On November 3, over 200 old and new friends of Camphill Special School gathered at The Rosenfeld Gallery in Philadelphia for a gallery featuring the art created en plein air at Beaver Farm this summer. Ninety-one pieces of varying media, size, and artistic vision were viewed and appreciated by the attendees and almost half were purchased!
Don’t worry, though, you have not missed your chance to own a work of art inspired by Beaver Farm, home of our Transition Program! The remaining pieces will be in a gallery on our website and available for sale through the Development Office. A select few also will be on display and for sale at the Christmas Café on December 19 (click here for more information). Also for sale online and at the Café will be note cards featuring select pieces and 2010 calendars.
If you have any questions please contact us at 610.469.9236 or send an email.
Check out the 2009 online gallery!
 
Barbara Rosenfeld and Nancy Bea Miller Director of Development Guy Alma with artists Joe Sweeney
and Alexandra Tyng next to Mr. Sweeney's Farmer Guy at work
Plein Air at Beaver Farm videos:
Reception on November 3 by Ron Stanford
Reception on November 3 shot by Joe Sweeney
Plein Air at Beaver Farm featured articles:
November 2009 issue of American Artist
November 2009 issue of Main Line Today
Winter 2010 issue of LILIPOH
 The first annual Plein Air at Beaver Farm, an all-day marathon of outdoor landscape painting to benefit Camphill Special School’s Transition Program was held on August 8, 2009. Artist and mother-of-three Nancy Bea Miller (pictured on left, painting en plein air) organized the day and rallied over thirty fine artists from the Main Line and Philadelphia to participate in the benefit. An exhibit and sale of work produced that day will be held on November 3 at The Rosenfeld Gallery, in Old City, Philadelphia.
 Miller, who exhibits her paintings at galleries in New York, Philadelphia, Portland, Maine and other cities, felt fortunate when three years ago her son Henry (pictured at right in front of a painting of his brother, Hugh), now age fifteen and diagnosed with autism and mental retardation, came to live at Camphill Special School, just forty-five minutes from her home.
"Kids come from all over the country and beyond to attend Camphill Special School,” said Miller. "A young woman in Henry’s class is from Kodiak Island, Alaska and one student’s family moved from Spain so their son could attend Camphill. It's an amazing school with an international reputation, yet strangely it remains relatively unknown locally. It’s a gem hidden in Chester County, PA.”
When Miller, who teaches painting and drawing at the Main Line Art Center and the Wayne Art Center, learned that the school is expanding its Transition Program for eighteen- to twenty-one year olds with intellectual and developmental delays, she wanted to help.
“Teenagers with special needs are an underserved population,” Miller stated. Camphill is one of the few schools that addresses the lack of services and programs for this population and I honor them for that.”
Plein Air at Beaver Farm combined Miller’s love of painting with appreciation for the beautiful fifty-five acre organic farm where the school’s Transition Program is located. "I visited Beaver Farm and was knocked out by its intense, other-worldly beauty and sense of deep peace,” she said. “As a painter with lots of artist friends it seemed natural to organize a plein air (outdoor) painting day at the farm to both raise money and make new friends for the school."
Over thirty of the greater Philadelphia area's best professional artists gathered to paint at Beaver Farm. "I've been absolutely astonished by the response from the artistic community,” said Miller. “I knew my artist friends were generous, caring people, but I had no idea how many of them would be interested in this. I am amazed and grateful.
"I hope people will come out to the show and support the artists and Camphill Special School’s Transition Program in November,” said Miller. “Beaver Farm is simply stunning and people will be able to view these wonderful artist’s diverse interpretations of that beauty, and support an equally beautiful cause at the same time."
Works produced by area professional artists at Beaver
Farm will be on sale at The Rosenfeld Gallery on Nov. 3,
benefiting the School's Transition Program.
Camphill Special School thanks the artists of Plein Air at Beaver Farm! Follow the links below to see the works of these generous professionals.
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Camphill Special School, 1784 Fairview Road, Glenmoore, PA 19343
