June 4, 2025 · 5-6:30pm
Pennsylvania has a rich history of plein air painting cemented by Pennsylvania Impressionists Edward Redfield, Daniel Garber, and Fern Coppedge. These artists, many of whom studied and taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, found inspiration along the banks of the Delaware River, the fields and valleys of Bucks County, and environs of New Hope. Their work translated French Impressionism to an American point of view. Join us for a close look at the lives and works of these important artists and celebrate their legacy as seen in The Wayne Art Center's 17th Plein Air Festival.
William Perthes is an educator, author, and curator. He is the Bernard C. Watson Director of Adult Education at the Barnes Foundation. Bill has a background in philosophy and art history and is the author of “The Barnes Method” included in the recently published The Barnes: Then and Now. Much of Bill's work focuses on how experiences with works of art, both short and long term, can impact and inform fields as varied as business, medicine, law enforcement, and restorative justice. Bill is the curator of Faces of Resilience a traveling exhibition of original works of art created by currently and formerly incarcerated artists at the State Correctional Institute Phoenix. In addition, his scholarship has focused on American Modernism with a special concentration on the Abstract Expressionist painter Robert Motherwell. He is the former Director of Education for the Violette de Mazia Foundation.
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