EXPERIENCE THE ART OF PAPERWEIGHTS LIKE NEVER BEFORE!

Millville NJ (March 14, 2021) – WheatonArts invites all glass enthusiasts to the Virtual Paperweight Fest 2021 on May 14, 15, and 16. Sponsored by L.H. Selman Ltd., Fine Glass Paperweights, the event is a celebration of WheatonArts 50+1 Anniversary and the 46th Anniversary of the Paperweight Fest, also known for many years as “Paperweight Weekend.” Get caught up in the history and techniques of glass paperweights with unique presentations, attend break-out sessions with world-class paperweight artists, watch live demonstrations as artists create with molten hot glass, and shop individual weights with artists and dealers!

Personal preferences determine participation levels during the Fest. Attendees can stay for each presentation or come and go based on time and interests, just as you would at an in-person event. HOPIN, the virtual platform used for this event, allows attendees to move in and out of break-out session rooms with ease throughout the weekend.

Join this all-in-one experience available nowhere else. Attendees can submerse themselves in paperweight histories and techniques with presentations by Gay LeCleire Taylor, Angela Bowey, Marek Kordasiewicz, and Andy Dohan. Live demonstrations by Don Friel, David Graeber, and Skitch Manion will be streamed as they attempt to create the World’s Largest Millville Rose Paperweight! Loren Stump will engage with the audience as he demonstrates the making of a Millville Rose Murrini (with slices of the Murrini sold to support WheatonArts). Pick and choose different “Meet the Artist” break-out rooms to enter with Paul Stankard, Damon MacNaught, Cathy Richardson, Clinton Smith, Mayauel Ward, Chris Sherwin, Alison Ruzsa, or Melissa Ayotte, as well as a 50th Anniversary Exhibit Tour with Kristin Qualls. And for those wanting to connect and add to their collections, many artists and dealers will have private rooms available, including Tad McKeon’s Paperweights for Collectors, Cathy Richardson, Ken Rosenfeld, William Pitt Paperweights, and the A.G. Paperweight Shop. 

Virtual Paperweight Fest content will only be available to ticket purchasers; it will not be released to the public after the event. Virtual tickets are $60. The early-bird registration price is $45 and ends May 1, 2021. For a full schedule of the weekend’s events and a link for registration, visit wheatonarts.org. 

WheatonArts thanks the Paperweight Fest 2021 sponsors for their support: L.H. Selman Ltd., Fine Glass Paperweights; Jere Gibber & J.G. Harrington; Eric Jump, The Paperweight Collection.

WheatonArts strives to ensure the accessibility of its exhibitions, events, and programs to all persons with disabilities. Please provide two weeks’ notice of additional needs. Patrons with hearing and speech disabilities may contact WheatonArts through the New Jersey Relay Service (TRS) 800-852-7899 or by dialing 711.

Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New Jersey Cultural Trust. WheatonArts receives general operating support from the New Jersey Historical Commission, Division of Cultural Affairs in the New Jersey Department of State, and is supported in part by the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism. 

_____________________________________________________________________ 

About WheatonArts: WheatonArts and Cultural Center, founded as Wheaton Village in 1968, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to engage artists and audiences in an evolving exploration of creativity. The mission is advanced by the interpretation of collections and exhibitions, education initiatives, and culturally diverse public programs, residencies, and other opportunities for artists. With a history spanning five decades, WheatonArts has earned regional, national and international recognition for its unique collections and programs. The Museum of American Glass is at the heart of the Center, housing the most comprehensive collection of glass produced in America – from the first glass bottles made in America to celebrated works by Dale Chihuly, Paul Stankard, and other contemporary artists who work in glass. Visitors experience the art of glassmaking, ceramics, and flamework in the Artist Studios. From April through December, the Museum of American Glass and Down Jersey Folklife Center presents special exhibitions. WheatonArts also offers traditional and multi-cultural programs, classes, workshops, performances, and weekend festivals. The award-winning Museum Stores offer traditional and contemporary art and craft in all mediums. 

###