Community Corner

Go Glassy-Eyed in South Jersey

WheatonArts and Cultural Center is a tucked-away gem of a spot where old industry and modern artistry meet.

Editor's note: For this week's Day Tripper column, we're taking you down to Cumberland County for a visit to what was once the heart of the American glass industry. WheatenArts, a glass museum and exhibition center, is at 1501 Glasstown Road, Millville. Take the Garden State Parkway South to exit 38A and go west on the Atlantic City Expressway to exit 12. From there you'll take Route 40 and then Route 552 to Millville.

Millville, N.J. is a pretty quiet place these days, but the Pine Barrens town has a long and storied history as the birthplace of large-scale glassmaking in America. Back in colonial days, the needed materials were there in abundance: the glass ingredients of sand, silica and salt as well as the wood required to heat the flames needed to melt it all down.

Wheaton USA, today still a huge producer of glassware, got its start in Millville, and a descendent of the founder created Wheaton Village – now called Wheaton Arts – as a way to preserve the artistic and industrial legacies of the area. 

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You can fill a whole day here browsing exhibits, watching artisans at work and trying your hand at glassmaking.

The Museum of American Glass walks you through a chronological history of glassmaking in the United States, from the earliest examples of colonial bottles to modern art. With more than 12,000 pieces, the museum houses the largest exhibition of American glass in the world. 

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If you're into sea glass collecting, it's an excellent way to get to know your source material, so to speak. The highlight, for me, is the Uranium glass exhibit – a collection of pieces from the Great Depression, when it was popular to mix in trace amounts of the radioactive material to achieve a nice electric green color. At the museum, you can flick UV light switch and see a case full of pieces glow eerily in the blacklight.

You can also watch experts at work blowing glass pieces – a fascinating process involving high heat and serious skills and teamwork. You can even sign up to make your own glass paperweight or vessel.

Artists are usually also at work in separate ceramics, woodcarving and flameworking studios, and you can browse gift shops for items to take home.

WheatonArts also shares space with the Down Jersey Folklife Center, which offers cultural exhibitions and programs.

In all, the place a fascinating blend of industrial history and contemporary art, and it's definitely worth a drive down south.


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