Gallery • 4 Photos

Picture by Sheehwa You

Chie Hitotsuyama’s work at the Cedar. Made out of newspaper and glue

   The MOAH, located on Lancaster Boulevard, stands for the Museum of Art and History. It has been there for the past 30 years, and it was originally known as LMAG for the Lancaster Museum and Art Gallery but renamed in 2005 to the MOAH.  The MOAH was created for public outreach and the general exposure to different arts and history to expand the  artistic culture of our community.  

   One of the main objectives of the MOAH is to advocate public outreach and cultural expansion. This is achieved through the various exhibitions and interactive activities they host throughout the year. Many world-renowned and local artists are featured here.

   Exhibitions are implemented and replaced regularly. Currently, the exhibition, Made in America is being featured from August 13th to October 30th. Made in America features artwork that expresses what it means to the artist to live in contemporary American society. Afterwards, the exhibition, British Invasion, will be presented from November 19th to January 22.

   The Cedar, the MOAH’s extension across the street, also hosts its own exhibits. On display from October 2nd to January 7th is Chie Hitotsuyama’s To Hear Your Footsteps. Hitotsuyama’s beautifully crafted sculptures of animals, made out of newspaper and glue, are shown with the underlying message of awareness about human destruction of our environment, of the climate, and of animals’ habitat.

   Other forms of interactivity include the Young Artist Workshops and the Andrew Frieder Creative Space. The Young Artist Workshops invite anyone ages 17 and under to create artworks that correlate to the featured exhibitions. These are held on the 4th Thursday of every month.

   “One of the more popular events is the Young Artist’s Workshop, where we host workshops every month for any range of children from little kids all the way through high school,” says Lauren Lien, the recreational leader at the MOAH. “We essentially provide all of the materials and come up with a craft concept. You can create your own artwork here to get a first hand experience with the art, and take it home afterwards”.

   The Andrew Frieder Creative Space is also available for public recreational use at the MOAH Cedar. Lauren Lien explains, “One of the key features that we have at the MOAH Cedar is the Andrew Frieder Creative Space. It is open to the public for free while the MOAH Cedar is open from 2-8 PM, Thursday through Sunday. Andrew Frieder was a local artist, and he passed away in 2014, but he had amassed an entire collection of art supplies… When he passed away, he was really good friends with the museum, so he donated his entire collection of supplies to us. So we took that and integrated it as a public space so that the public can come in and use those supplies and create their own artwork for free.”

   The MOAH is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11AM to 6PM, and until 8PM on Thursdays. Community members highly encourage visitors to support the under appreciated museum. Assistant Jamila Clark at the MOAH Cedar could not help but express her disappointment of the lack of visitors. Please support their cause and help to spread the appreciation. Once you go, you will be sure to ask for MOAH.