NEWTOWN, PA — ArtWRKD has announced its fall 2026 season, bringing together three distinctive solo exhibitions alongside traditional arts workshops, live performance, local history and new opportunities for community connection.
The season begins on Friday, September 4, with a double opening reception celebrating two concurrent solo exhibitions: Working and Dreaming by Paul B. Deery and Rooms for Becoming by Kimberly "Berly" Ort. Both exhibitions will be on view September 4 through September 27.
The public is invited to a shared opening reception on Friday, September 4, beginning at 6 p.m. at ArtWRKD, 126 -128 South State Street in Newtown.
Paul B. Deery: Working and Dreaming
"Paul B. Deery's Working and Dreaming" explores the persistent doing and undoing of human experience through writing, drawing and the recurring visual language of knots.
Deery begins many of his works with written reflections on cultural, political, societal and personal concerns — including memories, hopes and the tensions that exist between opposing
points of view. Lines of writing are manipulated into knotted forms, allowing language to become both image and material.
(Work by Paul B. Deery)
Through this process, subjects that may initially appear black and white become layered, blurred and increasingly gray. The knot functions as both structure and metaphor: an image of
what human beings continually construct, complicate, pull apart and attempt to understand.
The show is on view: September 4 to 27 with an opening reception on Friday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m.
Kimberly "Berly" Ort: Rooms for Becoming
In "Rooms for Becoming," Kimberly "Berly" Ort presents emotionally direct work shaped by lived experience, introspection and an unwavering commitment to equality.
Unfiltered by academic tradition, Ort's work exists boldly and unapologetically. Her figures and environments reflect an evolving inner world — spaces in which identity is formed, challenged and reclaimed. The work is not static; it grows as the artist grows, responding to the world with emotional intelligence, honesty and reverence for the value of all living things.
Artwork by Kimberly "Berly" Ort.
The exhibition's rooms become psychological and physical spaces for transformation, inviting viewers to consider the environments in which people discover who they are—and who they may still become.
The show is on view September 4 to 27 with an opening reception on Friday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m.
Renzo Faggioli: Sculpted Form—A Retrospective
The fall exhibition season continues with Sculpted Form, a solo retrospective celebrating the extraordinary career of Italian-born American ceramicist, sculptor, educator and master craftsman Renzo Faggioli.
On view October 2 through 25, the exhibition brings together work from across Faggioli's career, offering a rare opportunity to experience the evolution of an artist who has spent more than five decades moving fluidly between vessel, sculpture, figure, function and form.
Born and raised near Florence in Montelupo, Italy, Faggioli began his formal training at the Scuola Statale Ceramica della Robbia in Florence before pursuing advanced studies at Alfred
University and Carnegie Mellon University. His practice has been shaped by Tuscan ceramic traditions, Renaissance sculpture, architecture, geometry, nature and modernist form.
Faggioli became an important presence in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley arts community through his work at The Baum School of Art, Moravian University and Penn State Lehigh Valley. His openness as an educator and willingness to share his knowledge have influenced generations of ceramic artists.
His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and Europe, including solo exhibitions at the Allentown Art Museum, The Baum School of Art and other regional institutions. He represented the United States in the Eighth Biennale Internationale de Céramique d'Art in Vallauris, France, and received the 2004 Allentown Arts Ovation Award for the Visual Arts.
At 86, Faggioli continues to embody the relationship between discipline, craftsmanship, curiosity and the lifelong act of making. Sculpted Form celebrates both his remarkable body of work and the legacy of an artist who has dedicated his life to making, teaching and expanding the language of clay.
The exhibition also carries a personal connection: ArtWRKD founder Ashara Shapiro and Renzo Faggioli have the distinct pleasure of being family.
The exhibit is on view October 3–25 with an opening reception on Saturday, October 3 at 6 p.m.
Fall Workshops and Events
ArtWRKD's fall programming extends beyond the exhibition gallery into Third Space at 126 South State Street, where workshops, performances and member gatherings invite the public to participate directly in the creative process.
Silverpoint & Pencil Portrait with David Rivera
Beginning September 16, this multi-session workshop introduces one of history's most refined drawing techniques. Participants will combine the precision of silverpoint with the expressive range of graphite while learning the foundations of classical portrait construction.
Silverpoint & Egg Tempera Portrait with David Rivera
Building upon the foundations of silverpoint portraiture, participants will learn to transform a completed drawing into a luminous egg tempera painting using traditional Renaissance
materials and techniques.
Nocturnal Silver Leaf & Oil Landscape with David Rivera
This workshop explores moonlit landscape painting through the combination of silver leaf and transparent oil glazes. Participants will study value, color temperature, atmosphere and historical painting techniques while creating a luminous nocturnal landscape.
"Show and Tell" History Series: The Doan Outlaws
On September 19, ArtWRKD presents "Spirits of the Outlaws: The Doan Gang and Bucks County," an evening of poetry, storytelling and original music inspired by the history of the Doan Outlaws. Created in collaboration with local historians and regional artists and performers, the program brings Bucks County history into the present through contemporary creative interpretation. The event takes place on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 7 to 9:30 p.m.
The Circle at Third Space
Beginning in October, ArtWRKD will also launch The Circle, a membership-based community for leaders, innovators, creatives and change-makers committed to meaningful relationships, personal and professional growth, mentorship and collective impact.
The October–December season will include three interconnected groups:
Members may participate in multiple Circle groups and will also be invited to a shared Sunday supper. The gatherings will take place in ArtWRKD's private upstairs gallery and will include artist workshops, salons, poetry, speakers, mentorship and collaborative initiatives.
About ArtWRKD
ArtWRKD is a contemporary arts organization based in Newtown, Pennsylvania, dedicated to discovering, supporting and sharing original and non-traditional work across disciplines. Through exhibitions, artist residencies, education, performance, immersive experiences and community-centered programming, ArtWRKD creates opportunities for artists and audiences to engage directly with creative practice — and with the people and stories behind it.
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