The Arts Alliance of Greater Waynesboro (AAGW) marks its 10th anniversary season with Celebrate Destination ARTS! Weekend on Friday, July 8 through Sunday, July 10 in downtown Waynesboro.
The three days of entertainment, art, and community have been curated to celebrate how Waynesboro has developed into an arts destination. In 2012, there were close to 20 empty storefronts along Main Street. The formation of AAGW helped revive downtown and welcome new businesses.
Many of the events taking place during the official celebration weekend hearken back to the original Destination ARTS! initiative launched on July 19, 2013.
“The community revitalization project was supposed to last just 15 weeks, with vacant buildings becoming art galleries and musicians performing on the sidewalks,” said Andrew Sussman, founder of the arts alliance. “But when the 15 weeks were up, the music kept going and Gallery 50—owned and operated by AAGW—kept going, with more galleries and studios to follow and flourish.”
Celebrate Destination ARTS! Weekend kicks off on Fri., July 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. with an opening reception in Gallery 50, plus additional receptions at Ceramic Arts Center, 42 West ARTS Co-op, Gallery 35 East, Sanders Creations & Laser Graphics, Walnut Street Studios, and Cindy’s Custom Framing. Live music features G@g (Gillian & Garrett Austin) at Music Makers, Across the Pond at Main Street Park, and Earthsong Ensemble (Patric Schlee & friends) at 42 West ARTS Co-op.
On Sat., July 9, nonstop music at Music Makers from 12 to 6 p.m. spotlights Tim Gotwald & Dan Dropkin, Dave Dishneau & Michael Heyser, Kerensa Gray, and Sussman, Jankura & Hepfer. All downtown galleries will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with yarn spinning and sculpting demonstrations at 42 West ARTS Co-op.
Main Street Park will be busy with live music from Tresa Day, Soleil, and The Willys Duo, art vendors/demonstrations, food trucks, and breweries from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day will close with Bobby D and the Truckstop Burritos from 7 to 9 p.m., part of the Summer Concert Series in collaboration with Mainstreet Waynesboro and sponsored by FirstEnergy Foundation.
The festivities continue on Sun., July 10 from 1 to 5 p.m. Gallery 50 will be open for art browsing, Music Makers will feature musicians Wayne Driscoll and BBD Blue Trio, and Main Street Park will have face painting for kids and live performances by Waynesboro Children’s Theater Troupe and Two Mountains Over.
For hands-on fun, a “play me” piano will be on the sidewalk outside Music Makers for the community to play and share their talent as they walk around downtown enjoying the weekend’s events.
In addition, a Destination ARTS! Scavenger Hunt contest begins Fri., July 8. Cards can be picked up at Gallery 50, 42 West ARTS Co-op, Ceramic Arts Center, Gallery 35 East, Walnut Street Studios, and Sanders Creations & Laser Graphics. Entries need to be dropped off at Gallery 50 by Sat., Sep. 3, with multiple prizes to be awards during AAGW’s annual fundraising festival—Jammin’ in the Park, which takes place at Main Street Park on Sun., Sep. 4.
The weekend is family-friendly and free (except for the Summer Concert Series performance), although donations are encouraged and appreciated.
AAGW is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a focus to integrate the arts into community life and help arts education thrive collaborating with schools, community nonprofits, arts organizations, artists of all artistic disciplines, and the area represented by the Waynesboro Area School District.
For more information, follow AAGW on Facebook or visit ArtsAllianceGW.org
The 2016 pop-up shops were so popular that they are returning for holiday shopping in 2017. The second annual Mainstreet Waynesboro Holiday Pop-Up Shops will be held in three locations this year: 37-39 W. Main St., 30 W. Main and 22 W. Main St. Featured vendors include Scentsy, two LuLaRoe experts, Tastefully Simple, Biser Farms, Artisan Cheese, Magic Moon Mavis Studio Jewelry, Wildtree Organic, Bar-B-Que Beast, Tupperware, Cosmic Karma bags and jewelry, Younique, Dot Dot Smile children’s dresses, Blue Lemonade ceramics, Pink Zebra, Sugar Hollow Farms Alpaca and maybe even a few surprises.
Santa and Mrs. Claus also will be stopping by downtown Waynesboro for the second straight year thanks to M&T Bank, Waynesboro Hospital and North Mountain Structures. Sana’s Workshop will be set up at Main Street Park and the Clauses will be greeting children of all ages on NDec. 1 from 5-8 p.m.,Dec. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Dec. 3 from noon to 5 p.m.
Also, be on the lookout for the seasonally-clad Bill Kohler from Mainstreet Waynesboro and Amy Stine from the Arts Alliance of Greater Waynesboro handing out Downtown Dollars to shoppers during the pop-up shop hours.
Harry Potter is working his magic in downtown Waynesboro and your invited to join the fun at the Harry Potter Festival on August 18-19.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 18
5:30–8 PM: High-energy Celtic music from Across the Pond at Music Makers, 46 W. Main Street.
6:30–8 PM: Sorcerer’s Paint Party. Age 21 & up.
