CFP: Immigration and the South Jersey Glass Tradition

Kristin WheatonArts Announcement
Location
New Jersey, United States
Subject Fields
Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Business History / Studies, Labor History / Studies, Immigration & Migration History / Studies, Fine Arts

Call for Papers

Immigration and the South Jersey Glass Tradition                                                      

Friday June 5 - Saturday June 6, 2020                                                               

WheatonArts and Cultural Center, Millville, NJ, USA

 

This symposium is a partnership between the Museum of American Glass and the Down Jersey Folklife Center at WheatonArts in Millville, NJ. We will be exploring how the evolution of artistic traditions, trade networks, and business practices brought to Southern New Jersey by immigrants continue to affect the South Jersey Glass Tradition from Caspar Wistar's Colonial "Glass Manufactory" to the fine art Studio Glass movement today. Immigration has played a significant role in shaping the life of the Southern New Jersey region. Once a center of glass making industries, South Jersey served as a major destination for immigrants throughout the 18th and 18th centuries. Today the ethnic composition of the region is very diverse as is its cultural landscape while glass making continues.

Hosted by WheatonArts, Immigration and the South Jersey Glass Tradition takes advantage of the opportunity provided by a single site that weaves and interprets the development and coexistence of Contemporary Art, Decorative Arts, and Multicultural Traditional Arts.  At the center of WheatonArts is the Museum of American Glass, which includes a library and archives and houses the most comprehensive collection of glass made in America. WheatonArts is also home to the Down Jersey Folklife Center, one of the lead folklife programs in the state which has established relationships with more than 55 different ethnic communities in the area.

We are seeking papers that explore the immigration patterns in New Jersey, the history of glass in New Jersey, or the effect of immigrant traditions and techniques on contemporary glass studios. The symposium will provide an opportunity for the presenters to engage in a discussion about the ideas at the intersection of these topics and develop future research project questions and partnerships.

 

Panel topics:                                                                                                                       

-Immigration patterns in New Jersey                                                                                 

-The history of glass manufacturing in New Jersey                                                         

-Applications of traditional European glass techniques in contemporary glass studios 

 

Round table discussion:                                                                                                  

-Influence of immigration on glass making in New Jersey

 

Response is due by December 16, 2019. The organizing committee will review submission and confirm with the presenters.

 

Please contact Kristin Qualls at kqualls@wheatonarts.org with your response and any questions.                                                                    

Contact Email
kqualls@wheatonarts.org