2024 Art Show Update
From Art Show Director Kerry Royer
The 50th Show celebrated the arts in Mount Gretna. We shared our community in the most wondrous way with thousands of visitors. We also managed to chase the storms away! As one of the few remaining Chautauquas in the U.S., we achieved our mission of advancing cultural activities.
As I have often said, here in Mount Gretna, our charm is our challenge. With our sacred canopy, winding paths, parks and streets, I know it is often difficult to put on a national show. However, we all manage to work together in succeeding to create an inspiring place of beauty to showcase artistic talent.
This year, Art Show raised $17,854.00 for Mount Gretna Borough and $16,878.35 for the Mount Gretna Fire Company.
We launched the Mount Gretna International Film Festival in the playhouse with 24 screened films. Exciting news: We will be BACK for the 2nd Annual. Stay up to date on our website.
We unveiled our summer art installation at the Mount Gretna Arts Council Memorial Day Weekend Path Party. We hosted this live art—a moss sculpture of Luna Moth wings by Ryan Fretz—at the Playhouse all summer to welcome everyone partaking in the art of performance, theatre, music, and Art Show. This “Year of the Arts” artwork was in partnership with Visit Lebanon Valley.
In May, we held a Lebanon Bicycle Recycle Event at the Mount Gretna Hall of Philosophy. This gathering allowed our robust biking community to donate their unused bikes and gear so that they can be refurbished for the greater community. Everyone was so generous. We rounded up 26 bikes and 4 boxes of gear just in time for summer. We participated in the National Ride of Silence. We had food, music, and, of course, ART PROJECTS!
Community-Based Pop-Up Art Workshops all summer to artfully re-imagined the Art Show main gate.
The collaborative art project that we started at the Gala is on display at the Visitor Center. Check it out as it reflects the trees and shimmering light. Special thanks to Claire de Boer and Jeff Spangler for their creative energy with this project. Also, Gala funds supported a part of the summer staff at the VC!
The 2024 Posters are available with a special link to see a compilation of all the 50 years of posters. Also, there is a super interesting display at the Mount Gretna Area Historical Society. Check it out, it’s really special to see all of the posters in one place.
Water Tower Art
With support from the Lebanon County Commissioners and the Mount Gretna United Methodist Church Drendall Endowment, we commissioned art to grace the water tower in Campmeeting. The arts and humanities mean so much to our community and our sense of place. Public art creates community pride and inspiration. It’s thrilling to have this major art installation as part of our celebration in anticipation of the 50th Mount Gretna Art Show! Art by Kathy Lindert. Check out the video here.
We created Artistic Welcome Signs into town on Rt. 117. Artwork by Fred Swarr.
August 14: Chautauqua Summer Program
We learned about the early days of the Art Show with Founder Bruce Johnson, Emerging Artist Lead Jeff White, and Former Director Linda Bell. Darryl Eckert, who created every Art Show T-shirt, shared lively stories. We received a State Senate of Pennsylvania Citation from Senator Chris Gebhard.
Banners
The 50TH MOUNT GRETNA OUTDOOR ART SHOW special commemorative Art Show banners are still available for purchase on mtgretnaarts.com or in the Borough Office.
