Gallery 30 facts for kids
Gallery 30 is an art and craft gallery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States. It showcases beautiful American fine art and handmade crafts. Since opening in 1979, Gallery 30 has been located in two historic buildings in downtown Gettysburg. The gallery is known for featuring local and regional artists. Some famous artists whose work has been shown here include Wendy Allen, Janet Walsh, and even Metro the Painting Racehorse!
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History of Gallery 30
Gallery 30 first opened its doors in October 1979. It was started by L. Chris Fick, a watercolor artist, and Elizabeth “Betty” Martin, a former professor. They wanted to create a unique place that was both a bookstore and an art gallery. They named it "Gallery 30" because it was located at 30 York Street in Gettysburg.
When it first opened, Gallery 30 had paintings, photos, and sculptures by local artists. It also had about 4,000 books, with a special focus on children's stories. This showed how much the owners loved illustrated books.
New Owners and New Ideas
In June 1988, Rodney Gisick, a former music teacher, bought Gallery 30. He brought new ideas to the gallery's art section. He added handmade gold and silver jewelry, along with more modern crafts. Betty Martin continued to help with the book section for a while.
In May 1993, Lois Starkey and Bill Gilmartin became the new owners. They decided to focus more on local and regional art again. They also added even more different kinds of artisan crafts. Throughout the 1990s, they worked to make the gallery a bigger part of the Gettysburg community. They often hosted fun events like book signings and art contests for families.
In August 2007, Linda Atiyeh, who grew up in Pennsylvania, bought Gallery 30. She expanded the collection of crafts made in Pennsylvania. She also added handmade jewelry from both local and international artists. Linda focused on art that showed Pennsylvania and Gettysburg scenes.
Moving to a Bigger Building
In 2013, Gallery 30 moved to a larger historic building. This new location was right next door at 26-28 York Street. This move allowed the gallery to show even more amazing art and crafts.
Historic Buildings of Gallery 30
Gallery 30 has been housed in two very old and interesting buildings in Gettysburg. Both have a rich history that goes back many years.
The First Home: 30 York Street
The first building for Gallery 30 was at 30 York Street. This brick building is from the 1800s and has a special plaque. The plaque shows it was standing during the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863!
This building was originally a store owned by John Hoke in the early 1800s. Over the years, it was home to many different businesses. These included a grocery store, a butcher shop, a garage, and a clothing store. Before Gallery 30 moved in, it was Redding's Supply Store until 1979.
When Gallery 30 moved in, the building was updated. New windows were added to let in more light. A special small house was even built inside to hold the children's book section!
The Current Home: 26-28 York Street
In 2012, Linda Atiyeh bought the much larger building at 26-28 York Street. She planned to move and expand Gallery 30 there. This building also has a long and interesting past.
It started as Walter's Theater around the year 1900. It showed movies, hosted plays, singers, and even vaudeville acts. In 1910, it caused a stir with a "real burlesque show"! The graduation ceremony for Gettysburg High School in 1917 was also held here. Later, its name changed to the Lincoln Way Theater.
After being a theater, the building became an auto garage and then a hardware store. In 1935, the hardware store even had an indoor farmer's market in the back! Over the years, it housed other businesses, including a five and ten store and an insurance office.
A very special shop called The Blind Center Shop opened here in 1949. It was run by Cletus A. Wertz, a man who was blind. He made and sold leather and plastic products, often with the help of his seeing-eye dog, Dolly.
Later, the building became The Peoples Drug Store, which was a pharmacy. After many years, it changed into Wogan's Antique Gallery.
When Linda Atiyeh bought the building in 2012, she started big renovations. They uncovered old skylights and windows. They also restored the original wooden floor using old wood from another historic building. Gallery 30 opened in this beautifully restored building in 2013.
Gallery 30's Community Involvement
Gallery 30 has always tried to support the local community in Gettysburg.
- In the early days, the founders held free events like book signings, film showings, and art exhibitions.
- Under owner Rod Gisick, the gallery hosted bigger art events, including the Annual Loretta Chris Fick Memorial Art Show.
- In 1993, Lois Starkey and Bill Gilmartin started a free children's story hour every week. Sometimes, local authors would even come to read!
- Gallery 30 helped new community groups like Main Street Gettysburg get started.
- The gallery also played a big part in creating the Adams County Arts Council.
- Gallery 30 was involved in the first "First Friday" event in downtown Gettysburg in 2002. They still celebrate First Friday each month with longer hours, featured artists, and refreshments.
Notable Artists at Gallery 30
Gallery 30 has shown American fine art and crafts for over 36 years. It represents more than 100 different artists from all over the country. The gallery features both new and well-known artists working in many different styles.
When it first opened in 1979, the gallery showed work by local artists John Winship (a surrealist painter) and Alan Paulson (an abstract sculptor).
Famous Artists and Their Work
- Wendy Allen: She creates amazing portraits of Abraham Lincoln. She uses a special technique that mixes painting and sculpting, molding thick layers of paint with her hands. Her work has been on many book and magazine covers.
- Janet Walsh: A famous watercolor artist, she was president of the American Watercolor Society. Her work has won many awards, including one from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She even made instructional videos for Gallery 30 based on her book "Watercolor Made Easy."
- Rich Thompson: He is another artist known for his Abraham Lincoln portraits. His work has been shown in important Lincoln museums and at Ford's Theatre in Washington DC.
- Susan Daul: An award-winning folk artist, she is a master of Pennsylvania German Fraktur art. Her work has been displayed in museums like Colonial Williamsburg and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
- Gabor Boritt: A noted local author, he has written or edited many books, including "The Gettysburg Gospel." He was important in creating the Lincoln Prize, a top award for American history studies. In 2008, President George W. Bush gave him the National Humanities Medal.
- John Medeiros: A jewelry designer from Rhode Island, known for his detailed, classic American style jewelry.
- Michael Michaud: A jewelry designer from Connecticut, famous for his nature-inspired botanical jewelry. His work has been commissioned by major art museums like The Art Institute of Chicago and The National Gallery of Art.
Metro the Painting Racehorse
From 2012 to 2016, Gallery 30 also represented Metro the Painting Racehorse! Metro Meteor was once a very fast racehorse, winning over $300,000. But knee injuries ended his racing career.
In 2009, Gettysburg artist Ron Krajewski adopted Metro. Ron gave the horse a paintbrush, and Metro started making broad strokes on a canvas. Soon, Metro was painting every day! Half of the money from Metro's paintings goes to the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program. This group helps retrain retired racehorses and find them new homes. By July 2015, Metro had raised over $80,000 for this charity!
Gallery 30 in the News
Gallery 30 has been featured in several news articles and travel guides:
- In 2013, it was mentioned in "36 Hours in Gettysburg" by the New York Times.
- The New York Daily News also wrote about Gallery 30 in 2013, noting its long history and focus on "handmade in the USA."
- In 2014, USA Today's 10 Best named Gallery 30 the "#1 Place to Shop in Gettysburg."
- It was also included in the Taschen travel book, "The New York Times: 36 Hours USA & Canada" in 2014.
