to become expressions of cultural identity and human creativity.
All professional development programs are designed to provide you with in-depth and unique perspectives on exhibitions and creative experiences. Each program could be adapted afterwards to fit your classroom’s developmental level and to your specific learning objectives.
At the end of the day all participating teachers will be given Professional Development Certificates for 6 hours.
