Sunday, December 10, Noon to 4pm —
Coffee Hour at the Gallery followed by an Open Figure Drawing opportunity. Coffee, tea, and refreshments are served at noon at the other end of the block from church, 701 N. Shipley Street. Then members of the public are invited to draw from a live clothed model at 2pm. Each participant should bring their own preferred drawing supplies and might even pick up a few tips watching professional artists at work! Participants split the cost of the model (cash or check only). Click here to learn more about the Group Configuration exhibit. (Painting is by Marie Denise Villers, 1801, of a young woman sketching.)
Friday, January 5, 5-9pm —
Art Loop Reception for “Group Reconfiguration” exhibit by Lisa Bartolozzi, Mark Bockrath, Yolanda Chetwynd, Harold Kalmus, E.M.Saniga, Stephen Tanis, and Eric van der Vlugt. For decades, this group of artists has sketched together every week. Click here to learn more.
Our Church, Chris White, Shipley Lofts, and the Gallery
In a moment of far-sighted inspiration, the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew purchased the property at the other end of the block. For decades, the 5-story brick building was a wreck. Glass was gone from the windows and the HVAC units on the roof had fallen to the basement. Trees were growing out of the basement over the sidewalk.
Finally, a successful effort was led by Chris White, at the time our senior warden as well as an attorney for the Legal Aide Society of Wilmington. Others in our church lent their resources to the renovation, as did the City of Wilmington, the State of Delaware, and the federal government of the United States. The resulting non-profit organization manages 23 studio apartments, most of which are affordably priced. Artists are given priority leasing.
In the building is a two-level contemporary art gallery which celebrates the arts.
Tragically, Chris White was killed on the sidewalk outside the gallery just before the building was to open. The gallery and the non-profit organization are named for him.
Our church still holds the mortgage on the property on which the building stands and at least three members of our church are board members of the Chris White Community Development Corporation, the 501(c)(3) corporation which governs the building and gallery. As of December, 2023, the three members of our church serving on the board were Sharon Leyhow, Danny Schweers, and Scott Serota. Please contact them with questions or if you feel called to join in this community ministry.
Learn more about the Chris White Community Development Corporation and Shipley Lofts.
