Documentary spotlights glass art business with Alfred University connections
Texas State University recently produced a documentary about three glass artists at Wimberly Glassworks in San Marcos, Texas. Tim de Jong, founder and owner at Wimberly, and Wesley Sweetser, a glassblower there, both attended Alfred University’s School of Art and Design.
Texas State University recently produced a documentary about three glass artists at Wimberly Glassworks in San Marcos, Texas. Tim de Jong, founder and owner at Wimberly, and Wesley Sweetser, a glassblower there, both attended Alfred University’s School of Art and Design.
The documentary, titled “The Hotshop,” was produced by Kim Davis Jr., podcast editor at the University Star, the student newspaper at Texas State University. It includes interviews with de Jong, Sweetser, and fellow glass artists Jaclyn Ritter. De Jong attended Alfred University in the late 1970s and is affiliated with the Class of 1982. He went on to earn a B.F.A. from Temple University. Sweetser earned a B.F.A. from Alfred University in 2003.
De Jong was recently honored as a recipient recipient of the 2021 Rogers Family Tourism Lifetime Achievement Award. The Rogers Family Tourism Lifetime Achievement Award and the Rogers Family Tourism Award are presented by the San Marcos Convention and Visitors Bureau. The awards recognize individuals or organizations who epitomize the creative spirit and vision that tourism pioneers A.B. Rogers and son, Paul, exhibited when they first began to promote San Marcos as a tourist destination.
De Jong started Wimberly Glassworks 25 years ago as a one-person glassblowing operation. Today, it is an internationally recognized brand with more than 11 employees.