You may have noticed a hub of activity every month at the Meridian Bank at 16 West Market Street in downtown West Chester. Rarely does one see a bank office brimming with people after 5pm! In the case of the Meridian Bank, they are the showplace for a small group of local artists who call themselves "The Art Trust," who exhibit a new show six times a year.
Friday February 13 The Art Trust has an opening reception for its newest exhibit entitled "Finders Keepers" from 5-8:30 pm at the bank location. "Finders Keepers" is an exhibition of the "rediscovered, reused, reinvented, repurposed, eclectic and eminently collectible" says the publicity release, and whatever that means exactly, you should expect a beautifully arranged, diverse, inspiring selection of contemporary artworks at a reasonable price. The receptions are also a great place to hob-knob and chat with fellow artists, art lovers, and whoever else interesting that drops in.
The Art Trust shows are always fresh and interesting, and the artists in the Art Trust are not just always showing their own work - however tempting that must be. Different board members come up with ideas for shows and suggest various artists to exhibit, and they also take turns hanging the show as well. Back in 2006 when The Art Trust first started, galleries were closing right and left and one gallery owner in particular, Patricia Bazan Garrubba wanted to make sure to keep arts alive in West Chester. She reached out to a handful of like-minded art enthusiasts and helped to form The Art Trust with this small artistic collective and the CEO of the Meridian Bank. Since its inception, The Art Trust has gained a loyal following of admirers, and continues to make bold artistic statements with every show.
Jeff Schaller, currently Vice-President of the Art Trust and head of the very successful Chester County Studio Tour, says "We like to have fun with our shows and provide something different for the art community." Jeff is in charge of most of the exhibits and enjoys changing it up. "One year we did a show on t-shirt designs and filled the gallery with t-shirts… that was a fun show" he remembers.
Currently there are 9 active Board members, and Liz Ruff is the current board President. It is a 100% volunteer effort on everyone's part and they all pitch in. The mission of The Art Trust is to "support and cultivate the exploration of a contemporary aesthetic for the benefit of artists and the community." Liz Ruff says "I love the variety of work we exhibit and the “buyer-friendly” pricing. We want to build an enthusiasm for buying original art."
When I asked Liz to describe the Art Trust, she wrote that "the magic in this organization is our board. We have become close friends with an intense level of respect for each other. This is a working board, a collection of passionate, task-oriented, visionaries. You don’t see that combination often and I am proud to be a part of this group. And we have so much fun together. That’s the key to our success. We love what we are doing together."
So if you are out and about West Chester any day of the week, stop by The Meridian Bank and check out The Art Trust's latest exhibition of exciting, interesting and always contemporary artworks. The show opening reception this Friday is from 5-8:30 and will have free food and wine and a not-to-be-missed mingling of artists and art lovers; all thanks to the inspiring combination of talent and hard-work from the folks at The Art Trust.
About Lele Galer
Lele Galer is an artist who has chaired numerous art shows, taught art history and studio art, public art and has chaired, written and taught the Art in Action Art Appreciation series for the UCFD schools for the past 12 years. She worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and wrote for the Associated Press in Rome. She has been dedicated to Art History and art education for most of her adult life. Lele and her husband Brad own Galer Estate Winery in Kennett Square.
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