May’s Art Exhibit “Explorations”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents art by The Mixed Media Studio, a group of area artists who have come together weekly for the past 8 or nine years to explore a variety of media together, and to be inspired by each other’s work and spirit of adventure.
The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Friday, May 12th, from 6-8pm.
An exhibition of original mixed media artwork by Molly Wing Berman, Georgianna Grentzenberg, Gail Herring, and Michele Southworth will be on display from May 3rd through May 30th at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
The exhibit is sponsored by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts. For information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts or to submit a request for your own show, visit www.swarthmorearts.org or contact Martha Perkins, martha.perkins@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for exhibition schedules and images of inspiring artwork by our local artists.
May’s Art Exhibit “Explorations”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents art by The Mixed Media Studio, a group of area artists who have come together weekly for the past 8 or nine years to explore a variety of media together, and to be inspired by each other’s work and spirit of adventure.
An exhibition of original mixed media artwork by Molly Wing Berman, Georgianna Grentzenberg, Gail Herring, and Michele Southworth will be on display from May 3rd through May 30th at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue. The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Friday, May 12th, from 6-8pm. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
Molly Wing Berman studied printmaking and painting in art school, and spent many years as an art and preschool teacher. For the last 10 years she has worked primarily in pastels. She says “The spirit of play and experimentation are central to my art practice. I am interested in movement and color and the feeling I have when I see an animal in nature. I blend abstract art and realism. All of the pieces in the show are a combination of oil paint and pastel on paper.”
Georgianna Grentzenberg also studied printmaking and painting in art school, before embarking on a 20-year career working in various professional capacities at a number of Philadelphia art and archaeological museums. In her own artwork, she has developed a whimsical artistic style of detailed, fluid and fantastical imagery, using ink and colored pencils.She uses this style in creating decorative ceramic tiles and vessels that echo her drawings. Most recently she has returned to an earlier interest in exploring mixed media, using found objects and creating more abstract works.
Gail Herring has had a wide ranging career as an artist working in various media, and with experiences from teaching art, to graphic design, and numerous collaborations in community-based art projects. She retired from full-time teaching when she moved to Media, and now teaches a variety of classes for children, teens and adults at the Community Arts Center in Wallingford. She says that “Nature has always been the focus in my artwork. Experimenting with mixed media has inspired me to think about color and texture in new ways, different from my traditional detailed botanical illustration techniques.”
Michele Southworth has had day jobs as a lawyer, divorce mediator, family therapist and training program director, with various artistic interests woven throughout. For 20 years she pursued a passionate interest in ceramic work, and in 2011 turned to mixed media painting. She says “In my work as a psychotherapist and as an artist, I frequently find myself exploring the beauty that we can find in the fragments and broken pieces that are a part of us all, as well as those fragments and broken things that we find along our way. Working now in mixed media painting and printmaking, I start by putting down color, creating texture, and then layering on lines, more color, more texture, more lines and forms, using all of the scraps and broken things, to discover what emerges.”
The exhibit is sponsored by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts. For information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts or to submit a request for your own show, visit www.swarthmorearts.org or contact Martha Perkins, martha.perkins@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for exhibition schedules and images of inspiring artwork by our local artists.
April’s Art Exhibit “Close To Home”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents the paintings by artist Robert Bohne´.
An exhibition of original paintings by Mr. Bohne will be on display from April 4th through April 30th at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue. The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Friday, April 7th, from 6-8pm. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
Robert Bohne´ was born in Chester Pa. in 1953 and now resides in Brookhaven Pa. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Fleisher Art Memorial, and the Barnes Foundation. He currently runs two workshops at the Phila. Sketch Club and he heads a Sunday Landscape painting group named Landscape Painting Phila. Bohne´ paints a variety of subject matter in a representational style with a preference for landscapes.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.
The exhibit is sponsored by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts. For information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts or to submit a request for your own show, visit www.swarthmorearts.org or contact Martha Perkins, martha.perkins@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for exhibition schedules and images of inspiring artwork by our local artists.
March’s Art Exhibit “Images Within: Seeing Beyond the Usual”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents digital photography by photographer Betty Wallace.
An exhibition of original digital prints by Ms. Wallace will be on display from March 3rd through April 1st at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue. The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Friday, March 3rd, from 5-7pm. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
Despite a fondness for the visual arts, Betty Wallace says that from an early age, she showed a remarkable artistic ineptitude in all media including film. That changed when she and her husband bought their first digital cameras in 2001. “Although I began taking the usual landscape images, I soon started seeing with new depth. I found embedded images emerging as I gazed at the landscape around me. One of the first was of a path through a starlit orchard that emerged at the sandy bottom of an empty swimming pool. I soon saw such images everywhere. My camera replaced my clumsy hands recording the glimpses I see in my mind’s eye but had previously lacked a means of expressing. For me, these prints are a form of visual ‘haiku’— a simple expression of a reflective moment in the ‘now’.”
The exhibit is free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.
The exhibit is sponsored by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts. For information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts or to submit a request for your own show, visit www.swarthmorearts.org or contact Martha Perkins, martha.perkins@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for exhibition schedules and images of inspiring artwork by our local artists.
February’s Art Exhibit “Changing Gears”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents the whimsical artwork by artist Kathy Agostinelli.
An exhibition of original oil paintings by Ms. Agostinelli will be on display from February 3rd through February 28th at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue. The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Friday, February 3rd, from 5-7pm. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
Kathy Agostinelli holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and a degree in Graphic Design from Delaware County Community College. She has provided graphics for the production of “Tommy,” and the scenery for “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” “My paintings explore both the fun side of kitsch as well as more serious and introspective themes, such as spirituality.” Kathy teaches classes at the Paper Mill House in Newtown Square on Saturday mornings from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 Noon. All are welcome. For information about the classes please contact her at kathyagostinelli22@gmail.com.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.
