Art Exhibitions

Awbury Arboretum regularly hosts free public art exhibitions featuring local artists, both within the parlors of the Francis Cope House and outside in the Arboretum’s landscape.

The galleries of the Cope House are regularly hung with revolving shows and are open Monday-Thursday 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM and Fridays 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. (Please see our Hours and Admission page for holiday closings, etc.)

The grounds of the Arboretum are open ever day, dawn to dusk.

Are you a local artist interested in featuring your artwork at Awbury? Contact Heather Zimmerman at programs@awbury.org.

Current Exhibitions:

Papercuts, by Jonathan Greenberg

In the Cope House parlors, October – December 2019

Jonathan Greenberg is a New Jersey based artist working in printmaking and Wycinanki, the Polish folk art of paper cutting.

Artist’s Statement: The guiding principle I have followed as an artist is that beauty is a worthy end in itself. Some in the art world perceive beauty as something shallow and without depth. I believe in the opposite, that attaining beauty can be a transcendent spiritual experience and has depth and meaning. These collages evolved from both screen printing and my experience as a teacher in the public schools of Philadelphia and Collingswood. I initially used paper cut collage as a way of teaching the stencil making technique. The precision, detail and flatness of color appealed to me and I continued with this art making process after I gave up my screen printing studio in 2001.

In 2011 I discovered Wycinanki, the Polish folk art of paper cutting. The subject matter of birds and flowers, and wild colors contrasting with a black unifying background paper appealed to me and I gave it a try. I quickly found the symmetry limiting but still loved the stylized nature of the art form and felt that the limiting parameters created a strength and visual power. The best analogy I can use is that of a power washer nozzle. When all that water is forced through a small opening, it comes out with a great force. I feel this way about the paper cut technique and the simplicity of the imagery.

The process of my art is indirect. This indirectness appeals to me and works well with my skill set. I begin with an initial drawing and painting sketch usually inspired by nature, then paint a variety of papers with colors that I think I might use. I plan how I will layer the papers, then draw, cut and glue the paper shapes into position. All along I am carefully making design decisions and changes as necessary. This process allows me to keep tightening the image until I arrive at the harmony and beauty I am striving for.

Read more about Jonathan and view examples of his work at his website: jonathangreenbergart.com