Arts & Culture
Where Creativity Happens: Lancaster’s Creative Spaces
Meet the creatives of the city and see where they bring ideas to life!
Our annual arts and culture issue shines light on our City’s creative spaces and those who utilize them—a reminder that galleries, studios, performance spaces, and education venues are centers for new ideas, bold thinking, and collaboration. Since 2005, we have been proudly celebrating artists, makers, and innovators who continuously imagine and re-imagine our city. We pay homage to those adding color to our lives every day with their creativity!
Red Raven Art Company represents over 40 artists. They offer a diverse array of original art and fine art prints: traditional to contemporary, realistic to whimsical, sensible to playful. Visit their website to view current works and over 600 fine art prints at redravenartcompany.com. Red Raven is committed to growing Lancaster as a destination for the arts. Their mission to promote local and regional artists and nurture young talent continues. In partnership with the CX Carlson Cultural Trust, they are able to exhibit emerging artists each month. They recognize that none of this is possible without the support of an art-loving community and for that, they thank all of you.
From left: Steve Wilson, Teresa Haag, and Susan Gottlieb.
From left: Matt Chambers, Jackie Madsen, and Fred Rodger.
From left: Art Harrington, Lee Lovett, and Regina Martin.
After twenty years as a successful Cape Cod artist, while living and raising his family in Lancaster County, Michael has turned his painting focus to the iconic beauty of our local landscape. He desires to share his love for this area and to inspire others to be intentional about preserving the farms and open spaces that are Lancaster’s heritage. Visit his online gallery to see Shaw’s Lancaster and Cape Cod work or make an appointment to stop by his artist’s studio.
Crafted with American-sourced leather and a European sense of minimalism, Liz Riden’s handbags, wallets, and accessories are timeless pieces built to last a lifetime. Each item is made to order with a keen eye in Lancaster County and has the option of being monogrammed in gold for a truly personalized look.
Artisan candlemaker Rick Faulkner has been handmaking Barrick’s signature candles with distinct crackle patterns since 1970. Visit the retail store and studio on Mulberry Street for modern and stylish yet functional candles—the perfect gift for anyone.
With each brushstroke, Christiane expresses a love of color, balance, and vibrancy. Christiane showcases beauty from Brussels and New York to right here in Lancaster. Visit her Prince Street gallery and step into a world of color.
The Pottery Works and The Bead Works
The PotteryWorks is the perfect place to meet and express creativity—for all ages. Choose from hundreds of pieces of bisque, select from hundreds of glazes to paint with, and get to work on a masterpiece!
Commonwealth on Queen is a ‘farm to fork’ cafe featuring breakfast, brunch, lunch, and sweet treats made daily. They offer locally roasted coffee, hand-blended, fair-trade, organic Pure Blend teas, and are a BYOB establishment. Commonwealth on Queen is also available for catering or to host your next party, special event, or business function. From breakfasts & lunches for local businesses to large scale events with over 300 guests, they are always happy to create a custom menu tailored to your taste, featuring local and seasonal selections, made from scratch.
What happens behind the scenes at a museum to make the magic happen? Lindsay Marino, Assistant Director, and Collections Manager prepares a 19th-century dress as part of the upcoming exhibition, “Stitched Stories,” honoring women fiber artists opening on September 3rd. Free and open to all, make a trip to the Phillips Museum of Art at Franklin & Marshall College this fall to experience three new exhibitions and a wealth of programming.
Buildings aren’t just about creating a memorable image—they’re also about using strategic siting and design interventions to achieve light-filled interiors with intelligent, efficient organization. In short: spaces where people want to live and work. LeFevre Funk enjoys the process as much as the result, and delights in bringing together the big picture and the small details to create something better and more useful than the client imagined.
The creative minds behind Excelsior brought new life into a historical downtown landmark unlike any other. Elegant classical architectural features blend with industrial modern design to form the perfect backdrop for any style event. With the finishing culinary touches added by Signature Catering on King (Excelsior’s in-house catering company), this extraordinary event venue will surely captivate all the senses at weddings and business or social gatherings.
This is middle school like you’ve never seen it! At three Lancaster Mennonite campuses, students solve real-world problems through STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) experiences. They engage their creative abilities in project-based learning, encouraging them to propel their ideas into reality. In elementary school, students use play-based design-thinking in MakerSpace class weekly to upcycle materials into structures that can withstand the huffing and puffing of the big bad wolf. High school students explore opportunities in fine arts and agtech classes to paint murals, weld shelves, grow gardens, and even design lighting and sound and sound for stage performances.
