Painting the Town: Prints of Park Ave. Raise Funds for Centennial Foundation
Robert Bohné’s painting of downtown Swarthmore is part of a fundraising effort for the Swarthmore Centennial Foundation. Image courtesy of Robert Bohné
Growing up in Swarthmore, David Haase remembers seeing a stunning series of local landscapes in watercolor, created by painter Nancy Vining. They were on view at the former Studio on Park Avenue, which showcased and sold artwork and crafts. It was difficult for Haase to recognize, in his younger years, that making paintings and drawings of various neighborhoods was a way of honoring them, but he later came to understand this.
“I had a little bit of appreciation for it as a kid, but not enough,” Haase recalls. “The appreciation for it grew as I got older.”
Now, as a trustee for the Swarthmore Centennial Foundation, Haase is spearheading a new fundraising initiative inspired by these childhood memories. The project aims to promote community pride through the work of a local artist. In collaboration with painter Robert Bohné and Gallery on Park, the foundation is offering prints of a downtown Swarthmore scene for purchase. Art enthusiasts and Swarthmore residents alike will be able to bring home a view of the town, captured by Bohné’s hand.
The Centennial Foundation is a nonprofit organization that raises money to fund projects for the betterment of the Swarthmore community. It supported the establishment of the amphitheater in the town center and helped to finance the new parklets outside Swarthmore’s restaurants. The foundation also awards an annual scholarship to a graduating high school senior. “The overarching goal is to bring people together, to provide a place where we can socialize, meet each other, and enjoy the benefits of living in this town,” says Haase.
For this project, Haase envisioned finding an artist to depict an iconic Swarthmore street scene today, the way Vining had done years ago. The Centennial Foundation could then turn the piece into high-quality prints and sell them to raise money. He floated the idea to the rest of the trustees, and soon the search began for an artist who was up to the creative challenge.
The Studio has been out of business for many years, but Park Avenue is now home to Gallery on Park, a space for exhibiting and appreciating the work of artists in the community. Haase consulted its owner, Martha Perkins, hoping to draw on her knowledge of the local art scene. Perkins suggested Robert Bohné, a Brookhaven-based illustrator and painter who has previously been a featured artist in her gallery and who continues to show his work there today. Raised in Delaware County (he once worked in a music store in Swarthmore), Bohné specializes in plein air art and is known for his Philadelphia landscapes. When approached about creating a painting for the Centennial Foundation, Bohné was more than happy to help.
“I have a tendency to like to do things — particularly if they’re fundraisers — pro bono,” he says.
Robert Bohné. Photo: Sarah Bloom Photography
Bohné set out to find the perfect angle from which to paint downtown Swarthmore. Wanting to illustrate an image that would be immediately recognizable to the townspeople, Bohné drove laps around the area, making preliminary sketches from his car and scoping out the possibilities. He was drawn to the strip of businesses that line the end of Park Avenue, especially the bright awnings and the eye-catching umbrellas sprouting from the sidewalk.
“I wanted to come up with something, in light of dealing with the pandemic, that was colorful and would show a spirit of fighting back,” he says.
The final oil-on-canvas painting took Bohné about a month to complete. Its rich oranges, reds, and browns stand out against the blue sky, which provides a backdrop for the storefronts and the train station.
Perkins says she appreciates Bohné’s “ability to capture the mood of the scene he’s painting: his trees, the light in his skies, and the shadows.” She admires the way that his Park Avenue painting “represents the essence of the town beautifully,” adding, “It makes you want to come to Swarthmore.”
After Bohné finished the piece, Stockbridge Fine Art Printing in Philadelphia transformed the image into 100 12” x 14” giclée prints. Signed and numbered by Bohné, they are available for sale online. The proceeds will finance the foundation’s ongoing and future initiatives, including the long-standing Edmund Jones scholarship for graduating high school seniors, and the new Shine a Light award, given to an individual or organization who has made Swarthmore more diverse, inclusive, and equitable.
Haase and his fellow trustees anticipate that this arts initiative will be the first of many. Partnering with a local artist each year would allow the foundation to offer residents different, collectible views of the borough, from the lively downtown area to the Crum Woods. In the meantime, Haase wonders whether the original oil painting could find its home in a public space in town. “The trustees were completely overwhelmed by the beauty of Bohné’s work,” he says, adding that he hopes “all Swarthmoreans can enjoy it for generations to come.”
Prints can be picked up at Gallery on Park during business hours. Regular gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. 104 Park Ave.
Madelon Basil is a junior at Swarthmore College majoring in English. She is interning at the Swarthmorean this spring with funding from the college’s Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility.
