We are All Connected: Showcasing Diversity Through Art
Video from York Storyman, Randy Flaum, about Contiguous
Local artists are small business owners and the arts create far-reaching economic impact throughout our community. Traditions Bank feels privileged that these artists are our neighbors and friends.
When we built Traditions Center — our Administrative Headquarters — in 2013, we felt it was paramount to highlight and support unique artists who showcase what makes York a truly wonderful and unique place to live, work, and play.
Since opening, we’ve invested in several of Ophelia Chambliss’s pieces, including “Backswing.” (Featured above left.) Chambliss is more than just an artist, she is a community asset and advocate.
About Ophelia Chambliss and her “Contiguous” Exhibition
Ophelia Chambliss is an artist and community activist and an adjunct professor at PSU Harrisburg in the communications department. As an artist, she has successfully exhibited in a number of solo and group shows. In recent years, she’s specialized in murals and images in the public space. It is important to Chambliss to create a partnership with the community members where the mural or public art is created.
In 2017, the Bank supported Contiguous, a body of work by Chambliss featuring portraits of 60 York Countians using continuous line drawings. The project was funded through the York County Community Foundation. In speaking about her motivation for creating these works, Chambliss said:
“I found that things that were being said about minority communities which were harmful, inaccurate, and down right divisive. I wanted to address this issue by visually showcasing our commonalities, our bonds, and our communities, which are working and growing together. As a communicator who is concerned with media discourse, I felt a need to counteract that message and to do so locally. Contiguous started out with just a handful of people and grew to a large number of people wanting to be a part of it.”
Chambliss is proud to be a part of the artist population in York. She now has a studio in Marketview Arts which allows more access to her work and upcoming projects. She loves being and working downtown.
“I love that more people are using their art to reach out to the community and that the social consciousness has been raised. I love the variety of individuals within the artist communities and hope that we will build more resources for artists to thrive and make York an arts destination.”