Arts in the Garden returns to The Inn at Villanova University on Saturday, September 12, for its third year, bringing artists and vendors into the venue’s gardens for an afternoon of live painting, music, and food. The event runs 1 to 5 p.m., rain or shine, and this year’s artist roster includes several names with real standing in the region’s art scene.

The Artists Anchoring This Year’s Arts in the Garden

Dane Tilghman, a West Chester native and one of the country’s most recognized African American folk and realist painters, headlines the lineup. Tilghman has been a professional artist since 1979, with work held in the African American Museum in Philadelphia and solo exhibitions at Howard, Penn, and Penn State; one of his baseball images is part of the permanent collection at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Also joining Arts in the Garden is Suave Gonzalez, the self-taught mixed-media artist and muralist whose work is shown at Morton Contemporary in Center City. Gonzalez served 31 years at SCI-Graterford before his 2017 release and now co-hosts the Pulitzer Prize-winning podcast Suave, which chronicles his reentry into society. Philadelphia multidisciplinary artist Chuck Styles rounds out the roster’s better-known names, working across acrylic and iPad-based digital portraiture that draws on Black culture, sports, and music, with past collaborations spanning the NFL, MLB, HBO, and Marvel.

More Artists Bringing Range to Arts in the Garden

Sculptor Acori Honzo, based at Cherry Street Pier, brings a different medium to Arts in the Garden — hand-painted, 1/6-scale figurines of Black historical and cultural figures, from Harriet Tubman to Tupac Shakur, that have drawn coverage from the Inquirer and national news outlets. Germantown painter Nina Hurwitz, who works out of Braid Mill Studio and paints under the name Nina’s Paint Life, brings her “Generational Hugs” portrait series, built around a small hidden heart she tucks into nearly every piece. Bucks County-based painter and instructor Alexandra Schnabel, a Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts graduate connected to the Abington Art Center circle, adds another regional voice to the gardens.

Also among this year’s artists is Allan Lane, the Philadelphia figurative acrylic portrait painter behind Allan Lane Studio, known for bold portraits set against saturated color-field backgrounds.

Arts in the Garden Co-Founder, Mike Greenidge explains, “The event is simply a celebration of the region’s creative community. It started with the Inn’s willingness to open its doors and invite members of the local art scene to come show their work, fellowship with other artists, the broader Villanova community & hopefully introduce the artist to a new audience.”

Greendige concluded, “The event also gives the art lover an opportunity to hear the stories behind the artwork directly from its creators. We hope all the artists make sales at the event. We do know every artist will have the opportunity to make connections that will pay dividends down the road.”

Planning a Visit to Arts in the Garden

Arts in the Garden turns The Inn at Villanova’s grounds into a gathering point for a single afternoon — painters at work outdoors, music drifting through the gardens, and a lineup that spans a Baseball Hall of Fame painter to a first-time exhibitor, all within arm’s reach of each other. It’s the kind of event where you can wander from artist to artist without a set plan and still leave having seen something you didn’t expect. Support the arts while enjoying an afternoon of wonderful creative vibes. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.

About Post Author

Allan Lane

Philadelphia born and bred, Allan Lane is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of digital magazines. He launched his first publication, SportBikes Inc Magazine in 2010, followed by dosage MAGAZINE in 2019. Recently, Allan launched his third online publication, Club For Man. As a journalist, Allan covers fashion, lifestyle, culture, art, and motorcycles.

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