It differs from shows at downtown galleries in two ways: The artists' cut is much larger, so they can afford to lower their prices, and the artists who exhibit all live with a disability.
The 86 artists chosen for the juried show were selected from more than 350 entrants. The show has gathered a following since its debut in 1979 for its mission and for its eclectic mix of items, from lower-priced jewelry up to $3,500 for wall art.
For the Smoyers, returning artists from Elkins Park, it has introduced new patrons to their jewelry made from antique beads and buttons, old typewriter keys, out-of-circulation coins, and silver bonded to copper.
"There are real bargains to be had for someone who knows art," says Deborah Krupp, event chair and a docent at the Barnes Foundation. "The prices are really good prices, bargain prices. When you go to a gallery downtown, the artist may be, if they're lucky, getting 50 percent of the selling price. In our show, the artist gets 80 percent. For the patron, not only are they getting good work at a good price, but they can also feel good about patronizing the artists."
"When you see a person with an obvious physical disability, I think the public tends to look at that person as less than - less than you and me who are currently able-bodied," Krupp says. "That's important to remember - we are all just temporarily able-bodied. These are people who were leading lives like you and I led and then something happened to them - a car accident, a stroke."
Sister Therese McGuire, professor of art at Chestnut Hill College, was a right-handed oil painter until she suffered a stroke in 2009. Now, she paints watercolor landscapes with her nondominant hand.
Krupp knows buyers are reluctant to come to a rehab center to view art, even when it is the same art featured in galleries.
"There's the intimidation factor that it's a hospital and I'll see sick people or people with disabilities," she says. "People might think it's going to be depressing work. No, it isn't at all. It's indistinguishable from the work of other artists. When you go to a gallery, it's much smaller. Here there's so much variety that there's a sense of excitement, and the prices are very good."
Marci Fleet, a Philadelphia artist with two pieces in the show, says she originally resisted exhibiting at a show for people with disabilities although she was born with cerebral palsy: "I think art is art, and whether a person has one arm or two arms doesn't make a difference. Art is art. If it's good, it's good. If it's bad, it's bad."
After several years of exhibiting at All About Art, though, Fleet says she found it to be a place to exhibit her mixed-media pieces: "I like the venue," she says, "and I like the fact that it supports the hospital."
All About Art, open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily through July 1 at Moss Rehab, 60 E. Township Line Rd., Elkins Park. Free admission, valet parking, and docent-led tours for groups. Information: 215-663-6100.