The exhibit is sponsored by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts. For information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts or to submit a request for your own show, visit www.swarthmorearts.org or contact Martha Perkins, martha.perkins@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for exhibition schedules and images of inspiring artwork by our local artists.
January’s Art Exhibit “Love’s Abundance”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents the thought-provoking artwork by artist Monique Sarkessian.
An exhibition of original oil and encaustic wax paintings by Ms. Sarkessian will be on display from January 4th through January 31st at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue. The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Saturday, January 7th, from 2-4pm. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
Monique Sarkessian is a Philadelphia artist who creates vibrant oil and encaustic wax paintings, and salvaged and ceramic sculptures that bring healing joy found in the revelation of the presence and love of God in and around us. Monique enjoys using a variety of expressive art mediums to bring the viewer into the divine mysteries explored in her world. She loves creating, it’s what she has loved doing since age 4 when she decided to be a painter. She seeks to touch collectors’ hearts with the joy and love of God through her artwork with vivid color and joyful depictions that keep the viewer’s attention to look and look again. Her work transforms homes shifting the atmosphere by bringing in the joy of the Lord and the colors of heaven. Monique has been painting, exhibiting, and selling her work professionally for nearly 40 years. She has exhibited widely and had works honored with awards at numerous exhibitions and competitions across the US including two museums, several universities, and recently in Paris, France. She has also painted and exhibited in Italy.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.
The exhibit is sponsored by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts. For information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts or to submit a request for your own show, visit www.swarthmorearts.org or contact Martha Perkins, martha.perkins@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for exhibition schedules and images of inspiring artwork by our local artists.
December’s Art Exhibit “When the Student is Ready, the Teacher Appears”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents the artwork of local artists Michele Southworth and Nancy Barch.
An exhibition of original mixed media by Ms. Southworth and Ms. Barch will be on display from December 1st through January 1st at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue. The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Saturday, December 3rd, from 2 to 4 pm. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
In 2011, Michele Southworth was a ceramicist who had come to a turning point and needed to work in a new medium to refocus and refresh her creative eye. Nancy Barch was a mixed media painter, much admired for her striking and innovative abstract work, who offered classes and workshops in the Delaware Valley area. Since their first encounter in a 12-week mixed media painting class at the Community Arts Center in Wallingford, their artistic relationship and friendship has developed and grown. Ms. Southworth observes that “Nancy’s teaching, for me, hits the sweet spot of offering techniques, resources, inspiration, and feedback while giving her students complete freedom and support to develop their own creative voice and direction.” They now spend one Sunday a month together painting and eating pizza, and are pleased to present a joint show of their work.
Ms. Barch, whose art studio is located in Clifton Heights, began her career as a freelance illustrator in Philadelphia. She left the commercial art field to enter the fine art arena, initially focusing on watercolor, and then transitioning to mixed media to create her paintings. She has garnered numerous awards for her work, and maintains an active teaching schedule, which allows her to share her knowledge and passion for art with others.
Ms. Southworth’s day job is as a family therapist and therapist trainer/educator at Council for Relationships in Philadelphia, where she derives great satisfaction and fulfillment from work that deeply engages the verbal and cerebral side of herself. After listening and talking all day, it is freeing and very valuable to have opportunities for expression that do not involve words or thinking.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.
The exhibit is sponsored by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts. For information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts or to submit a request for your own show, visit www.swarthmorearts.org or contact Martha Perkins, martha.perkins@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for exhibition schedules and images of unique local artwork.
November’s Art Exhibit “Sunlit Impressions”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents the artwork of local artist Elizabeth Breakell.
An exhibition of original oil paintings by Ms. Breakall will be on display from November 2nd through November 27th at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue. The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Friday, November 4th, from 5 to 7 pm. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
A lifelong student of painting, Pennsylvania native Elizabeth Breakell works primarily in oils. With a background in scientific and technical illustration, Elizabeth has softened the edges of her subjects and infused them with light. Studying with regional and national artists such as Christine Lafuente, Donna Cusano, Frances Galante and others over the last fifteen years has rounded out Elizabeth’s training. Her Plein-air landscapes capture the essence of a day whether a cornfield, a coastline, or a brightly blooming treeline. Stories unfold through her interior scenes, sunlight filtering through the sheers, blocks of light on the floor the viewer is transported through her images.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.
The exhibit is sponsored by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts. For information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts or to submit a request for your own show, visit www.swarthmorearts.org or contact Martha Perkins, martha.perkins@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for exhibition schedules and images of unique local artwork.
August’s Art Exhibit “Of the Quarry”, brought to you by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts, presents the powerful, layered, and textured artwork of local artist Megan Lee Wenger.
An exhibition of original mixed media paintings by Ms. Wenger will be on display from August 2nd through August 31st at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue, Swarthmore. The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Friday, August 5th, from 6 to 8 pm. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public. The reception will have complimentary beverages and hors-d’oeuvres.
I’m very interested in finding my paintings along the way: in the process and the layers I can discover more about the things I choose to reveal or cover up; the things we remember and the things we forget; the things we find precious, beautiful, worthwhile, hard. In my work, I use trash, found objects and debris, gold leaf and pressed flowers; things that have been discarded, and things that have been delicately preserved. I think both are valuable and substantive.
For more images, follow Megan on Instagram @mleevlee to see her latest creations.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.
The exhibit is sponsored by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts. For information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts or to submit a request for your own show, visit www.swarthmorearts.org or contact Martha Perkins, martha.perkins@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for exhibition schedules and images of unique local artwork.
Swarthmore Friends of The Arts 