Veterans Day Glassmaking

Two red white, and blue paperweights placed side-by-side on a tree stump with the WheatonArts glass studio behind it.

Veterans Day Glassmaking

Saturday, November 11, 2023
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thanking members of the armed forces for their service, WheatonArts is offering free Make-Your-Own experiences to veterans and active duty military* during the Veterans Day Glassmaking program on Saturday, November 11, 2023. Participants and their families* will receive complimentary passes to WheatonArts during the event.

With the expert guidance of our glass artists, learn how to shape hot molten glass into a beautiful Air Trap Paperweight using a historic antique mold unique to WheatonArts! Participants will choose a color, add molten glass to a mold, and discover the secret of creating these organic shapes. 

Veterans Day Glassmaking Make-Your-Own is limited to one paperweight per participant.

Spots are limited; call to book yours today!

Schedule a Veterans Day Glassmaking Experience by calling
856.825.6800, ext. 152

Extended Registration Deadline:
Please call to register before 4 p.m. on Friday, November 10, 2023.

WheatonArts is committed to making its facilities and programs accessible to all of our visitors. Please get in touch with us with any questions regarding accessibility and glassblowing by sending an email to myop@wheatonarts.org

A glass blowing class for the Veterans Day Make-Your-Own Experience. He is wearing a red shirt, blue jeans, and a blue U.S. Air Force Veteran hat. He is sitting on a bench in the glass studio holding a glass blowing rod with hot glass on the end with his left hand and shaping it with a metal cup-like tool with his right.
a close-up of hot glass being shaped by a metal cup-like tool.

*Who is eligible? The Veterans Day Glassblowing program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card(CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes active-duty U.S. military – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps – and up to five family members for free admission.

A woman wearing safety glasses, wearing a peach colored shirt, sitting on a bench, is holding a rode with a large glass piece on the end in her left hand and is shapping it with a cloth in her right hand.

History of the Veterans Day Glassmaking Event:

In 2012, glassblower and artist Lisa Aronzon responded to President Obama’s request to help Veterans return home from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. She was inspired to create an event allowing Veterans to experience glassblowing in their hometowns. The first “Veterans Glassblowing Day” (VGD) in 2013 was a great success, with 25 schools participating, a second annual VGD scheduled for the following year, and glassblowing schools around the country agreeing to open their doors to create free glassblowing experiences for Veterans. Many glass schools, including the WheatonArts Glass Studio, continue to offer classes for our Veterans as a Thank You for their service. 

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