York Art Association - 120 Years & The Future
- Roth Preap
- Sep 25
- 5 min read
At the heart of York Art Association lies a simple, enduring mission: to encourage and develop an interest in the visual arts, to provide opportunities for education, and to create a place where community and creativity connect.
For more than a century, this mission has lived through the hands of artists, the laughter of children in classrooms, and the quiet awe of visitors standing before a piece of art that speaks directly to their soul. None of this would be possible without the generosity of people who believed in the power of art to transform lives.
Why Your Gift Matters
When you give to York Art Association, you aren’t just supporting programs or keeping lights on in a gallery. You are helping to sustain a living, breathing community of artists and art-lovers. Your gift helps a child pick up a paintbrush for the first time, ensures that local artists have a place to showcase their work, and preserves the role of art as a unifying force in York.
Giving is more than a transaction.
It is a way of saying: Art matters. Community matters. Creativity matters.
Roots of a Vision: How It All Began
In 1904, when Reinhart Dempwolf returned from Europe, his mind alive with inspiration from Parisian art and culture, he brought back more than architectural training. He carried with him a vision that York, too, could be a home for creativity and community.
Alongside fellow artist A.A. Bosshart, who was studying at the Maryland Institute, Dempwolf began gathering with other kindred spirits. They first met in Bosshart’s studio at 8 West Market Street, later moving into Dempwolf’s own space on the fourth floor of the Cassatt Building in Continental Square.
These early pioneers: Dempwolf, Bosshart, Edward Gentzler, J. Horace Rudy, Hay Gilbert, Heinrich and Fritz Pfeiffer, and Wayne Crumling, were dreamers who believed that art could shape a community. They called themselves the York Arts Club and they spent evenings offering critiques, encouraging growth, and nurturing a spirit of creativity that would one day blossom into public exhibitions. By 1931, their members’ exhibitions had become an annual tradition and an enduring legacy that still lives on today.
These artists planted the seeds of what York Art Association would become. More than 100 years later, it is our turn to tend the garden they began.
Building a Permanent Home: Pride and Perseverance
By 1947, when the Cassatt Building was no longer available for meetings, the York Art Club began a series of moves that would last for more than two decades. Through every transition, the spirit of the organization endured and continued to grow.
That resilience paid off in 1970 when, through the generosity of Guy V. and Mary H. Glatfelter, the members of York Art Association, and the wider community, the group finally established itself in a permanent home at 220 South Marshall Street.
What had started as a small circle of artists had blossomed into an association of several hundred. By the 1960s, under the leadership of a new board president, YAA found itself at a pivotal moment of opportunity.
In 1967, on the verge of raising the $45,000 needed to build the Marshall Street location, Board President E. Kurt Rottler captured the spirit of the times in a letter:
“The Association has been like the carousel of childhood memory, and its members eager riders with distant dreams. At each turn a brass ring of achievement was offered at the end of each pole, easily within reach for those willing to stretch. We established a community interest in art, we helped the local artist in the mastery of the medium, we became an incorporated organization, and many of our artists have received recognition beyond the immediate community. Today York art and artists are sought after.
But we did not collect all of the rings and some were dropped in frustration. We were plagued with moving from place to place starting again in new quarters. The golden ring remained an elusive but very well dream…a place that we could call our own and the feeling that we were secure in the community as our talents were appreciated by the community.”
These words, written in 1967, still resonate today. Just as our community came together then to create a home for the arts, we are once again called to come together now.
Hope and Legacy: Building Tomorrow Together
Today, York Art Association has grown into a thriving community hub with a dedicated board of directors, volunteers, and staff who are guiding us into our next chapter. In 2022, the board took a historic step by hiring YAA’s first Executive Director, a milestone that reflects both growth and vision for the future.
Our history is filled with moments of generosity that forever shaped who we are. The Susan Hantz Wolf Sculpture Garden, created through her thoughtful gift and the generosity of her family, continues to inspire and will be reestablished at the Little Green Church as a space where art and community meet. Likewise, thanks to the enduring generosity of E. Kurt Rottler, YAA celebrates and uplifts artists each year. In just the past year alone, more than $10,000 in awards were given to honor artistic excellence.
Our galleries honor two remarkable women, Sally Little Danyo and Nancy Woodward, whose dedication, passion, and tireless efforts helped shape our Marshall Street home. Their legacy continues to inspire and create opportunities for countless generations of artists to learn, grow, and showcase their work at YAA. Now is our moment to grow once again, to build on these legacies, and to ensure that future generations will have the same opportunities to create, to learn, and to be inspired.
A Historic Move: The Little Green Church
Due to the I-83 expansion project, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is requiring York Art Association to leave our Marshall Street location. We must move before June 30, 2026, and we need your help to make this transition possible.
We have already raised 1.2 million...so can we count on you to join us in this historic moment?
Our vision is to transform the historic Little Green Church into a vibrant hub for art education and community engagement by:
Establishing two studio classrooms to expand adult and children’s programs
Creating multiple gallery spaces to showcase the work of professional and nonprofessional artists
Relocating the Susan Hantz Wolf Sculpture Garden
Preserving the unique architecture and historic character of the church
The Future Is in Your Hands
Every donation, large or small, becomes part of York Art Association’s living history. Together, we can ensure that our galleries continue to inspire, our classrooms continue to nurture creativity, and our community continues to find connection through the arts.
When you give, you don’t just support the present...you shape the future. You add your name to a story that began in 1905 and continues to transform lives today.
Give today and let your generosity live on in every brushstroke, every exhibition, and every artist, young and old, discovering their voice.
View the full campaign website here: https://www.yorkartassociation.org/littlegreenchurch
Written by Roth J. Preap. Executive Director
Information and pictures used are from YAA's archives
Photo of sculpture garden was used from QuantifiedPhotos at https://www.quantifiedphotos.com/