Sign at 252 N. Prince St.
Framed mirror by Jim Whetstone.
Storage jar by Kevin Lehman.
Ceramic tray by Clarissa Enck.
Wood collage by George R. Wazenegger.
Pa. Guild of Craftsmen program manager Nick Mohler unpacks stoneware pottery by Pam Cummings for "The
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For years, thousands of people attended the the Pa. Guild of Craftsmen's annual summer show at F&M.
But in 2007 visitors had to go to Delaware if they wanted to buy that coveted piece of collectible pottery or a one-of-a-kind necklace.Ongoing construction and growth at the college caused the guild to move its show to the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington.
If you're one of the hundreds (thousands?) of fine craft lovers who have keenly felt the loss of the popular show, here's some good news.
The Pa. Guild of Craftsmen has moved to downtown Lancaster.
And this weekend it celebrates its new headquarters at 252 N. Prince St. with a juried members exhibition and sale, opening during First Friday festivities.
Granted it won't be on the monumental scale of the F&M show. But more than 30 artisans who've achieved juried status in the guild (which is a demanding process), will fill the intimate 760-square-foot space with the fruits of their creativity and craftsmanship.
During the six-week run of the show, works will be rotated in and out, according to Nick Mohler, program manager at the guild.
Furniture, pottery, fiber, photography, jewelry, woodworking, fraktur and scherenschnitte will be included in this premiere exhibition, which organizers hope to make an annual event.
"It's the first exhibit at this site ever," says Mohler. "The plan is to continue to do it every year, and it could eventually turn into something more."
Right now the guild is just settling in to its new headquarters which it took over in January after leaving its home of more than a quarter century in Bucks County.
"We were in a park and it was beautiful, but it was very isolated," says Mohler. "Now we're in downtown Lancaster and you get that whole energy and vibe that you get from a downtown location. We love that. And we have the exposure and we're accessible."
The guild probably wouldn't have made the move, however, except for a statewide push for improvements that would've cost them about $30,000 annually "for a building we didn't own," Mohler says.
But sometimes fate has a way of creating opportunity.
While the guild had looked at several areas to re-settle, Lancaster won hands down.
Doylestown, Reading and Lancaster were all considered. But "when we got into conversations with city officials, Lancaster became by far the most viable," Mohler says.
And it turned out that a company that had been providing the tents for the guild's festivals for decades just happened to have a building in Lancaster city.
Dombach & Sons Awning and Tent Rental had their offices on the first floor of 252 N. Prince Street, but were willing to move to the second floor so the guild could take up residence downstairs where there is a large front window display space.
It turned out to be a perfect fit.
"Lancaster has a number of fine craft events," he says. "The Lancaster area is very educated in what 'craft' means. They get the nuance difference between craft and fine art and there's a space in between the two where they merge. We fall in that area."
In addition to the exhibition, the guild will be offering workshops and special events throughout the year.
The Pa. Guild of Craftsmen has some 1500 members from 29 states. But the bulk of them come from Harrisburg, Lancaster and Reading.
Under 600 members have reached juried status by subjecting their work to a standards committee's three-part judging process.
The committee looks for excellence in craftsmanship ("it's all about the finesse," says Mohler); resolved design ("does the pitcher pour smoothly?.. the jacket fit properly?"); and a unique voice or style ("they shouldn't be replicating someone else's work").
The members who will be exhibiting in this premiere, titled "The Guilded Tulip," (so named for the guild's decades-old tulip logo), have all achieved jury status and offer Lancastrians yet another offering in this burgeoning art community.
THAT'S THE TICKET
The Guilded Tulip
Opening reception, Fri 5 p.m.
Cont. through Oct. 18.
Wed. and Thurs. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fri. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (First Friday until 8 p.m.); Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free.
Pa. Guild of Craftsmen headquarters
252 N. Prince St.
(215) 579-5997
www.pacrafts.org
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