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Cindy Roesinger, Little Shed on the Canal Point Pleasant, oil, View Website

A&C LAUNCHES 1st ANNUAL PRIDE LITERARY ARTS SALON

June 4, 2026, 7:00 PM @ Freeman Hall

In celebration of Pride Month, the Arts & Cultural Council of Bucks County (A&C) proudly announces its first annual Pride Literary Arts Salon, an evening dedicated to storytelling, community, and the power of contemporary voices. The event will take place on Thursday, June 4, 2026 at 7:00 PM at Freeman Hall in Doylestown and is open to the public.



Guests are invited to hear four remarkable Bucks County writers share their work in an authentic, living-room-style salon setting, followed by a relaxed, engaging discussion, book sales and light refreshments. This inaugural Pride Salon highlights the richness of LGBTQ+ perspectives within the region’s literary landscape.

Featuring:

Chad Frame, award-winning poet, editor, and founder of the Caesura Poetry Festival, whose work appears in major literary journals and even the Library of Congress and the Lunar Codex Project.

Sean Hanrahan, a Philadelphia-based gay poet and author of multiple collections who also teaches and curates poetry events and reading series.

Bill Hemmig, short fiction writer published in literary journals and anthologies, with award-nominated work and multiple books including Americana: Stories and Brethren Hollow.

Nicole Steinberg, author, editor, and former Bucks County Poet Laureate whose widely published work spans poetry, essays, and anthologies, including Glass Actress and Getting Lucky.

Kirby Fredendall, Trees Writing Poems, acrylic, View Gallery

Literary arts salons are rooted in centuries-old traditions of gathering to exchange ideas, salons bring writers and audiences together in an intimate setting where literature sparks conversation. The A&C’s monthly salons, held the first Thursday of each month, feature contemporary writers sharing original work, inviting audiences into the creative process while fostering dialogue that is thoughtful, accessible, and often unexpected.

Many thanks to our amazing volunteers

Thanks for your unwavering support for the A&C Spring Exhibition 2026. We appreciate the members and board members who volunteered to serve on the exhibition committee, hang the show, gallery sit, and teardown. We appreciate the many friends and collectors who came to the show to support the work of our artists. A special thank you to Chuck Mintzer, our expert in EntryThingy. His help was invaluable. 

Congratulations to our People’s Choice Award Winner 

Gun-Marie Nalsen’s work Sardines in Tomato Sauce received the highest number of votes from our visitors during the three weekends the exhibition was open. This year, the award was sponsored by Penn Community Bank. We are grateful to our bank for supporting this award!

Gun-Marie Nalsen Sardines in Tomatoe Sauce received the People's Choice Award.

UPCOMING EXHIBITION AT HICKS ART CENTER GALLERY

June 5 to July 25. Opening Reception June 5, 4-8 pm.

Visions of America is an invitational, group exhibition of artifacts, artworks and objects capturing select evolutionary moments of the country’s 250-year history from human and animal perspectives.



Participating artists and cultural organizations include:

Edward Bennett, Mikel Elam, Charis Hasney, Vincent Hawley, Mercer Museum, Michener Art Museum, Josh Myers, Newtown Historic Association, Duwenavue Santé Johnson and Paul Swenbeck.

The exhibition presents multiple perspectives addressing specific topics in the history and evolution within America; patriotism, war, animal conservation, queer trans identity, 1960’s politics, creativity within Quaker faith and the trauma of slavery.

Paul Swenbeck, for Martha, Digital image courtesy of Fleisher/Ollman

Curated by Clifford Eberly, Senior Manager of Galleries and Exhibitions at the BCCC Hicks Art Center Gallery, the diverse participants were asked to self-select or invite artists to propose artworks or objects that they viewed as important guiding reflections on America’s past, present and future. The multimedia result demonstrates the possibilities of democracy juxtaposed with critical realizations reminding us that for civilization to holistically advance globally, humility to each other and to the natural world must prevail and begin locally.

Eberly explains, “I invited a broad sampling of artists and culture workers to present the most dynamic grouping of viewpoints that grapple with our America’s history and where we are going as a nation. Within the exhibition framework, my goal is for gallery visitors to feel like they learn something new that sparks a shared dialogue with themselves and with others.”

Visions of America is on view at Hicks Art Center Gallery on the Newtown Campus of Bucks County Community College.

SOMETHING IN THE ARTS FOR EVERYONE!

Art, Music, Literature, and Discussion

Skytop Lodge Plein Air Days  Painters of all skill levels are invited to paint on the grounds of the historic Skytop Lodge. 2026 Days: May 31, June 28, July 26, August 30, September 27, October 5. One Skytop Lodge Road, Skytop, PA.

First Thursday: Pride Literary Arts Salon I Four distinguished local writers whose work spans memoir, fiction, poetry, and cultural commentary, followed by a Q&A and light refreshments. June 4 @ 7pm Freeman Hall, 181 East Court Street, Doylestown, PA.

Visions of America I Group exhibition of artifacts, artworks and objects capturing select evolutionary moments of the country’s 250-year history from human and animal perspectives. Hicks Art Center Gallery on the Newtown Campus of Bucks County Community College I June 5 to July 25. Opening reception June 5, 4-8 pm.

Jenny Boccardo, Morning Walk, wool needle-felt, View Website