August 7, 2019 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Concord to consider plastic ban

Concord Township Council Tuesday night authorized advertising a hearing for an ordinance that could lead to the township banning plastic bags and straws. No date for the has yet been set.

Councilman John Gillespie is pushing for the ban and said he wants Concord to follow West Chester’s lead to implement the ban despite state law which says such a ban is not allowed yet. He added that, if passed this year, the ban wouldn’t go into effect until July 2020.

“When you look at the damage these plastic bags and straws are doing to the wildlife, our oceans and landfills, it just makes you sick,” he said.

The Borough of West Chester passed a ban on single-use plastics in July. However, in June, an amendment to the state’s budget — which passed — prohibits municipalities from enacting such bans for a year to give state officials a chance to study possible economic impact of the bans.

Other business

• Solicitor Hugh Donaghue said Judge John Whelan remanded council’s denial of Pulte Homes proposed townhouse development to council. Pulte wants to build a 254-townhome development on the Spring Lake Tract on Route 202 at the site of the old Chip & Putt course.

According to court records, Whelan wrote: “Because Council failed to examine whether the use will have a detrimental impact on the surrounding community, this proceeding is remanded to the Council of Concord Township…”

Donaghue said the township will hold another conditional use hearing on the proposal but would also appeal Whelan’s ruling. He said Whelan believes the applicant “may be able to proceed as envisioned. We do not disagree with that, but it’s our intention to appeal that decision.”

Donaghue asked that the hearing be held in October or November.

• Council will hold a hearing this fall to amend the township’s Traffic and Vehicle Code. Some stop signs in the township were installed over the years without necessary warrants, nor are they listed. When the amendment is passed, all current and future stop signs will be recorded and future signs will be installed only if warranted by traffic conditions, according to township engineer Nate Cline.

• Council voted to approve spending $578,000 to build six outdoor pickleball courts across from the O’Donoghue Field House. The contract was awarded to Gessler Construction Co. of Media.

Another $459,000 will be spent on moving the dog park from Bethel Road to Smithbridge Road and reconstructing three sand volleyball courts. That contract was awarded to Lechmanik of West Chester.

Cline said both projects should start within the next few weeks.

• Members of council also recognized Andrew C. Murray for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, and Hailey Mayer for winning the art mural contest.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

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Art Live: No summer vacation for exhibits

Arts & Entertainment

It is hard to believe that it’s already August! This month is typically slower than most given so many are on vacation. But there is definitely enough going on to get your art fix in. If you would rather soak in some art instead of the sun, check out some of these events happening in and around the area this week.

If abstract painting is what you crave, you’ll want to head to West Chester where The Art Trust is presenting “Layered.” The show features artists Vicki Vinton, Portia Mortensen and Ken Karlic. Each of these artists are creating works that are saturated in rich colors. Mortensen and Vinton make great use of their materials to present purely abstract, earthy works that look aged with time. Karlic’s work has a tad more structure to them but his street scenes lean heavily towards expressionism. They seem to have a real sense of urgency to them. The new show will be on view starting Wednesday, August 7^th. A reception will be held for the artists on September 6^th and the show will run through September 20^th.

In Kennett Square, Square Pear Gallery ushered August in with the exhibition “The Joy of Summer.” The show features works by Lauren Acton, Dan Burstein, David Eldreth, Lele Galer, Ann Guidera-Matey, Robert Jenkins, Sarah Bourne Rafferty, Lidia Rohutiak, Dane Tilghman, Patricia Walkar and Merrill Weber.

“Towers at the Connective” by Karen Delaney

In Oxford, The Oxford Art Alliance is featuring Karen Delaney “Towers at the Connective” through August 9^th. Delaney is also exhibiting an outdoor sculpture installation as part of the outdoor juried exhibition “Gateways to Nature” at Tyler Arboretum through September 13.

In Malvern, see Under a Floral Spell at Gallery 222. The show is opening on August 7^th and a reception will be held on Thursday, August 8th from 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Artists will be showing both Plein Air and studio paintings of flowers. Featured are Alicia Asselta, Janice Balson, Barbara Berry, Randall Graham, Fred Jackson, Marybeth Kong, Georganna Lenssen, Stefanie Lieberman, Joanne Mark, Al Moretti, Judy McCabe Jarvis, Monique Sarkessian, Merrill Weber and Jan Wier.

The Community Arts Center in Wallingford is featuring the ceramic work of members of its Associates Program; Justin Benn, Lucy Edwards, Marna Elliott, Penny Emery and Peggy Martin. Their work is being exhibited in the Lounge Gallery through August 28^th. If you are a ceramics fan and it’s been a while since you visited The Clay Studio in Philly, here’s another chance to discover some new artists. The Emerging Artists 2019 Exhibition opened on August 2^nd and runs through September 1^st. The show is being held in the Bonovitz Gallery, and features the work of Olivia Tani, Neil Celani, and Dehmie Dehmlow.

