Not sure that a design studio in Lancaster, Pennsylvania can deliver the goods? Hopefully this changes your mind.

Opening on the First Friday in June at the Infantree Gallery will be the thematic exhibition “To Build a Better Mousetrap”. The term “ To Build a Better Mousetrap” is a cliché often used when addressing innovation or a money making scheme, but this show proposes that there are larger social implications, cultural critique and introspective aspects at work in this saying. Using a variety of mediums, the concept will be explored by ten regional artists, many of whom tend to show nationally and internationally and whose work is not that familiar in Lancaster.

In “Teslan Dream”, Jeffrey Moser has constructed a fictional response to the concept of a mousetrap that suggests the image presented is a photograph of the dreams of Nikola Tesla the pioneer of commercial electricity. The artist states that “it is a commentary about the progress of science, the mysterious inception of original ideas, and the struggle against established methods”.

In Francine Fox’s oil painting, Honey: Tar, she creates a layered space in which a labyrinth with a reptilian appendage drags a highly rendered likeness of a mouse into a sensual but almost animalistic detached mouth emerging from a field of gray. This surreal scenario becomes oddly introspective due in part to its intimate size of 8”x8”. Brant Schuller organized the exhibition and stated “in part his intent was to challenge area artist whose work he admired to reconsider their regular studio practice by having them respond to an unfamiliar theme”. He noted, “Artists’ often work independently and can create their own personal traps when pursuing their work” and he wanted them to break out of them.

For further information contact Infantree at hello[at]theinfantree.com or Brant Schuller at 717-715-7329.

20 Pianos have taken up a new residence all over the streets of downtown Lancaster…and one of them has our name on it. Music For Everyone, (a Lancaster-based non-profit that raises money for music programs for schools and community groups) has partnered with the Society of Design, the Mayor’s Office of Special Events, and the City of Lancaster to pull off this unique installation. Each of the custom designed pianos were sponsored by a local businesses or organization, and the money that was raised will be given back to continue the mission of Music For Everyone.

The Infantree was honored to be able to work with a friend of ours, Deborah Chillas. Deb, (who’s husband Gary, passed away last year after a battle with cancer) heard about the Keys for the City project and saw an opportunity to give back in memory of her husband. Gary loved piano and lived in Lancaster all of his life…it seemed to be a perfect fit. Deb contacted us to see if we would be interested in designing the piano and we were honored and thrilled to be part of it.

Thanks to everyone involved with the Keys for The City project. It has been an amazing experience and we are excited to see the city come to life with the sights and sounds of 20 custom pianos.

Send inquiries to hello@theinfantree.com

Recollections Artist Statement:
Knowing that everyone has shared life experiences, we are drawing on our own personal memories to create objects that honor times gone by and moments possibly soon forgotten. Through found objects scavenged from anonymous spaces and the use of printmaking techniques to make multiples, we are trying to insure that ideas and items that may have reached the end of their functional life continue to be glorified beyond their intended purpose. Our collective paraphernalia all speaks to memory and experience having an inherent power and influence over everything to come.

Drawing on his own adventures, Brad’s work wonders what exactly it is people are looking for when they leave home to travel. Souvenirs serve as evidence of captured experience, while books give us another form of escape. Using slogans from brochures and billboards, including postcards and recreational imagery, Brad explores the ephemera that attempt to help you feel at home even if you are very far away.

Adrienne deals with similar themes of home in her work. She asks if photographs curb loss or homesickness or do they serve as memorials for the moments they have kept? Are photographs able to capture a history that actually does not change, but show the inherent similarities of our lives? Whimsical drawings invent personality for nameless portraits, as hazy colors evoke a feeling of half-remembrance, reminding us that sometimes things most important lie just behind a veil unseen.

More of Brad’s work can be seen here, more of Adrienne’s work can be seen here.

We hope to see all of you out on First Friday April 2nd, from 5-10pm at The Infantree (21 N. Prince Street, Lancaster, PA). This work is beautiful and won’t last long. Interest has already been shown.

Thanks to everyone who came out for our ‘Help Haiti Heal Poster and Print Show’ on First Friday March 5. There was a great turnout and we were able to raise several hundred dollars for Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief. Seventeen different artists and designers got involved to support the cause. Posters are now available online.

Posters are now available for sale online. Click here to view the posters. Contact us at hello@theinfantree.com is you are interested in purchasing prints. Prints will be available until the end of April.

A special thanks to Matthew Lester for providing his wonderful photographs for the opening. They will also be available online soon.

On another side note: Ryan was interviewed by local tv Cable 11, and it was enjoyable to watch.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

This original painting is available for $250. – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing the painting. We will be producing prints in the future. Please check back to see print availability. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

Prints are available for $25 – Please contact The Infantree at hello@theinfantree.com if you are interested in purchasing a print. All proceeds will be donated to Build-A-Bridge’s Haiti Arts Relief Fund.

We’re completely thrilled and humbled to announce that REBRAND 100 has selected Square One Coffee as one of the year’s top 100 global rebrands. REBRAND is the first, and only expert-led, global resource focused on brand transformations. Their leading program, the REBRAND 100 Global Awards, gives brands the opportunity to showcase their effective transformations.

Congratulations to Josh and Jess Steffy and to the dedicated team at Square One. The hits just keep on coming for you guys.

Check out the Square One entry on the Rebrand website.

The show will also feature 20×30-inch, large-format black and white portraits taken by Lancaster photographer Matthew Lester on trips to rural Haiti. Lester has made six trips to Haiti over the last 10 years. For Lester, the portraits are an opportunity to show a perspective he is not seeing in mainstream media coverage of the earthquake’s aftermath.

Check back to our site for the opportunity to purchase posters online.

(images © Matthew Lester Photography)

(images © Matthew Lester Photography)