For the third year in a row, Chester County Art Association has participated in a competitive class division in the Philadelphia Flower Show. This year the art association won a Blue Ribbon!

As part of the ongoing collaboration between Starbucks Coffee Company and the Chester County Art Association, local artists had a chance to enter their work for display consideration at a local Starbucks.  The first jurying session, which took place in February, resulted in dozens of applicants but only a few were selected to display their work in the new Starbucks store at High and Gay Street in West Chester. 

Artist Dennis Haggerty is a link between New Mexico and West Chester.
By Helen I. Hwang, for The Inquirer

The Philadelphia Inquirer recently ran a story on the Haggerty Retrospective. About 35 years ago, Haggerty held his first solo art show, at the Chester County Art Association. Now he's back. Here's a cature of what the story looks like at the Inquirer website.

We've heard of Haggerty's fans, but… At the opening reception in the Allinson Gallery

Dennis Haggerty’s retrospective drew hundreds of visitors. It also captured the attention of the Philadelphia Inquirer, where longtime art reviewer Victoria Donohoe, described the exhibit as a “handsome show.”

Drawing workshops are an "exchange of ideas and techniques. I dont' think everyone realizes it..." "You learn as much for the people you work with." That was one way faculty member Bruce Dayton described the purpose of CCAA's first annual 12-hour life drawing marathon held in May. In an article published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the marathon was promoted as fun way to challenge one's drawing skills with five models - two posing together from 7 pm. and 10 p.m.

The Golden Ticket Found…
Thanks to a partnership with West Chester University and Chester County Art Association, thousands of young students enjoyed a private showing of Willy Wonka, an original Kennedy Center musical based on Roald Dahl's children’s novel. The performance, held in May at the university campus, was an one-time only event and gave students a rare opportunity to see a popular Kennedy Center production that is now on its second national tour.

Exhibition : Laura Barton: Continuum

March 3 - March 30, 2007
Huston Gallery, Chester County Art Association

Artist Laura Barton's exhibition Continuum is a conceptual exhibit of where she's been, where she is now and where she's heading.

It's a rare sight to see an art center compete in  a flower show, rarer still to earn a mention in the New York Times.  For the second time, CCAA entered the "container" display at the Philadelphia Flower Show, and earned top honors with two sets of judges (a 2nd and 3rd place, with both giving the highest points to "design and originality") .