People

A photo of T.C. Wheaton Glass Company employees in 1888, gathered in front of the factory. A few employees sit on the roof. They all wear white shirts and dark pants.
T.C. Wheaton Glass Company in 1888

Exploring the theme of People in the People, Place, Process exhibition

A sculpture of a house with a yellow ladder and a photo of a person in a room with a ladder on the left. Mary Van Cline, The Feeling of Direction, 1983, Photograph by Al Weinerman with The Lens Group
Mary Van Cline, The Feeling of Direction, 1983, Photograph by Al Weinerman with The Lens Group
A paperweight by Dan Dailey and Lino Tagliapietra. A man in profile behind small, white flowers, all encased in clear glass. Dan Dailey and Lino Tagliapietra, Collona, 1989, Photograph by Al Weinerman with The Lens Group
Dan Dailey and Lino Tagliapietra, Collona, 1989, Photograph by Al Weinerman with The Lens Group

Wheaton = Glass
The Wheaton family has been a critical player in ensuring the creativity of glass continuing in South Jersey. T.C. Wheaton established a glass company that forever tied the name “Wheaton” to “glass.” His grandson, Frank Wheaton Jr., founded WheatonArts to commemorate that history and share the industry’s resources with artists. The artworks on display in the exhibit reference the importance of the name Wheaton.

From Factory to Studio
The early glassblowers in the WheatonArts Glass Studio came over from the Wheaton Industries hand shop, a link in the preservation of glass skills between non-automated factory work and the Studio Glass Movement. More unique works of art soon joined earlier pieces referencing traditional forms and styles. On display are works from those early artists and artisans who worked in the Glass Studio.

Fellowship
The Museum of American Glass preserves and interprets the history of off-hand glassmaking in South Jersey by supporting and engaging the contemporary glassmakers in the WheatonArts Glass Studio. This exhibition allows us to explore work in the Museum’s collection made by our international community of artists.  

Collaborations
The WheatonArts Artist Residency Program brings to our campus a gathering of artists who work together, and with our staff, to combine skills and vision to expand their creative practice. The artworks on display demonstrate carefully crafted collaborative works as well as camaraderie developed through late nights in the Glass Studio.

Collectors 
WheatonArts is possible because of the broader community of people who support the creative practices of artists. Collectors play a role as witnesses to the Studio Glass Movement, embracing the medium and those who work with it. In the exhibition are some of the quality pieces donated to the Museum so that we may preserve and share our collective passion for glass art with the public.