Trailheads: Arts Edition

A Facebook post by Old Economy Village last week about an art exhibition in New York intrigued me, and I did a little online research. OEV posted links to articles in The New York Times and Forbes about the work of woodcarver Francis Cape. Cape researched and recreated benches from about a dozen “utopian” groups, including Ephrata Cloister and the Harmony Society (OEV was their third and final home). The exhibit, “Utopian Benches,” has been touring the country and is currently on view at the Museum of Art and Design and the Murray Guy gallery in NYC; images of the exhibit as installed at Arcadia University in 2011 are here. There is also a new book by Cape, We Sit Together: Utopian Benches from the Shakers to the Separatists of Zoar, available from Princeton Architectural Press. I think it would be wonderful if it sparks folks to see and learn more about the communities these benches came from.

As part of the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bushy Run, a new monument will be dedicated on Saturday, Aug. 3, at 11:00 am at Bushy Run Battlefield. The monument honors Native Americans, Highlanders, and frontier rangers who were involved in the 1763 battle, which was part of Pontiac’s Rebellion. The monument was designed by painters Robert Griffing and John Buxton and bronze sculptor Wayne Hyde. The Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society, which operates the site in partnership with PHMC, raised the funds for the monument. (We should be able to share a photo after the official unveiling.) For a full schedule of events for Aug. 2-4, click here.

If you visit Eckley Miners’ Village tomorrow or Sunday for the 1940s Weekend (go here for details), you can also check out “Coal Country,” an exhibit of paintings and sculptures by Frank “WYSO” Wysochansky. The exhibit will be on view in the Visitor Center until August 31. (BTW, stretching the theme a bit here--what's art without coffee?--Eckley recently unveiled the package photo selected for their new site-branded coffee.)

Women of Eckley who worked as extras on The Molly Maguires film
(photo submitted for the coffee packaging by Bob Zoshak--it's worth
a visit to Facebook to see the comments from folks who knew them)

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum’s Civil War Days (tomorrow and Sunday) features a wealth of activities, living history presentations, and speakers (go here for the complete schedule). Saturday’s line-up of speakers includes Stephen Recker, talking about rare images of Antietam, and sculptor Gary Casteel, who created the Longstreet memorial at Gettysburg Battlefield. (Also, don’t miss the new exhibit, “I Thee Wed: Rural Pennsylvania Wedding Attire, 1830-1930.")

Have a wonderful and artful weekend (art being very subjective and so it's really whatever it means to you and I wouldn't dream of dictating that to you but just hope that you have a good weekend)!