West Chester & Chadds Ford Life Spring/Summer 2017 issue

05/23/2017 12:37PM ● By J. Chambless

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There are riches throughout West Chester and Chadds Ford, and in this issue, we uncover some people and places you might not know about.

At the Chester County Historical Society, visitors can delve into some rare documents and handle objects that lead back in time. Riches of the scenic kind are overseen by the Natural Lands Trust, which we profile in this issue. With roots that stretch back to 1953, it is the oldest and largest land conservation organization in the area.

When it comes to the arts, Alexander Claffy is making his mark on the jazz world. He grew up in Pocopson, graduated from Unionville High School, and currently lives in Harlem. In this issue, he talks about his roots and his plans for the future. And speaking of the arts, six years ago, putting a theater in the middle of West Chester seemed like a great idea, but not really possible. But during a tour of the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, we found everything a performing arts organization could need.

In this issue, we meet industrial designer Bri Brant, of Arden + James, who has used her intuition and understanding of historic local materials to build functional art – the beautiful, end result of blending industrial and craft-based designs with the finest natural materials.

We also meet local activist Carol Metzker, who is a peaceable Quaker by faith, but who has devoted herself to battling the horror of human trafficking, both locally and worldwide. We take you to the Darlington Arts Center, which brings together music, dance, visual arts, and drama in one facility with an emphasis on multi-disciplinary programming. And in business, we look at what drew home organizer Mary Williams-Veale and fine art photographer Alessandra Manzotti together to form Spotlight, a local home staging company.