Culture On The Line Website Follows Regional Creatives
A new member of the Visual Realia family is online, Culture On The Line, a curated look at the culture of south central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. I hope you bookmark it and follow its corresponding Facebook page.
York & Hanover's "Invisible Wall"
I had the good fortunate to talk (and exchange emails) with Jim McClure about the “invisible wall” between York and Hanover, both in the art world and in general. Mr. McClure does a great job sharing some of the historical separations. Communities (and artists) in that straight line between York-Hanover-Gettysburg would benefit from greater efforts to work together.
Read the article at this link.
"Under the Ridge" Up for Auction
“Under the Ridge” by Andrew Smith of Visual Realia
In 2018, Hanover Against Hunger packed close to 120,000 meals to be distributed worldwide where needed. This amazing local group raises funds for the project locally, including a silent auction of fourteen artworks.
My entry is "Under the Ridge," a 24" x 20" look down toward the town of Gettysburg from Seminary Ridge. (The building shown is part of the United Lutheran Seminary.)
To bid on the work or see the others available via auction, visit:
https://hanoverareaarts.com/auction-gallery/
You may also view the works in person at the Hanover Area Arts Guild, located at 32 Carlisle Street, Hanover.
To learn more about Hanover Against Hunger, visit their website at:
https://hanoveragainsthunger.org
It's a wonderful organization with an impressive reach. Volunteer or place a bid!
Intro to Pennsylvania's Clay Monoprints
York Town Craft Guild is offering a single session clay monoprint workshop.
New art forms and mediums are fascinating to explore, and in the case of clay monoprints, you can also be part of Pennsylvania’s art history.
Pennsylvanian Mitch Lyons developed this unique art form where past works influence the future. Intrigued, but don’t have the time to invest in multiple sessions?
York, Pennsylvania’s York Town Craft Guild is offering a single session workshop on Saturday, January 11th from 9-11:30 AM. $45 covers all costs and materials, and each participant leaves with a truly unique monoprint, as well as insight into an amazingly creative process!
Register online at:
A Working Kitchen in the Mansion
Food, food, and more food. Better yet, food in a working kitchen in one of Hanover's landmark buildings.
H.D. Sheppard and C.N. Myers started the Hanover Shoe Company in 1899 after planning to both manufacture and sell their own products via retail stores that their company would run. The first store was opened in 1900 in York, Pennsylvania.
Their families began construction of “twin” neoclassical mansions in 1911, designed by Philadelphia’s Herman Miller. The Athenaeum of Philadelphia holds numerous architectural drawings of the projects.
I was fortunate to photograph the working kitchen of their wonderful restaurant on three occasions during the period between 2009 and 2010 at Hanover's (Pennsylvania) former Sheppard Mansion. A gallery of photographs from these visits is available for viewing. All photographs were shot during typical evening food service, and plated items shown were as-prepared for guests. (Or “in progress’ photographs.) Lighting was limited to the room's lights and one flash unit, mounted on-camera.
Many thanks to the owners and kitchen staff for their indulgence. And here's the gallery!
Vanishing Village
Nestled between Hanover and McSherrystown is a small village with a vanishing name.
Entering Adams County from the York County Line, Pennsylvania
There was a time when drivers traveling between Hanover and McSherrytown on Route 116 would pass small signs noting the village name of Midway. Businesses noted the name. Today, visual remnants of the name are seldom found.
Midway, located in Conewago Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania, borders Hanover (in York County) and McSherrystown. It is considered an unincorporated census-designated place, or a CDP. The United States Census Bureau considers CDPs to be a concentration of population for statistical purposes only. This areas have boundaries that tend to be softly defined and have no legal status. The 2010 census determined that Midway has a population of 2,125, which includes members of my family.
The signs noting your entrance to the area have been removed, and very few signs noting the name can still be spotted. As time goes on, explaining the location of your house as being "in Midway" has become less helpful. Midway, it seems, is a bit of a vanishing village.
Image by Ruhrfisch, used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
Midway Tavern, Hanover/Midway, Pennsylvania