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Chester County Press

Chadds Ford Art Show marks 68 years

03/13/2017 11:00AM ● By J. Chambless

Artist Len Garon, art show chair Nichole Scull and artist Jacalyn Beam. The annual Chadds Ford Art Sale and Show will be held March 24 and 25.

By John Chambless
Staff Writer

There's no other art show in the region with the pedigree enjoyed by the annual Chadds Ford Art Show.

Founded by Betsy Wyeth in 1949, the show – now in its 68th year – returns to the Chadds Ford Elementary School on March 24 and 25, offering original works by 67 artists with both regional and national reputations.

This year will also mark the return of Karl Kuerner III, an artist whose family is intertwined with the Wyeth family, and whose home overlooks the Kuerner Farm, where Andrew Wyeth completed hundreds of his landmark artworks. Kuerner will have original works in a spotlighted display, and will discuss his history and artwork with the public on March 25.

For artists, the show is a chance to renew contact with their peers and discover the works of artists they might not have known before. For Len Garon, who is marking his 35th year as an exhibitor, the gym of the elementary school has become a welcome return to a region he knows very well. He is the featured artist this year, and he will be returning from his home in Alexandria, Va., for the big weekend.

This year's donating artist is Jacalyn Beam, whose plein-air Brandywine landscapes capture many of the region's historic homes and scenic vistas in glowing, luminous oils.

The artists will be setting up their booths on Thursday. On Friday, March 24, from 7 to 10 p.m., there will be a reception for adults with a chance to get a first look at the art and talk to the artists. The show is open on March 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., free of charge.

On March 25 at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., visitors can join guides for tours of the school's astounding art collection, assembled over the decades from members of the Wyeth family and other regional artists. The school's library boasts a huge N.C. Wyeth mural, as well as an original watercolor by Andrew Wyeth, and a pen-and-ink drawing by a young Jamie Wyeth, done when he was a student at the school.

Also on March 25, children can take part in guided art workshops at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. The materials fee is $15 to $25. The 90-minute workshops will be offered on a first-come basis.

On March 25 at 1 p.m., Kuerner will discuss his work and history with a show of his paintings and his illustrated books, which will be available for sale.

The money raised from art sales at the show will benefit projects and programs at the school. Thirty percent of all purchases is tax-deductible.

The school is at 3 Baltimore Pike in Chadds Ford. For more information, call the school at 610-388-1112, or visit http://cfes.ucfsd.org/artshow.

This year's exhibiting artists include: Annette Allessi, Richard Bollinger, Katee Boyle, J. Wayne Bystrom, Doris Davis-Glackin, Frank DePietro, John Hannafin, Lou Jacobs, Martin May, Lou Messa, Bob Richey, Kathy Ruck, Tim Simboli, John Suplee, Helena van Emmerik-Finn, and Mary Ann Weselyk.


To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email [email protected].