By Bob McIlhenny
Come celebrate our great old barns and the 50 artists who have captured them in works of art. Our Pennsylvania bank barns are unique with the cantilevered forebay in front and an earthen bank in the back. They are icons of what we love about Adams County, our “rural character.”
The HGAC BarnArt Show & Sale will be held at the G.A.R. Hall on 53 East Middle Street in Gettysburg, and is free and open to the public. The Opening Night Reception is on Friday, June 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. Awards are announced at 7:30 p.m. Join us as we raise our glasses for the familiar toast, “For the Barns!” The BarnArt Show continues on Saturday, June 8, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and again on Sunday, June 9, from noon until 4 p.m.
Every artwork in the exhibit depicts a barn or a detail of a barn. Proceeds from the BarnArt Show benefit HGAC’s Barn Preservation Project and Grant Program, which funds grants to barn owners in Adams County to make needed repairs.
We are very excited and honored to announce that the judge for this year’s show will be artist and teacher, Paul Gallo. Paul lives in Middletown, PA. He is well-known among his fellow plein air painters and has long been a member of Harrisburg’s acclaimed “Seven Lively Artists” group. Paul will be on hand during the Opening Night Reception to talk about the artworks he selects to be prize recipients.
Also of great interest this year will be a master work by Harrisburg artist, Steve Wetzel, called “The Klingel Barn,” which will be sold by raffle during the show, with the proceeds benefitting the HGAC Barn Preservation Project. The painting is featured in this year’s promotional poster for the 2024 BarnArt Show. This beautifully framed 24 x 30-inch oil on canvas painting depicts the historic Klingel Barn situated on the Gettysburg Battlefield.
Steve Wetzel is also a member of the “Seven Lively Artists.” This group of Pennsylvania artists was founded in 1956 by seven distinguished graphic artists, and today their membership hovers at about 15 artists. Steve specializes in the plein air style of outdoor painting, and will be on hand during the Opening Night Reception to talk about his artwork. His painting will be shown at the HGAC annual membership dinner on May 22 at the Dobbin House and during the BarnArt Show & Sale, where raffle tickets may be purchased.
Please join us for what is said to be “The largest exhibition of barn art under one roof in the known universe!” For more information, visit www.HGAConline.org
— Bob McIlhenny is Director of Development of the Barn Preservation Project and Grant Program sponsored by Historic Gettysburg – Adams County (HGAC)