Mount Gretna Art Show is a community effort

The 53rd annual Mount Gretna Art Show went smoothly with the help of community volunteers, director Kerry Royer said Sunday.

Though organizers did not know turnout at the time, Royer said that there were many attendees Saturday in part due to the sunny weather. Though there was intermittent rain Sunday, she said attendance was still fairly high.

“Yesterday was a fantastic day,” Royer said Sunday. “We had perfect weather and we had a stream of people coming through the gates constantly. They all came here for art and music and food and film festivals.”

On a typical year, Royer said, Saturdays attract more guests than Sundays as many people travel from out of the area to attend the show. Sundays tend to draw more locals.

“Today, it’s surprisingly busy given the weather,” she said. “The people who come out on Sunday in the rain are hardcore art-lovers.”

The Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show placed No. 8 on a nationwide list from Sunshine Artist magazine of the best classic and contemporary craft shows in the country. The ranking, compiled based on artist-provided lists of their highest-grossing shows, may have been contributed to high attendance this year, Royer said. Another contributor, she said, was the now two-day film festival.

“It was thrilling to make it to the top 10,” said Royer. “The fact that our little town manages to put on a national show is just amazing. It really takes a village, we have 300 community volunteers, we have municipalities and emergency services that really help us get the logistics just right to be able to put on a national show and bring in thousands of people.”

Organizers work with local municipalities and the Lebanon Couny Department of Emergency Services to plan for the rain-or-shine event. Fire police could be seen directing traffic, with the streets of Mount Gretna backed up from visitors Saturday, and officers from Cornwall and South Londonderry police departments were in attendance.

There were around 300 community volunteers helping with the event, from working at entrances to helping artists to setting up. That is over the official population of Mount Gretna; many people reside in the community only seasonally during the summer, with an official population of only around 200.

“We are the Pennsylvania Chautauqua, and the Chautauqua’s mission is to support the arts,” said Royer. “The art and the music and the playhouse and all of our lecture series all summer just seem to culminate in this huge event. It’s like a big, swirling bubble that’s colorful and beautiful and then, after the art show, you pop it and it disappears.”

This year, 540 artist applied for 200 spaces, which were awarded based on blind rankings from a jury (which rotates year to year). Organizers awarded slots to the highest-ranking artists of various categories, such as acrylics and oils, fabric and fiber, and glass.

“Our patrons know that this show is curated, they know that what they’re getting is handmade by a nationally ranked artist,” said Royer. “They know that our jury rotates year to year and sometimes art is subjective, so the fact that we rotate our jury means that there’s fresh eyes on the art on the applications every year. That means that we’re getting in new artists.”

Once the art show finishes each year, Royer said, organizers immediately begin planning the next one. The process involves sorting through applications, preparing the Chautauqua, and organizing volunteers well in advance.