Spring 2025 Exhibitions
The following exhibitions open on January 21, 2025 and close on April 24, 2025.
Stacey Miller bought her first hat in 1979, when she joined a group of Spanish travelers
driving from Madrid to India on a four-month overland adventure. A simple cloth skullcap
from Istanbul, it seemed a perfect souvenir—inexpensive, easy to stow away, and evocative
of the culture. Thirteen hundred hats later, her company, Hat Horizons, is dedicated
to promoting awareness and understanding of cultures through headwear. The Global
Language of Headwear: Cultural Identity, Rites of Passage, and Spirituality was jointly
organized by Stacey W. Miller and International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC. Rooted in the deep traditional art of Pennsylvania, the regional collection of the
Phillips Museum highlights the distinctive and colorful ways that immigrant populations
celebrated their native
countries’ stylistic heritage. This exhibition focuses on the material culture of
the Southeast region of Pennsylvania and the processes used to create the ceramics,
metalwork, furniture, painting, and textiles that are part of the fabric of 18th and
19th century Lancaster.
The Susquehanna River is a major source of inspiration for Sue Reno, who grew up in
a house on a hill overlooking it. When she moved to Lancaster to attend Franklin &
Marshall she began to explore the river hills in earnest, her enthusiasm deepened
during subsequent decades spent living near the Northeast Lancaster County River Trail.
“Most of all, I’ve come to appreciate how incredibly beautiful, and ever-changing
in its aspects, the Susquehanna is. It’s been a privilege and a pleasure to spend
time interpreting my impressions using the art quilt medium.” (Sue Reno) In the Paintbrush Portraits series artist Rebecca Szeto, a native San Franciscan and
first-generation Chinese American, uses humble, discarded materials inspired by her
experience as a faux finisher for new-build homes in California’s wealthy neighborhoods
and her classical art education The paintbrush portraits evolved into narratives about
outstanding women in the past, many historically unseen and undocumented. In the Totem
series, whittling down to the essence, Szeto explores “profound simplicity” as a balance
between how much can be taken away in a material or form while preserving the greatest
sense of richness and meaning. This exhibition highlights objects and artwork from the Phillips Museum's permanent
collection that incorporate birds into the artistry. From textiles, to drawings and
paintings, to sculpture, ceramics, and glass, birds have been a constant human interest
displayed in artwork for thousands of years and continue to serve as an inspiration
for communities all over the world.
The Global Language of Headwear: Cultural Identity, Rites of Passage, and Spirituality
Ingrained: Celebrating Pennsylvania’s Cultural
Heritage
Sue Reno: The Enduring Beauty of the Susquehanna River
Tools & Totems: Artwork by Rebecca Szeto
Natural Influences: The Lasting Impressions of Birds in Art