The Yocum Institute for Arts Education will present The Landscapes of Berks County, a group exhibition featuring the work of four award-winning local artists: Jonathan Bond, Robert Seabourne, Russell Slocum, and Karen Weber. The exhibition will be on display from October 16 through November 21, 2026, with an opening reception this Friday, October 16, from 5:00-7:00PM. The reception is free and open to the public.
The Landscapes of Berks County invites visitors to experience the region through the distinctive styles and perspectives of four artists who have found inspiration in the places, history, and natural beauty of Berks County. The exhibition features nearly 100 original paintings, including dozens being exhibited publicly for the first time.
Jonathan Bond, a Kempton-based artist who has been pursuing his art career for more than 50 years, draws inspiration from the Pennsylvania Dutch farmsteads, fields, stone walls, and rolling hills surrounding his studio near the Kittatinny Ridge. His work often places nature at the center, using a muted palette to create a dreamlike quality. The exhibition includes Bond’s work in egg tempura, oil, and watercolor.
Robert Seabourne, a Shillington native, combines his love of painting with his appreciation for the history of Berks County. His paintings often tell a story, whether inspired by his own experiences or the history of the place depicted. For this exhibition, Seabourne traveled the backroads of Berks County in search of scenes that captured the area’s character, translating them into paintings using bold, vivid colors and expressive brushwork.
Russell Slocum, of Wyomissing, focuses primarily on landscape painting, with much of his work inspired by Southeastern Pennsylvania and the coast of Maine. Many of his paintings begin outdoors, painted en plein air, while others develop from his own photographs and sketches. A longtime advocate for the local arts community, Slocum has co-directed West Reading’s Art Plus Gallery since 2015 and co-founded Plein Air West Reading. For this exhibition, he has included ten paintings being shown publicly for the first time, along with works depicting locations throughout Berks County, from Hamburg to Hopewell Furnace, and the Oley Valley to Robesonia.
Karen Weber, of St. Lawrence, brings together her love of Berks County landscapes with her signature whimsical and nostalgic imagery. Known for her animal paintings and imaginative scenes, Weber incorporates local farms, barns, historic places, roads, and changing light into a new body of work that connects real places with imagined worlds. Some of the landscapes featured within her whimsical paintings can also be found elsewhere in the exhibition, creating unexpected connections for visitors to discover as they move through the gallery.
“This exhibition is a wonderful celebration of the place we call home and the many ways artists can interpret the same landscape,” said Nadia Pochan, Visual Arts Director at Yocum Institute. “Each of these artists brings such a distinct voice and perspective to their work, and together they give us an opportunity to look at Berks County with fresh eyes. I think visitors will recognize places they know while also discovering something new in the familiar.”
Together, the artists offer a multifaceted portrait of Berks County; one that celebrates both the familiar and the unexpected. Visitors will encounter recognizable landmarks, rolling countryside, historic settings, quiet natural spaces, and imaginative interpretations that encourage a closer look at the community and landscapes that surround us.
The opening reception on October 16 from 5:00-7:00PM will provide an opportunity to meet the artists, view the exhibition, and celebrate the creative work of the local arts community. The exhibition will be on view through November 21in the Yocum Institute’s Holleran Gallery.
For more information about The Landscapes of Berks County, please visit www.yocuminstitute.org/hollerangallery, call 610-376-1576, or stop by Yocum Institute for Arts Education, located at 3000 Penn Avenue, West Lawn.