7:30 PM: MAGIC WIZARD’S PARTY at Christine’s Café. Entry fee includes giveaways, butter beer, treats and a movie ticket to “Fantastic Beasts.” Live music on the patio! Plus~a costume contest (ages 16 and up). Prizes! (more…)
Downtown Chambersburg and downtown Waynesboro offer good ways to celebrate American Craft Week, October 1 to October 16, and see how art builds community. (more…)
Waynesboro, PA – All events are free unless otherwise indicated. Special activities and performances are indicated below. For more information, please visit the website at www.artsallianncegw.org or contact Amy Stine at 717-655-2915 or at artsalliancegw@gmail.com. Musical performances at Destination ARTS! are supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
June 29, 2016 – Oil Painting Classes: 12-3 p.m. 42 West ARTS Co-Op & Gallery – 42 West Main Street, Waynesboro, PA 17268. Donna Bingaman will be offering free painting classes every Wednesday in June starting June 8. Students of all ability levels will learn how to paint in oil or acrylic, using color, values, and composition. Register at 42 West ARTS Co-Op or call 717-762-8394.
A graduate of the Washington School of Arts, Bingaman is a juried member of the Oil Painters of America and has won several awards for her work. In 2002, she was featured in a solo show at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown, MD. Her portraits are currently displayed in the Chambersburg Court House and Annex as well as in private collections.
June 30, 2016 – Gallery Talks: 2 p.m. Gallery 50 – 50 West Main Street, Waynesboro, PA 17268. Curator and Director Marjorie Tressler will be starting a new series of gallery talks in Gallery 50 every Thursday. Each week will feature a discussion on the various regional and local artists featured in Gallery 50, including information on their background, latest works, and art genre. For more information, call 717-655-2915.
Tressler teaches art locally and has conducted classes at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, where her portraits were featured in a solo show in 1993. She is a former student of the Schuler School of Fine Arts and has studied with several nationally known and prominent local artists over the last 35 years. Tressler has been Gallery 50’s lead curator and director since 2013.
Ethan Larsh
July 1, 2016 – Wine Down Friday: 5:30-8 p.m. Gallery 50 – 50 West Main Street, Waynesboro, PA 17268. Singer-songwriter Ethan Larsh will be featured in Gallery 50 on Friday. A native of Waynesboro, PA, Larsh delivers catchy piano rock influenced by Harry Nilsson and Paul McCartney. Wine and light refreshments will be available. For more information, visit www.artsalliancegw.org or call 717-655-2915.
July 1, 2016 – Musical Demonstration: 5:30-8 p.m. 42 West ARTS Co-Op & Gallery – 42 West Main Street, Waynesboro, PA 17268. Visit the Co-Op for medley of musical instrument demonstrations and performances by Patric Schlee. Wine and and light refreshments will be served. For more information, call 717-762-8394.
The Loose Screws
July 1, 2016 – Summer in the Square: 5:30-8 p.m. – Center Square, Main Street, Waynesboro, PA 17268. Nick The Loose Screws will be performing Jazz standards from all eras this Friday. The instrumental group includes Pat McNamee, Woody Payne, Josh Vaughn, and Bill Sievers. (Rain site will be Gallery 50, 50 West Main Street.) For more information, call 717-655-2915.
July 1, 2016 – 42 West ARTS Co-Op Reception: 6-8 p.m. 42 West ARTS Co-Op & Gallery – 42 West Main Street, Waynesboro, PA 17268. 42 West ARTS Co-Op will hold a reception highlighting their featured artist of the month – Daniel Paul Murphy. Murphy is an award-winning pen and ink artist and the owner of DM Designs, LLC, a graphic design firm specializing in local business promotions. His art will be on display throughout the month of July during gallery hours. For more information, call 717-762-8394.
Murphy is a graduate of the Frederick Community College and has worked in television production and pre-press design. He markets his fine art pen and ink and watercolor art in galleries in Boonsboro, Greencastle, and Hagerstown. He has also illustrated civil war books and regularly participates in plein-air events, including Frederick County Maryland’s Barnstormers event which benefits the Frederick County Landmarks Foundation.
Donna Bingaman
July 2, 2016 – Portrait Painting Demonstration: 12-2 p.m. 42 West ARTS Co-Op & Gallery – 42 West Main Street, Waynesboro, PA 17268. Co-Op member Donna Bingaman will be demonstrating the art of portrait painting. For more information, visit the co-op website at www.42westarts.com or call 717-762-8394.
A graduate of the Washington School of Arts, Bingaman is a juried member of the Oil Painters of America and has won several awards for her work. In 2002, she was featured in a solo show at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown, MD. Her portraits are currently displayed in the Chambersburg Court House and Annex as well as in private collections.
July 2, 2016 – Nature and Wildlife Photography Show: 1-3 p.m. 42 West ARTS Co-Op & Gallery – 42 West Main Street, Waynesboro, PA 17268. Nature Enthusiast, Denny Bingaman will feature a slide show of his nature and wildlife photography from the last 25 years. For more information, visit the co-op website at www.42westarts.com or call 717-762-8394.
Denny Bingaman is a native of Waynesboro, PA who uses wildlife imagery as a source of inspiration for much of his art, including photography, gourd carving, and sculpting.
July 11, 2016 – Artists’ Connection Group: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Gallery 50 – 50 West Main Street, Waynesboro, PA 17268. All artists and artisans are invited to join a monthly discussion group aimed to connect one another. The group will provide a fun and convenient social opportunity for anyone wanting to share ideas, art techniques, upcoming regional show dates, receive and provide mentoring, and inspire one another. Participants are encouraged to bring their latest art projects for those in attendance to view and enjoy. There are no fees or club/membership requirements. To express interest or to learn more, please contact Marjorie Tressler at 717-762-6791 or at marjorietressler@comcast.net.
For more information about the galleries or about Destination ARTS!, please visit the website at www.artsalliancegw.org or call 717-655-2915 or email artsalliancegw@gmail.com.