If you are heading to Wilmington, The Delaware Contemporary has numerous exhibitions to choose from in a variety of media right now. Many of the artists are pushing boundaries with their work. If you like art that is cutting edge, this is the place for you. The MKT Place Gallery is hosting plein air oil painter Sarah Baptist. Baptist specializes in urban street scenes and industrial buildings. She’ll be painting live at the gallery on Wednesday 8/7 from 3 – 6 p.m. and Friday 8/9 from 4 – 7 p.m.

Has it been a long time since you’ve visited our state capitol? This might be the reason to visit again. Check out Art of the State 2019 at The State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. It’s a beautiful show and features 110 works by 103 artists. Art of the State is an annual juried exhibition that has been showing Pennsylvania’s artists work since 1968. Many mediums are represented including ceramic, fiber, metals, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture, wood, and works on paper. The 2019 jurors were Janet Koplos, Contributing Editor of Art in America, Rachelle Mozman Solano, Artist and Marin R. Sullivan, Art Historian and Curator. Museum Hours are Wednesday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. The show runs through September 8^th.

Other events worth checking out: Delaware Valley Art League @ Penn Medicine, at Radnor and The Woodmere Annual: 78th Juried Exhibition at Woodmere Art Museum in Chestnut Hill on view till Sept. 2^nd.

Whatever you do this week, support the arts!

About Constance McBride

A native of Philadelphia, Constance McBride lived in Arizona for 16 years, where desert observations made a transformative impact on her work as a research based visual artist. Passionate about contemporary art, she was actively engaged in the local arts community. She served as a board member for several art organizations, managed an artist collective/gallery space, curated and juried several exhibitions and wrote for two arts publications in Phoenix. She taught ceramics at Shemer Art Center and Museum and exhibited her work both locally and nationally. McBride returned to Pennsylvania in 2018 and resides in Chester Springs with her husband and two dogs. In West Chester, she serves as a board member at The Art Trust Gallery at Meridian Bank and teaches ceramics at Chester County Art Association. She also teaches at Clay on Main in Oley, PA. She is a member of American Craft Council, Philadelphia Sculptors, and Women’s Caucus for Art, Philadelphia Chapter.

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Blooms & Bamboo

Arts & Entertainment, Chadds-Ford

Longwood Gardens today announced “Blooms & Bamboo: Chrysanthemum and Ikebana Sogetsu Artistry,” a new display featuring masterworks of Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, on view October 3–November 17. Created by the Headmaster of Sogetsu Iemoto Akane Teshigahara, the exhibit will feature two large-scale displays of bamboo and natural elements showcased amid the jaw-dropping splendor of Longwood’s conservatory featuring thousands of blooming chrysanthemums trained into imaginative forms and shapes by Longwood’s own horticulture masters. Tickets are on sale now at longwoodgardens.org.

The time-honored Japanese art of flower arrangement, Ikebana highlights the fleetingness and constancy of nature’s cycles, representing the brevity of life. Dating back centuries, Ikebana embodies the appreciation and sensitivity to nature that the Japanese culture is known for. Sogetsu is one of many schools, or styles, of Ikebana

“Using our Conservatory as the inspiration and the canvas, Headmaster Akane Teshigahara has created an imaginative and never-before-seen visual experience. Combined with our staff’s horticulture expertise for growing chrysanthemums in traditional Asian-inspired forms, Blooms & Bamboo promises to be an exquisite display that celebrates these two Japanese horticultural art forms in a way only Longwood can,” said President and CEO, Paul B. Redman.

The imaginative display features 635 rods of bamboo manipulated into twisting, spiraling, and intertwined natural works of art that will reach heights of 10 to 15 feet.

“Although I have created bamboo installations in a variety of styles in Japan and around the world for more than 20 years, the two installations planned for Longwood will be the greatest and finest of all, both in terms of scale and bamboo manipulation techniques,” Teshigahara explained.

Schools of Ikebana
In all, there are more than 1,000 schools of Ikebana. The oldest known school is Ikenobo, which began around the 15th century at the Rokkaku-do temple in Kyoto where the first style arrangement was created called the “Rikka” or stand-up style. For many centuries, this technique was passed down from master to master. During the Japanese Renaissance from 1400 to 1568, Ikebana became a formal art. Over the next few hundred years, Ikebana continued to grow and develop, with new schools forming.

In 1927, Sofu Teshigahara began to question established rules and traditions of Ikebana and founded the Sogetsu School, becoming its first Iemoto (the founder or current Grand Master of a certain school of traditional Japanese art). The Sogetsu School focuses more on free expression and is based on the belief that Ikebana can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere, by anyone. The Sogetsu philosophy encourages Ikebana students to be individual and imaginative and aim for a contemporary effect that is refreshing and inspirational. Akane Teshigahara is the fourth Iemoto of the Sogetsu School.

