Since the Revolutionary War, women have played important roles in the history and culture of Historic Yellow Springs. From Abigail Hartman Rice, who was a war nurse at the Revolutionary War Hospital in the village, to Connie Fraley, who formed the Yellow Springs Association in 1967, women have left their marks.
The Yellow Springs Art Show, which runs through May 13, will honor that influence during its 45th annual art show with the theme “The Women of Yellow Springs.”
The juried show, to be held in the village’s Lincoln Building Galleries, will feature the work of 210 artists, the vast majority of whom are from the Delaware Valley. “It’s the largest show to date in terms of the number of artists,” Eileen McMonagle, Historic Yellow Springs executive director, said. A wide variety of media will be included – oils, acrylics, watercolors and pastels; ceramic arts, glasswork, metal, stone and ceramics sculpture; ceramic arts; glasswork and more.
“We have broadened the types of mediums that we have here. There will be a little of something for everyone,” she said – in style and in price.
“It’s really exciting because it shows the quality of art that is in the local area,” McMonagle said.
More than 3,500 pieces of original artwork will be available. And, she added, as the work is purchased, more artwork will be added so every time you visit, there will be something new to see.
Barbara Grant, an honors graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art who lives in Charlestown, was the winner of this year’s Poster Competition. “Painting Yellow Springs” depicts an artist’s work on an easel in front of the Lincoln Building.
The impetus for starting the event was “a combination of bringing the arts to this part of Chester County in addition to being a fundraiser for the organization,” said McMonagle, explaining that for every item sold during the show, the artist gets 65 percent and Historic Yellow Springs gets 35 percent.
The mission of Historic Yellow Springs, a nonprofit located in West Pikeland, is multifaceted – promotion and teaching of the arts and preservation of the village and the land around it. There are 11 buildings in the village surrounded by 142 acres of land including 92 acres in conservation. The village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The history of the village dates back more than 300 years and archeological evidence points to Native Americans coming to the area for its yellow spring water thousands of years ago. It has been the site of a Revolutionary War hospital, a spa during the early 19th century, the Soldiers’ Orphan School from 1868 to 1912, and a movie studio – where they produced the 1958 cult classic “The Blob” – from 1952 to 1974.
Art is not new to the village. The village recently celebrated its 100th anniversary of artists coming to live and work there. From 1916 to 1952, the village served as the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Country School. “They bought it because it was a beautiful landscape and an incredible environment to create art. And it still is today,” McMonagle said.
The Yellow Springs Art Show runs through May 13 and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays until 8 p.m. A special wine and cheese happy hour will be held on Friday, May 4, 5:30-8 p.m. Admission is free. In addition to the fine art on display and for sale, the show will feature a treasure hunt with prizes for children.
Historic Yellow Springs is located at 1685 Art School Road, Chester Springs. For information, visit www.yellowsprings.org or call (610) 827-7414.