Opening reception: Friday, November 16, 6:00–8:30 PM
Show and Sale continues: Tuesday–Saturday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM through December 29.

Starting at 6:00 PM on Friday, November 23 and running through the end of the year, Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society will sell hundreds of pieces of locally hand-crafted folk art in its bookstore and museum across from Tanger Outlet Center on Lincoln Highway East.

The third annual Pennsylvania German Folk Art Show & Sale will include the work of nearly 30 artists in a dazzling variety of media, including tin work, toleware, scherenschnitte, ceramics, fraktur and fiber arts. 

During the 1700s and 1800s, these art forms were part of everyday life in Pennsylvania’s Swiss and German immigrant communities. Today, items inspired by traditional designs and techniques are prized for their unique character and quality construction.

“Toleware” comes from the French words for sheet metal and often refers to painted tin boxes and kitchen items. Scherenschnitte, or “scissor cuts” are patterns and scenes cut out of paper, sometimes hand-painted. Fraktur refers to a “broken” lettering style and decoration used to embellish manuscripts such as birth and marriage certificates. 

In training for her craft, fiber artist Janet Mast said, “I learned that the things we use on a daily basis could be both useful and beautiful.”

The show is organized by the Historical Society’s bookstore coordinator, Jonel Ness, with fraktur artist Lynn Sommer and woodworker Jim King. 

“King, Sommer and other artists transform the Book and Museum Store into a gallery,” Ness said—“but everything is for sale.”

The exhibition opens Friday, November 23 from 6:00–9:00 PM. Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society is located at 2215 Millstream Road, beside Route 30 in Lancaster. Parking is provided. For more information, go to www.lmhs.org or call (717) 393-9745.