Pop-up Playhouse: A Collaborative Community Exhibition
Nellie Mae Rowe transformed her home and yard into her Playhouse in which she invited friends and community in to create with her. Her Playhouse was also her studio, colorfully and exceptionally decorated with her art, sculptures, and found objects. Her handmade dolls sat on the many chairs placed in her yard, a constant presence and reminder of her cherished relationship with her inner child that influenced many of her works. Rowe’s Playhouse was her world; filled with her art and by extension, her very self, it was an immersive space that encapsulated Rowe’s blooming artistic practice.
The Mobile ArtLab series in conjunction with Really Free: The Radical Art of Nellie Mae Rowe was inspired by Nellie Mae Rowe’s Playhouse. Collaboration with community organizations, schools, and libraries allowed the Mobile ArtLab to create spaces for art-making and creative dialogue throughout the Lehigh Valley. This culminating installation is both a showcase and tribute; celebrating the art created by and with community as well as Rowe’s legacy that guided this project, always reminding us to play.
Special thanks to the following partners for creating with the Mobile ArtLab:
- Bethlehem Area Public Library Coolidge Branch
- Bethlehem Area Public Library Northside Branch
- Bethlehem Farmers Market & Lehigh Office of Sustainability
- Community Action Development Bethlehem
- Devi Adult Day Services
- Donegan Elementary School
- Haus of Shadez
- Basilio Huertas Senior Center at the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley
- Lehigh After Dark
- YWCA Bethlehem
- United Way of the Lehigh Valley
About the works on view:
Rooted in her playful and creative spirit since childhood, Nellie Mae Rowe often took everyday objects and created them into works of art. Drawing from her practice, participants explored and incorporated second-hand materials and items that are typically discarded in artworks. From paper roll dolls to plastic bottle lanterns, new relationships with items that are often invisible were developed during the creative process.
About the artist:
Rei Ukon ’21 is an interdisciplinary artist currently residing in the Lehigh Valley, PA on unceded Lenape land. Ukon explores memory, emotion, and notions of nostalgia by examining familial archives, historical events, and personal recollections of a childhood spent between New York and Yokohama. They are most interested in themes of home, community, and belonging within the context of global imperialism and capitalism.
As a teaching artist, Ukon facilitates spaces for people to create, explore, and learn about themselves and their surrounding communities through art-making. They have a passion for the role of art in community care, healing, and resilience, and can be found teaching in schools, community centers, libraries, and museums.
About the LUAG Curatorial intern:
Emily Tsao ‘25 from San Francisco, California and is a curatorial intern at LUAG. She is currently a senior majoring in Finance an Art. Some programs/activities she is involved in are Lehigh University Student Scholars Institute, Posse Foundation, and Asian Cultural Society. In her free time she likes to read, draw, and sing.
