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The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is pleased to announce a new Atrium and Main Gallery exhibit called “A Gathering of Glass” which will showcase 100 years of Wellsboro’s glassmaking history. The exhibit will include hundreds of items from the Wellsboro Glass Historical Association’s collection related to the Corning/GTE/Osram/Sylvania factory in Wellsboro. There will be something for everyone in this exhibit, including three Christmas trees decked out with different eras of Shiny Brite and Corning ornaments, historic objects like a gaffer’s pole that was dug out of the creek next to the factory, and information on the science, engineering, and inventions at the factory that revolutionized the glass industry. The exhibit will open on Friday, December 2 at noon and will be on display until Friday, December 30th at 6PM.

During Dickens of a Christmas on Saturday, December 3rd from 10AM to 6PM in addition to the exhibit in the galleries, there will be vendors in the studio. Come see Mary Wise’s beautiful painted Christmas ornaments and local woodworker Mark Luminella’s handmade goods. There will also be delicious baked goods from Dobson’s Sips and Sweets, and wine tasting with Shutter Homestead Winery. Stop in to warm up, see the exhibit, check out the great vendors, and use our clean restrooms!

A free reception with light refreshments provided by the Wellsboro High School Culinary Arts students will be held on Thursday, December 8th from 6-8PM. The reception will be a celebration of all the former employees of the glass factory, so any locals who worked at or had family members who worked at the factory are cordially invited to attend. Members of the Wellsboro Glass Historical Association will share the stories of how this collection came to be and the vision for a future museum in Wellsboro to house the collection as well as the ribbon machines.

During Christmas on Main Street weekend, local glass artist Greg Hoke will be on hand at the Gmeiner demonstrating the art of lampworking, shaping glass over an open flame. Greg will be here from 12-4PM Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as long as the weather cooperates. He will have glass snowmen, ornaments, and maybe a few surprises for sale. Greg has a strong connection to Wellsboro’s glassmaking history, since his mother and step-father both worked at the factory.

The Gmeiner is located at 134 Main Street, Wellsboro, behind the Green Free Library. We are open from 12-6PM Tuesday through Sunday and admission to the gallery is always free. The Gmeiner will be closed on December 24th and 25th for the Christmas holiday. This display is appropriate for all ages, but parents are requested to closely monitor their children, due to the fragile nature of the objects.