Pennswood Hosts “Inspired by the Garden” Gallery Show
Winter didn’t stop Pennswood residents from celebrating the color and life found in its gardens. Last month, the art show, “Inspired by the Garden,” opened in the Passmore Gallery, featuring beautiful art centered around a garden theme.
The show featured a range of colorful art curated by Pennswood residents, including paintings, photographs, collages, pottery, figurines and jewelry—all inspired by the garden. Among these curators were Flossie Fullerton, Jan Neitzel, Jane Crumlish, Daisy Grubbs, Lucy Hastings, and Lee Cavanaugh.
A fitting inspiration for the art
Gardens are a big part of life at Pennswood, with residents growing vegetables and flowers in their personal plots in the community garden and on their homes’ patios and balconies. Residents also have the chance to move their potted plants into the Pennswood greenhouse during the colder winter months. It’s because of this love for gardening at Pennswood that the idea for this art show evolved.
“We have a lot of interest in the gardens here,” said Sue Espenshade, resident and Chairperson for the Passmore Gallery Committee. “We have a beautiful community, and residents capture this beauty in their art.”
Like many Pennswood residents, Sue has a great love for gardening that is shared with her husband, Jack, who heads up the Community Garden Committee, a group of people who care for the community garden. The couple became interested in the garden when they started growing plants in their own plot, and their interest grew from there. With this exhibition, the Passmore Gallery Committee spreaded the goodness of the garden in a different way.
“The gallery committee gets together several times a year,” said Sue, “and we toss ideas around for displays. Then we choose themes and agree on when they’ll be displayed.”
The reception for the colorful “Inspired by the Garden” show was held on a Sunday afternoon in January for friends, family and the community.
“The receptions are a chance for the community to gather to chat about the art and enjoy refreshments,” said Sue. Sue’s contribution to the show included a set of collaged greeting cards that were designed and created by her daughter who gave them to her as a gift. Her daughter crafted the cards with a garden theme.
Artful opportunities abound
Resident art shows aren’t the only way for art lovers to get involved in art in the Pennswood community. The community offers art classes often, and there’s always an occasion to display artwork. Residents can also hang their own art in the residence halls near their doors, which gives them an opportunity to display pieces from their personal collection throughout the year. A special display system for hanging the art makes it easy to change out the pieces. Residents can simply call the maintenance team to change out the art whenever they choose.
Residents can also join the Pennswood Art Gallery Committee, which operates the contemporary gallery dedicated to guest artists in the main lobby. This group reaches out to artists in the area and invites them to display their work at Pennswood. Artists recently shown include Demetra Tassiou, Bruce Garrity, Eva Mantell and Matthew Colaizzo. Pennswood is also home to a gallery dedicated to resident art and features both group and solo shows.
The “Inspired by the Garden” art show was displayed until March 28, 2019, when the art was returned to the curators and creators. Soon after, the next exhibition began for the community to enjoy. For more information on the artful lifestyle that’s possible at Pennswood, give us a call today at 215-504-1118, or visit us online to request a free information kit.