More than a dozen artists will celebrate their love of the “Star Wars” series of films with an art show at Sharpsburg’s Ketchup City Creative.
The show will run from May 1-4.
“May the 4th is like our sacred holiday,” said Nanci Goldberg, owner of Ketchup City Creative. “The date is so revered because of its phonetic similarity to the famous ‘Star Wars’ line, “May the Force be with you.”
Graphic designer and computer-based artist Shane Henderson, who grew up in New Kensington and currently resides in Lower Burrell, organized the gallery show. He has created the series Buildings by Shane, crafting designs of existing buildings in the Art Deco style. Along with his father, Don Henderson, he also runs Henderson Graphic Design. Both Hendersons will show work in the “May the 4th” exhibit.
While he partners with his father for creative endeavors, Henderson credits his mother with nurturing his lifelong “Star Wars” fandom.
“When I was a kid, I just wandered in one time when she was watching ‘Return of the Jedi’ and I was like, this is so cool,” Henderson said.
The now 38-year-old artist became obsessed. When the prequel trilogy of films came out back in the late 1990s and 2000s, he would go to see them with his mother in the theater. Then, when he was an adult, the mother-son duo was able to see the sequel series of movies together, along with Henderson’s wife.
“Kind of the reverse of her taking me to see them when I was a kid,” he said.
Goldberg — who was an art teacher in the Fox Chapel Area School District for three decades — is also a lifelong fan and appreciates the intergenerational nature of “Star Wars” lovers. “We went to the ‘Star Wars’ symphony at Heinz Hall and there were little kids there, all decked out,” she said. “There’s a whole new range of kids, so it’s pretty exciting.”
The show will encompass several media, Henderson said. From photography and pencil drawings to paintings and computer-made designs, there’s plenty for viewers to enjoy. Most of the participating artists are local, but enthusiasm for this project has reached beyond even the borders of Pennsylvania.
“We were able to put together a nice little collection with lots of different styles and skill levels,” Henderson said.
Ketchup City Creative was started by Goldberg seven years ago as an art and community space to nurture the art scene in river towns, including Sharpsburg. She and Henderson have been acquainted for several years, and last year he proposed the idea of hosting a “Star Wars”-inspired show when May 4 fell on a weekend.
“When Shane approached me … of course, I was all in,” Goldberg said.
She is also an artist who will contribute work to the show.