Bottega is a nice little gallery that often gets missed by out of towners when the come to…read moreMillville's Arts District. It's on the tail end of the shopping district and unless you purposefully look for it, you may miss it. It's a nice, brightly lit, well-mainted gallery. Generally their showings are of some of the better area artists. On 3rd Friday the place is humming with artists and intellectuals chatting and snacking on fruit and cheese and wine. Lots of fun! Recommended.

Located at the "other" end of Millville's Arts District, it's a really nice gallery which features…read morethe works of many local artists and fine craftspeople. I always try to wander in on Third Fridays -- they have good munchies, a glass of wine, and good music to go along with it. Someone is always there to help you or answer your questions. Stop in!

The Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts is at the heart of the arts district in Millville…read more The Center is the starting point for everything in the arts in the area. They have all the info on what is going on. The nicest and most upscale gallery is located in the Center. They have great art shows all the time. In the hallway joining the two main galleries they frequently display the art of local school children and much of the stuff is brilliant. I enjoy it as much as the professional works on display. The center offers lots of art classes for all ages. My daughter intermittently takes 10 week art classes for a mere $60, materials included and she's always had a great time. Classes are small so the kids have lots of hands on time with the teacher. Third Fridays are a great time to visit the Center because they have an open house with hors d'ouvres and all the local artists come out to mingle. Gallery perusal is free. There's local art for sale, originals and prints, pottery, handmade jewlery, scarves and other types of folk art. Items on display vary widely from month to month. Closed on Mondays

It's the "prestige" gallery in Millville's Arts District. The city's first art gallery created as a…read morenon-profit organization by the city to become the flagship of it's burgeoning Arts District back in the early '90's. Converted from several interconnected storefronts (the former Frank's Men's & Boy's Shop), it's well-designed with two bright, spartan galleries downstairs and artists workshops upstairs. The RRCA hosts children's art programs during the summer months called ACE (Arts Creates Excellence) and offers other classes and presentations throughout the year for all ages. New gallery installations occur every month with artist receptions/openings held during the Arts District's Third Friday event. The gallery has displayed the works of many regional, national and internationally acclaimed artists and fine craftspersons. There is a small shop at the back of the main gallery where one may purchase works of art and giclee prints.

Glass, yo, it's from Joy-zee!…read more This is a weird but cool arts campus in Millville, mainly about glass, but also housing a decent-size pottery guild, and a small building of textile/tribal arts. In addition to live glass blowing demonstrations, and special classes or make-and-take events for glass/pottery pieces, they have a glass museum with tons of history on glass in the USA. NJ had all the right conditions and materials (wood, sand, soda ash, and silica) for glass so it was the nation's main source of glass for a long period in US history. They make pottery and glass items on site that are sold in the store, and visitors can observe all of this being made. There is a long nature trail, a lake, historic schoolhouse, and various other interesting buildings on the campus. There are at least two stores, both with tons of glass and pottery/ceramic gift options, among other artistic mediums. There is finer art glass sculpture available too, in the gallery store. Wheaton offers a handful of free admission days every year (mostly in summer), including the Fire Muster, with a bunch of fire engines and firemen! They also host craft shows, holiday themed weekends, and other festival events. Live music and food trucks are normally part of any event day. It's a very fun place, and easily can take 2 hours to explore everything. My last visit I was there 3 hours and still didn't get to the nature trail. Nearby Vineland has many great food options, especially Puerto Rican.

The Wheaton Arts Center celebrates South Jersey and the greater Philadelphia area's incredible…read morelegacy of glass making. The arts center and village is located where glass making began in North America. Before it was even legally permitted by the British colonial rulers, the sandy soil here was too ideal for glass making to be ignored. Glass makers from Central Furope were encouraged to emigrate to set up glass making here and what a job they did until American independence when it finally became openly legal to produce glass and not have to import it from England. One of the great glass-making families of America were the Wheatons who started a factory in Millville, New Jersey and who also founded this arts center and the American Glass Museum. There is much to do here. Watching and learning how glass is made is fascinating and being able to interact with the glass-blowing artisans is very educational. A visit to the comprehensive Museum of American Glass is de rigeur. You'll be amazed at what you will see inside the museum including the world's largest bottle ever created - of course right here in South Jersey. There are shops, a nature walk, and pottery making as well. It's definitely worth a visit to the Wheaton Arts Center complex when you have an afternoon free and you are in Philadelphia or at the Jersey Shore.

Amazing instructors and staff! You can even sign up for classes online @ www.claycollege.comread more

Great professors! And awesome place to create clay art!read more

A great place to buy art supplies…read more They stock professional and student grade paints, brushes, paper, canvas and more. The gallery has very reasonable commission rates for artists who wish to display their work. Periodically, the Consortium hosts Dr. Sketchy's artists' sketch parties. These are a great way to get together with friends & other artists to draw together. They also offer yoga classes and other events on a regular basis.

A fun shop full of whimsical stuff, antiques, collectibles & art located across the street from the…read moreLevoy Theatre. Owner Jim Penland is a very entertaining fellow who often works at his easel in the large window at the front of the shop. He's always got a story to tell about his many years in the circus and as a professional painter. He is also the current chairman of the Downtown Millville Merchants Association and great advocate of the Arts District. He often sells his paintings right off his easel before the paint has had time to dry. The merchandise in the store is eclectic and reasonably-priced. If you visit Millville's Arts District, you owe it to yourself to stop in and say hello.

The first time I met Dennis Tawes was in the very beginning of this whole Arts District Project. He…read morewas the very first person to leave his old life behind him and step out on a limb and come to Millville to be a part of the Millville redevelopment project. I stopped in the first gallery he had (which was very traditional) and chatted with him for a while-- nice guy. But I figured that he had to be nuts to leave everything and come to a town like Millville to sell art. But I was wrong. Dennis Tawes has become known as Millville's pioneer artist, and he is, because he really did journey into the unknown when he came here. He's been here the longest and has the coolest art gallery/studio in Millville. Unless you make an appointment you can only see it on 3rd Fridays. I highly recommend you don't miss the gallery on Third Friday's, it's definitiely the wildest. There's crock pot with some grub, appetizers, wine, lots of comfy couches and hires INCREDIBLE musicians to provide ambiance. It's the kind of place you could just sit on a filthy couch in a wacky gallery and relax for hours and people watch. Great vibe. The gallery is the wildest hodgepodge of art and garbage I've ever seen. Dennis is a real artist through and through and is not constrained by conventional aesthetics. Follow the sounds of live blues, and when you find a store with a ratty moosehead in the window and a bunch of dirty hippies hanging around outside, you've reached your objective. (On 3rd Fridays there's no cover charge although he appreciates donations of course to cover the cost of the food & wine.)