Blooms & Bamboo Programming
Throughout Blooms & Bamboo, Longwood will offer a free guided tour of the glorious chrysanthemum display and the Ikebana Sogetsu masterworks of Iemoto Akane Teshigahara. Guests will learn about these two ancient Japanese horticultural artforms and the creative inspiration, collaboration, and planning that brought this unique display to life. The Spotlight Tours: Blooms & Bamboo take place Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11:30 am and 12:30 pm.

Blooms & Bamboo opens October 3 through November 17 and is free with Gardens admission. For complete details and information, visit longwoodgardens.org/blooms-bamboo.

About Akane Teshigahara
Akane Teshigahara was born in 1960, the second daughter of Hiroshi Teshigahara, film director, and third Iemoto of the Sogetsu School. Her grandfather is Sofu Teshigahara, the first Iemoto. In her early childhood, Akane studied Ikebana with her aunt and second Iemoto Kasumi Teshigahara. In 1989, Akane inaugurated “Akane Junior Class” with the hope of giving children a chance to develop their sensibility through Ikebana. In 2000, as the leader of Sogetsu, Akane planned and produced a street exhibition “Sogetsu Hana Avenue” in Omotesando, Tokyo wishing to convey the charm of Ikebana to a wider range of people. The “Sogetsu Hana Avenue” exhibition would continue on for six consecutive years. Akane is now expanding her activities in various fields including stage arts, jewelry design, and collaborations with dancers, musicians, calligraphers, and other artists. With her fresh and original sensibility, Akane has established her own style by being in tune with the times. There are more than 120 Sogetsu chapters in 38 countries and regions around the world.

About Longwood Gardens
In 1906, industrialist Pierre du Pont (1870-1954) purchased a small farm near Kennett Square, PA, to save a collection of historic trees from being sold for lumber. Today, Longwood Gardens is one of the world’s great horticultural displays, encompassing 1,100 acres of dazzling gardens, woodlands, meadows, fountains, 10,010-pipe Aeolian organ and 4.5-acre conservatory. Longwood continues the mission set forth by Mr. du Pont to inspire people through excellence in garden design, horticulture, education and the performing arts, through programming that includes exhibitions, musical performances by leading artists, renowned horticulture education programs, horticulture research, environmental stewardship and community engagement. Open daily, Longwood is one of more than 30 gardens in the Philadelphia region known as America’s Garden Capital. For more information, visit longwoodgardens.org.

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Police Log Aug. 7: Missing persons, burglary, assault

Police

Pennsylvania State Police

• State police from the Media barracks said an elderly couple, Charles M. Dunn, 85, and Cecilia E. Dunn, 90, of Ivy Lane in Concord Township, were reported missing late last week. According to the report, the couple’s daughter hadn’t seen her parents for a 12-hour period Friday, Aug. 2 after they were headed to the dentist’s office that morning.

Southern Chester County Regional Police

• Salvador Avalos-Baeza, 31, of Kennett Square, is wanted for burglary, theft, and related offenses in connection with the forced entry burglary of a mushroom business, according to a police report. The crime occurred in the early morning hours of Aug. 3, in the 900 block of W. Cypress Street, in New Garden Township. The report said a window was broken to gain entry and checks were stolen from inside. Charges were filed and an arrest warrant was issued that same date. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Avalos-Baeza is asked to call 911. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the “Submit A Tip” link on our Crimewatch Page.

Kennett Township Police

• On July 30, Sophia I Ruiz, 28, from Cochranville, was arrested as a fugitive from justice stemming from an outstanding assault warrant from Cecil County Maryland. No other details were available.

• Police said Charles Kaniuka was arrested at a DUI checkpoint in the area of Route 1 and Route 52. According to the report, police observed signs of impairment and requested that he perform standardized field sobriety tests. He was unable to complete the tests and was arrested. The incident happened at 11 p.m. on May 31. Also arrested for DUI at the checkpoint during the overnight hours of May 31-June 1 were Michael Moser, Michele Thornal and Kelli Graybeal.

• On April 18, 2019 at approximately 11:15 p.m., the Kennett Township police officers responded to a residence in the 700 block of West Baltimore Pike for an assault. According to the report, a juvenile victim reported that Kevin Morales-Lopez attacked him with a knife and then fled the house. Several minutes later, Morales-Lopez returned to the home with two other males, one of whom was identified as Alexander Lopez, the brother of Kevin Morales-Lopez. The subjects chased the victim into an apartment and were threatening to kill him while attempting to break through the locked door, police said. Morales-Lopez was arrested on scene. An arrest warrant was issued for Alexander Lopez, who was later taken into custody. Anyone with information concerning the identity of the third male is asked to contact Det. Amanda Wenrich or Officer Pedro Melendez at 610-388-2874.

About CFLive Staff

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