When Molly Shortridge lost both parents last year, she suddenly had a monumental task of cleaning out a house full of treasures. Soon it was clear that she had uncovered a story —the evidence of a family tradition of creativity and artistic expression. This exhibition will bring together pieces from at least three generations in Molly‘s family.

A diverse display of creativity that was handed down and encouraged: paintings, drawings, PA Dutch folk furniture, handmade dolls, carved wooden birds, and very fine needlework.

This show is a compilation of work completed by members of my family. Recently having lost both my mother and my father, I was confronted with the task of cleaning out the family house and attic. One day it suddenly struck me that the most items that the family saved were not commercial items, but items that people diligently and lovingly crafted. Yes, there was the usual boxes of children’s drawings, scrapbooks of musical accomplishments, countless letters, family lineage, and newspaper articles of note in the depths of that attic, but I found treasure after treasure of handmade items. I spent nearly half a year pondering the enormity of it all and how these things and the stories around them shaped my brother and me.

We were always encouraged, by example mostly, to make things (including music), and therefore we did. We lived on a small 1798 farm and my parents put a lot of energy into renovating the colonial house. Dad and Mom both did stenciling in many of the rooms, and Dad made the outbuildings by hand. Mom’s beautiful gardens were the backdrop for our growing imaginations as children, and the property was part of many a local garden tour. There was homegrown food, home-canned fruits and veggies, and I often wore homemade clothing. My parents created a culture where we were allowed to explore all artistic endeavors. My father would bring home large stacks of paper that was going to be thrown out from his government office, and Matt and I were content to spend many hours on the living room floor drawing.

When looking at the things made by my family, I often ponder what the creative process was like for them. How did they conceive of the idea? What excitement did they feel, bubbling up out of them so much so that they had to create what they were thinking of? How did they choose the patterns they used? What was it like to be in the middle of the process, and suddenly must fix some mistakes? What was it like upon completion for each person? Did they love the result?

Did it make other people smile? Even though I now cannot ask my family what they were feeling, I do have a sense that we all shared some of these common emotions that were so important to us at the time of creation.

— Molly Probst Shortridge