POTTSTOWN PA – Nineteen different organizations and businesses are working this year with Pottstown Community Arts to both celebrate artistic talents available across the borough, and to recognize their continuing growth. Together they’ve pledged to make the 2025 “Pottstown Arts In The Park” event a memorable one.
Pottstown Arts In The Park is scheduled for Saturday (May 31) from noon to 3 p.m. at Riverfront Park on College Drive. The three-hour gathering, filled with activities and performances, is free to attend and open to the public.
Pottstown Community Arts, a committee of the Mosaic Community Land Trust; the High Street Music Company, and the Pottstown Parks and Recreation Department are its sponsors. Their list of collaborators is one that reflects the importance attributed to local arts, committee Chairwoman Marie Haigh says.
“The art community in Pottstown is huge!,” Haigh proclaims. “We now have four galleries in town, several art businesses, and art organizations supporting all different art genres.”
That includes dance, music, cheer, visual art, body art, sculptures, flower arrangement, and others, she notes. There’s also a local Artist’s Guild and many talented local artists, Haigh adds.
Local People Promoting Pottstown Arts
Here’s more about this year’s participating art organizations and businesses:
- The mission of Animal House Project is to keep companion pets at home and out of shelters. It provides donated pet food and pet care products to families in need. Animal House now operates Diane’s Discount Pet Supplies on Route 100, re-named as Diane’s Pet Supplies & Adoption Center;
- Arts Bubble 19464 is an initiative formed by a group representing Pottstown and Pottsgrove high schools. It offers a free and growing cultural arts program to area teens. During 2025 they will present three shows, perform at Pottstown FARM summer events, and work with dozens of students. Admission also is free to their audiences;
- ARTEC is the Pottstown Community Makerspace in the Pottstown Area Social Innovations Lab and Expresso Yourself Book Cafe, at 249 E. High St. It is operated by Dr. Hoda Ehsan, director of engineering at The Hill School. A variety of tools are available to the community at ARTEC, such as a Cricut and a 3-D printer. Ehsan also hosts youth engineering workshops throughout the year;
- Art Fusion 19464, a non-profit Pottstown community arts center since 2005, this year marks its 20th anniversary. It provides art education to community youths and adults, regardless of income level. Art Fusion also fosters student creativity, and develops their talents for both personal enrichment and as a foundation for advanced arts studies. Classes are taught by local, professional artists;
- AR Workshop Gilbertsville is a destination for all things do-it-yourself! Its boutique studio offers hands-on craft classes, group activities, private parties, and a curated selection of gifts and trending home decor;
- Cosmic Arts is a community hub dedicated to fostering creativity, conversation, and artistic expression in a safe and inclusive environment. Through collaboration with local artists, visionaries, and creative minds, its multi-purpose space provides opportunities to experience and engage with visual art, live music, educational workshops, and wellness practices;
More Community Contributors …
- Expressive Path provides creative art and music workshops for those age 12-19. It is highly mobile, and offers education in schools, centers, and nonprofit organizations. Expressive Path is committed to enriching, educating, and inspiring disadvantaged adolescents by providing resources for them in theater, dance, music, humanities, and visual arts. It creates opportunities for students to shine through workshops, exhibitions, performance, and community service;
- Friends of the Pottstown Library help raise money to fund programs and improvements at the library. They run the library Book Nook, which sells used books, coffee, and other items. It currently is hosting the third annual Chair-ity, in which up-cycled chairs promote beloved literature;
- High Street Music Company has been a part of the arts tapestry of Pottstown since opening in December 2006. It offers private music lessons for brass, woodwinds, strings, guitar, bass, piano, drums, voice, as well as audio production. All instructors have extensive music industry experience. Many are veterans of playing in U.S. venues and abroad, serve as producing and consulting artists, and have spent years educating and motivating others to find their passion for expression;
- Just Youth Athletics offers kids in grades K through 6th an opportunity to learn and play football, and cheer on a team. They benefit by learning teamwork, communication, and cooperation;
- Montgomery County Community College, founded in 1964, has grown with the community. It specializes in meeting the life-long learning needs of county residents, visitors and businesses. Its comprehensive curriculum includes more than 100 associate degrees and certificate programs. Art lovers can work with respected artists in the college’s Fine Arts program, improving their artistic skills while building a professional visual arts portfolio;
- Mudslingers have helped hundreds of people learn the 26,000 year tradition of pottery. It offers workshops, classes and memberships, and works with small groups of people to focus on the foundation of throwing and hand-building;
… Recognizing the Value of the Arts
- The Pottstown Area Artist Guild was formed by seven area artists during 1960. It encourages people to “express themselves collectively,” supports regional art sales, and promotes art appreciation and education. It currently consists of more than 70 members, and holds major exhibitions during the spring and winter;
- Pottstown Community Arts was founded in 2012 to help bring Halloween window art back to town. During 2017 it merged with Mosaic, became its art committee, and ballooned into a year-round art outreach program. It works to bring the community together through fun art projects, and also presents several free community events;
- Pottstown Dance Theatre offers ballet, pointe, tap, modern dance, jazz, African dance,
hip-hop, creative movement, Irish dance, break dance, musical theater classes, and pilates. The dance theater also annually performs “The Nutcracker;” an additional full-scale original dance production every spring, a student composed and choreographed concert, and the bi-annual “Haunted Dance Theater;” - Pottstown FARM is celebrating its 10 anniversary. FARM’s Mission is to provide the Pottstown region with access to fresh, locally grown agricultural products and handmade artisan goods;
- The Pottstown Regional Public Library hosts monthly art projects, and welcomes other organizations to host their art projects. A wall of murals is actively being worked on in the library’s parking lot. The library recently celebrated its 100th year of serving the Pottstown and surrounding area;
- Reflections of Turtle Island hosts its annual PowWow during the first weekend of May at Riverfront Park. It preserves and protects the traditions of their ancestors. They maintain the Native American burial site at Franklin Street and Industrial Highway; and
- Steel River Playhouse is a non-profit theatre and education organization dedicated to sharing stories that reflect the community’s collective humanity. It provides a nurturing and empowering environment to represent and serve the diverse community. Its current productions are Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins Junior.
Photos provided to Travels With The Post by Pottstown Community Arts
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