A large crowd filled the Majestic Theater gallery tonight for the opening of “Celebrating Banner Years: A Retrospective,” an exhibition of banners, flags and fabric artwork by Gettysburg artist Robert McIlhenny.
The exhibition brings together decades of McIlhenny’s work. Alongside banners created for institutions and special occasions are works created for friends and local nonprofit organizations, offering visitors a look at both his craftsmanship and his artistic interests.
A large colorful mural hanging from the ceiling and formerly displayed at Gettysburg High School connects art and mathematics through the Fibonacci sequence, in which each number is the sum of the two preceding it. Its simple, colorful geometric design explores a spiral pattern related to arrangements found in nature, including seeds and flower heads.
Another piece, the 2009 “Homage to N.C. Wyeth: Fronticepiece for Treasure Island by Robt. Louis Stevenson,” is on loan from the collection of Peter and Angela Sondheimer of Gettysburg. Many other works in the show were originally donated to the Land Conservancy of Adams County’s annual art auction and have been borrowed back from their purchasers for the retrospective.
“Lascaux Revisited” (2013), shown below, depicts an aurochs (OR-ox), which was originally drawn on the wall of a cave near Lascaux, France more than 17,000 years ago. Now extinct, this animal was eventually domesticated, and is the ancestor of all modern cattle breeds. The work is on loan from the collection of John and Vanessa Rice of Gettysburg.
The banners reward a closer look at how they were made. Rather than printing or painting his designs onto fabric, McIlhenny cuts individual letters and shapes from nylon and sews them together. A heated cutting tool seals the edges to prevent fraying, and the completed banners are lined and finished for hanging.
The exhibition also recognizes Ruthmary, McIlhenny’s wife and artistic muse, who died earlier this year. The two met while he was teaching at York Technical Institute and married in 1992. McIlhenny describes her as an inspiration and guiding influence in his life.
Born and raised in Gettysburg, McIlhenny traces his interest in art to elementary school teacher Richard Krick, who urged students to “Use the whole paper!” Work with local sign painter Joe Reaver later introduced him to graphic design as a livelihood.
McIlhenny began making banners in 1988 after purchasing a sewing machine at a yard sale and teaching himself to sew. A commission for Gettysburg College’s commencement stage helped expand his work to colleges and universities across the country. His shop’s creations included freestanding and table front banners, academic regalia, custom flags, emergency services banners and official ring banners.
His local work includes the design of Gettysburg’s official town flag, approved by the Borough Council in 2003. McIlhenny retired in 2018, and longtime employee Beverly Parsons acquired McIlhenny Banners and continues to operate the business.
The show remains open through the end of the year.
