(Aug. 27, 2015) Andy Warhol once said, “The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting.”
After waiting nearly five months, Warhol’s work will be featured on Friday during the grand opening of Art in the Fields, a new gallery in Berlin.
Formerly Mid Atlantic Pain Medicine, New Jersey natives Foster and Lisa Schoch purchased the building on 6 South Main Street in April. The couple has been amassing their own collection of original artwork for more than a decade, and will augment that with additional work from auction houses, including Christie’s and Sotheby’s.
Prints from Warhol’s Sunday B. Morning series will be on display during an opening reception on Friday from 2:30-5 p.m., with a ribbon cutting set for 3 p.m. The celebration will continue on the following day with a second reception from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“[Warhol] was a leading figure of pop art, and probably one of the biggest artists of the 20th Century,” Gallery Manager Kelly Lehman said. “He liked to take ordinary objects – something you’d see at the supermarket like a Campbell’s Soup can or a Coca-Cola bottle – and just give it a new meaning and give it more depth.”
Sunday B. Morning includes the “Marilyn” series, featuring Marilyn Monroe, “Mao,” featuring People’s Republic of China leader Mao Tse Tung, as well as the “Flower” series and the aforementioned Campbell’s Soup run of prints.
The work will be available to view as well as purchase.
Although the gallery originally hoped for a June/July opening, Lehman, who moved to the area in April after working in the modern and contemporary art department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, said the wait has helped build word of mouth.
“There’s been this period of time where I’ve been able to do some outside marketing and get our name out there before we officially opening, as opposed to opening and then having to get our name out there after the fact,” she said. “It’s kind of been a blessing in disguise.”
Foster did much of the remodeling himself, transforming the space from a doctor’s office into a two-room gallery.
“It’s a lot more breathable and airy, which a gallery space should be,” Lehman said. “It’s been knocking down some walls, and they put new walls up and all hardwood floors. It looks really great.”
Lehman said the owners collected many of the Warhol screen prints at auction, drawing mainly from the secondary market, meaning the works generally have a previous owner and are often more affordable.
Following the Warhol exhibition, the gallery will show work by Russian-born French designer Erté in September, and New York minimalist Ilya Bolotowsky in October. Current plans call for a new exhibition approximately every 30 days.
Lehman said the town has been extremely supportive as the gallery worked toward Friday’s opening, and several shop owners posted flyers promoting the reception in their front windows.
“Everyone’s been really supportive and optimistic for us,” she said. “The chamber’s been really great at helping us out, and [Economic and Community Development Director] Ivy [Wells] has been really great. That’s what so nice about a small town – everyone’s got your back.”
Lehman said she hopes the gallery eventually becomes a destination in Berlin.
“I think the word is spreading throughout Berlin, and I think we want to go from the Eastern Shore and beyond,” she said. “What’s so great about it is you get these amazing artists, most of them from the 20th Century, right here in Berlin. You don’t have to go to a major city to see it. It’s right here in a small town.”
For more information, visit www.artinthefields.com, or follow Art in the Fields on Facebook or Instagram.
After waiting nearly five months, Warhol’s work will be featured on Friday during the grand opening of Art in the Fields, a new gallery in Berlin.
Formerly Mid Atlantic Pain Medicine, New Jersey natives Foster and Lisa Schoch purchased the building on 6 South Main Street in April. The couple has been amassing their own collection of original artwork for more than a decade, and will augment that with additional work from auction houses, including Christie’s and Sotheby’s.
Prints from Warhol’s Sunday B. Morning series will be on display during an opening reception on Friday from 2:30-5 p.m., with a ribbon cutting set for 3 p.m. The celebration will continue on the following day with a second reception from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“[Warhol] was a leading figure of pop art, and probably one of the biggest artists of the 20th Century,” Gallery Manager Kelly Lehman said. “He liked to take ordinary objects – something you’d see at the supermarket like a Campbell’s Soup can or a Coca-Cola bottle – and just give it a new meaning and give it more depth.”
Sunday B. Morning includes the “Marilyn” series, featuring Marilyn Monroe, “Mao,” featuring People’s Republic of China leader Mao Tse Tung, as well as the “Flower” series and the aforementioned Campbell’s Soup run of prints.
The work will be available to view as well as purchase.
Although the gallery originally hoped for a June/July opening, Lehman, who moved to the area in April after working in the modern and contemporary art department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, said the wait has helped build word of mouth.
“There’s been this period of time where I’ve been able to do some outside marketing and get our name out there before we officially opening, as opposed to opening and then having to get our name out there after the fact,” she said. “It’s kind of been a blessing in disguise.”
Foster did much of the remodeling himself, transforming the space from a doctor’s office into a two-room gallery.
“It’s a lot more breathable and airy, which a gallery space should be,” Lehman said. “It’s been knocking down some walls, and they put new walls up and all hardwood floors. It looks really great.”
Lehman said the owners collected many of the Warhol screen prints at auction, drawing mainly from the secondary market, meaning the works generally have a previous owner and are often more affordable.
Following the Warhol exhibition, the gallery will show work by Russian-born French designer Erté in September, and New York minimalist Ilya Bolotowsky in October. Current plans call for a new exhibition approximately every 30 days.
Lehman said the town has been extremely supportive as the gallery worked toward Friday’s opening, and several shop owners posted flyers promoting the reception in their front windows.
“Everyone’s been really supportive and optimistic for us,” she said. “The chamber’s been really great at helping us out, and [Economic and Community Development Director] Ivy [Wells] has been really great. That’s what so nice about a small town – everyone’s got your back.”
Lehman said she hopes the gallery eventually becomes a destination in Berlin.
“I think the word is spreading throughout Berlin, and I think we want to go from the Eastern Shore and beyond,” she said. “What’s so great about it is you get these amazing artists, most of them from the 20th Century, right here in Berlin. You don’t have to go to a major city to see it. It’s right here in a small town.”
For more information, visit www.artinthefields.com, or follow Art in the Fields on Facebook or Instagram.