12/22/2024
It is with such profound emotions and thoughts that I remind/invite you to join me on Sunday, December 22, 2024 for “Prelude: A Finale at Forty” from noon until 6 pm with a Champagne Toast at 4 pm for a closing celebration reception to honor and thank all of you for your support and caring over the past 40 years.
I speak for the entire staff, and on behalf of Mike Heberlein, when I say that it has been our honor to bring exceptional Fine Art, Custom Framing and Restoration services to our community.
I cannot imagine achieving what we have without the support of our artists. Each of them is a member of a special “family”. It is their dedication and honesty to their work and process that makes them and their work so remarkably successful. Each of them thinks of that dedication first, leaving the marketing of a product behind. It has created an unbreakable bond among them. It makes for easy curation of shows as there is always more than a body of work worthy of exhibition. I ask you to accept my word, as a gallerist, that without this unity in how they define being an artist, the level of our exhibitions would not have been possible. My gratitude for having been allowed to participate in that bond is impossible to put into words.
It has also been my privilege to have surrounded myself with a staff that shares appreciation, support and, most importantly, respect for the Gallery’s approach on how best to represent the work. From presentation through conversation through operational organization – our staff understands and protects the importance of honoring the work and the artist. While each LG employee thru the decades has contributed, I would like to particularly thank my most recent staff. Without them, I would not have been able to continue on after Mike’s death. Each shares equally in my gratitude and appreciation. We are a family as well. From the beginning, JD has delivered the finest restoration services Early on, it became very clear that he and I share a mutual feeling for how best to present an exhibition so that you, the viewer, can experience the work with the respect it deserves. David Patton, our framer, actually started with Mike in the 1980’s and has been framing to the finest of standards ever since. Without his coming out of retirement when we were in need (many of you remember Bill and share our heart’s loss with his passing) and then staying on, I have no idea how we would have managed. Samantha (Sam or Sammy) , started as an intern during her college summers and grew into an exceptional Assistant Gallery Director. She kept me grounded, worked seemingly without limits and I know that she is missed by all of you as much as I miss her. We all miss her. To them, I will forever be grateful and consider them family.
This takes me to you, our friends, and patrons. Again, my gratitude goes beyond measurement and I thank you alI for enriching my life. I would like to believe that in some way or another, we, at Lancaster Galleries, have played a role in shaping how you look at artwork. Your role in keeping the finest of what art has to offer to our world of chaos and non-trust is crucial. Century after century, the arts have survived and touch our hearts today as if they were just created. Created to give us enjoyment and, when needed… strength. When we look to them in times of turmoil, they are there for us. Over the years, I have seen art bring comfort to those in need.
That said, we too must be there for them. If society has been entrusted as custodians of our world, we must do our best to honor that task including keeping the arts alive. After all, the arts are the living history of our times. Support comes in more ways than financial (obviously crucial) – but, within the visual arts, we all can support by taking time to view, care and appreciate. If we at Lancaster Galleries have played any role in keeping art alive in you… I can think of no better achievement. It is that reward that has kept us going for 40 years.
Lancaster Galleries may be finishing this chapter, but I call on us all to remember that…this is only a chapter – and as I ask you to turn the page, I remind you to remember… the arts must be a story without end, infinite new chapters, all ending with … “to be continued….”
Joyce Graham Heberlein
Gallery Director – Lancaster Galleries
December 2024
