2025 Recap | Thank You
A lookback at our second year as a business.
Happy New Year!
I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for being part of our community here at Longview Farm. Whether you attended one event in the past 1.5 years or every event, whether you were one of our artists, visitors, or sponsors, you play a role in shaping our story. We are so grateful for that.
From gallery exhibitions to first-time workshops, let’s take a look back at highlights from 2025!
January | Hannah Zartman’s Solo Exhibition
In January and February, we hosted our first exhibition of 2025 titled “Toward a Tender Place.” The artist, Hannah Zartman, is a West Chester University alumnus who specializes in relief printing processes and was our youngest exhibiting artist to date!
February | Artist Talk & WCU Collab
We organized an Artist Talk for the closing day of Hannah Zartman’s exhibition. We partnered with Dr. Lisa Huebner, professor at West Chester University and Director of The Women’s & Gender Studies Collection. A recording of Hannah’s artist talk is available to watch here.
March | Raven George’s Solo Exhibition
On the 1st Saturday in March, we celebrated the opening of “Wildflower Joy,” a solo exhibition by Trenton-based artist Raven George. Inspired by the landscapes of her childhood, the intricacy of human experiences, and spirituality, George’s art reflects on shared vulnerability.
April | Artist Talk on Earth Day
On April 26th, we celebrated two things: Raven George’s artist talk and Earth Day. Raven George gave a beautiful talk, and the audience embraced her with gentleness. A recording of Raven’s artist talk is available here.
We then commenced our 1st Annual Earth Day Celebration with sessions of yoga and qigong, followed by communal music-making, and concluding with a stroll around the property.
May | Shayna Parker’s Solo Exhibition
May brought our 3rd exhibition of the year: “Pushing Up Daisies” by Shayna Parker. Shayna’s paintings are chromatic and whimsy, combining abstract elements with realism. She utilizes color blocking and layering to create depth through dynamic composition.
June | Second Artist Talk
In June, we continued our artist talk series with Shayna Parker. During these talks, artists were given free range to discuss whatever they desired without being guided by a facilitator. A recording of Shayna’s artist talk is available here.
Nocino Crafting Workshop
Then, at the end of June, we started our Nocino Crafting workshop—the first for Longview Farm! We harvested walnuts around the property and put them in jars to marinate with grain alcohol, cloves, cinnamon, coffee beans, lemon peel, and all spice.
July | Intergenerational Exhibition
This was the first time we had three generations of artists in the same exhibition. Not just any artists, but women of the same family—Kiya Nicole, Miho Kahn & Eiko Kahn. Encapsulating a hundred cumulative years of work, this was the first time their work had been shown together in a gallery. “Kami” was a very special show that we were honored to display.
Plein-Air Painting Workshop
Also in July, artist Alexis Bocelli led an outdoor painting workshop on the farm! The result was an acrylic landscape painting, capturing the cool blues of a hazy summer evening. Thank you to Aaron D. Brown for getting plenty of amazing footage of the artist in action.
September | Triple Vision
In September, we welcomed our 2nd group exhibition: “Triple Vision” by abstract artists Barbara Shelly, Denise Sedor & Laurie Lamont Murray. This was a special show celebrating friends and colleagues—the artists have known each other for over a decade.
Celebration Fest
The 2nd Annual Celebration Fest was in September, welcoming friends and family to the farm for an afternoon of live music, potluck, and an Oak-planting ceremony dedicated to Ilya Lehrman’s late grandmother.
October | Final Artist Talk
October brought our 2025 artist talk series to a close, concluding with the artists of “Triple Vision.” Shelly, Sedor, and Murray discussed their respective backgrounds as artists and humans, guided primarily by the audience’s questions.
November | 2nd Annual Holiday Exhibit
In November, our 2nd Annual Holiday Exhibit opened. We partnered with 3 arts organizations—Chester County Art Association, Aston Mills Arts, and Haverford Guild of Craftsmen—to display select works of 30 artists. This number also included exhibiting artists of Longview Gallery. It was a successful show!
Black Friday Market
We planned a small art market on Black Friday to encourage our community to shop locally this season and support small businesses and artists. Four vendors set up booths inside the gallery. Visitors could shop from vendors and/or the Holiday Exhibit.
Mayan Fire Ceremony
Our friend and colleague, Patrick Seyler, planned a Mayan Fire Ceremony in November to initiate the Mayan calendar year. Shaman Harold E. Smith led a sacred sound initiation with various instruments and Mayan spiritual guide Genaro Jacinto led the transformative fire ritual.
December | Winter Gathering
To honor the Winter Solstice and close out the year, we hosted a small potluck gathering on December 19th, led by Patrick Seyler, to express gratitude for 2025 and set intentions for 2026. The candle formation represents the sun in the middle and the 12 months around it.
If you stayed until now, thanks for reading about our year!
Our team has many ideas for Longview Farm’s future, and we look forward to making those visions reality. At the very least, we hope our property is a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space to all.
This is really beautiful to see all together like this. Thank you for making this year so special, Leah, Longview team and all of our visitors! - Love, Jessi (Owner of Longview Farm)