May 2nd - June 29th

Philadelphia, PA… Gold, copper and silver leaf covered abstract panels symbolizing biblical ideas of personal restoration by California artist, Wayne Berger and slightly figurative, contemporary paintings depicting the healing miracles of Christ by Canada’s Barbara Februar will be on exhibit at the nationally publicized White Stone Gallery in Philadelphia.  The exhibit called Restoration opens Friday, May 2nd with a reception from 7 – 9 PM.

California’s Wayne Berger masterfully created these gallery depth panels with the hard to use medium using his 25 years of experience of working with woods and metals.  Berger uses several types of gold, copper and silver leaf and alters them with chemicals and acid to create different patinas.  With Berger’s work, the design is simple.  North of Center is described as one silver leafed, organically edged line in green patina flowing across a mixture of golds.  The line represents our obedience to God.  Wayne Berger says, “Life happens and at times our good intentions are not enough to keep us on track.”  The inspiration used for this piece is found in Joshua 23:6 "Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left.”  Titles include Wheat Field, Cliff, Thorn, Journey Home and more.

Barbara Februar, who was born in Bamberg, Germany, moved to Canada in 1990 and now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.  The Restoration exhibit at White Stone will include her recently completed Healing series.  It has been difficult to keep this series together because of all of the interest for the paintings before the series was completed.  Februar says, “I rely on God to touch many hearts with [these images] that He enabled me to paint.”  White Stone Gallery has the privilege of being selected as the gallery to debut the hauntingly beautiful completed series.  The series, which is focused on the healing miracles of Christ, include titles such as Lazarus, A Woman Healed, At the Pool of Siloam, The Lame Man’s Friends and more.

The Restoration exhibit ends on June 29.  White Stone is a biblical fine art gallery specializing in today’s leading national and international Christian artists expressing their faith through fine art.  It is located at 4219 Main Street in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. White Stone’s hours are Wed - Sat 11-7, Sun 12-5.  In addition to their hours, private viewings and guided visits are available by appointment.  White Stone also offers short term, long term and rotating leases nationally.  Throughout the year, White Stone will continue to host inspirational solo and group exhibitions by notable artists of faith. 

For more information, visit whitestonegallery.com.  To contact the gallery, call 215.482.7700 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Do you want a Trader Joe's on Main Street?

Sign their petition for "Main Street Manayunk"

A transformation, step by step
Artist revives the Manayunk Canal Towpath with vibrant mosaics.

By Dafney Tales
For The Inquirer

For artist Diane Pieri, it's the most authentic symbol of Manayunk: the stoop. With that in mind, Pieri accepted a commission to create "Manayunk Stoops: Heart and Home," an array of colorful stoops built along the walking path between the Schuylkill and the neighborhood.

  The public art project, a part of the reconstruction of the Manayunk Canal Towpath, once a neglected eyesore, serves both artistic and practical purposes. The nine mosaic stoops, stretching on the block between Cotton and Lock Streets, also serve as seats for the foot-weary.

Over eight years, children from North Light, a multiuse community center, assisted in the project, which was officially dedicated this fall.

In her research, Pieri found the stoops of Manayunk rowhouses to be "a central gathering point," and Irene Madrak, executive director of North Light, said the project captured the community's essence.

When she was a youngster, Madrak recalled, "someone would bring their television out to their stoop, and we would all watch a ball game from there."

The pebbled trail, which Madrak remembers as being the dwelling place mostly of the "homeless and winos," is shaping up to become the "gem of Manayunk."

Its transformation - with the backing of the Manayunk Development Corporation, the Fairmount Park Art Association, and the North Light Community Center - made it an ideal location for the latest artistic venture of Pieri.

A 1969 graduate of the Tyler School of Art, Pieri, whose works have been displayed at the Rosenfeld Gallery in Old City and the Starr Garden Playground in Queen Village, has made a reputation for her symbolic art.

"It's important to have a real connection to the culture," she said.

Of the nine locally inspired stoops along the towpath, the Navajo stoop in bright oranges and reds is reminiscent of the other native people who inhabited the city's site, Pieri said.

Another, the water stoop, with its soft blues and greens, symbolizes the flow of the canal. The turtle stoop, inspired by the children of North Light, depicts the sunbathing creatures that often appeared along the riverbank during the design process, and the textile mill stoop commemorates the city's industry.

Store owner Linda Westphall and her dog, Pip, frequent the walkway, and she said the stoops are just the "first step toward the restoration of the towpath."

"It's a great place to sit," she said. "Diane made this place much happier."

The New Landmarks Program, an initiative aimed at crafting new forms of public art, paired artists from around the country with communities in Philadelphia and the surrounding area.

Pieri's work, said Susan Myers, project manager for the Fairmount Park Art Association, coincided with the expectations.

"She was selected because of her community-based art," Myers said.

The project cost $211,000 and consisted of years of planning, weeks of research, months of painting, and frequent trips to Italy to meet with fabricators. The glass tile surfaces, imported from Italy, were adaptations of Pieri's gouache paintings.

Kay Sykora, director of marketing for the Manayunk Development Corporation, called the finished product "beautiful."

The corporation, she said, is more than satisfied.

"Art," she said, "is a wonderful kind of bridge between people."