Along a tranquil and especially picturesque stretch of River Road, just north of the Golden Pheasant Inn, in Erwinna, PA, there sits a nearly 200-year-old grist mill that houses the Stover Mill Gallery. Earlier this spring, it opened for its 62nd year, making it Bucks County’s longest continuously running art gallery.
Throughout the whole of its history, Stover Mill has featured the work of artists living and working in (and around) the Delaware River Towns. On view through May 29 is an exhibit titled “Silent Music II,” which showcases oil and watercolor paintings by Paul McGinn of Kintnersville, PA, and Simon Mauer of Holland, PA.
Exhibits at the gallery rotate monthly, with the season culminating in October with an annual juried exhibition. It’s Stover Mill’s largest show of its season. This year’s edition is expected to feature the work of more than 50 artists from across the region.
The gallery is owned and operated by the Tinicum Civic Association, a nonprofit that also stages the popular Tinicum Arts Festival, an outdoor fair held nearby at Tinicum Park every July. This year’s edition will be held July 9 and 10.
The Art Barn, the festival’s centerpiece, is expected to display the work of more than 180 regional artists. Scattered throughout the grounds, there will be the art and crafts of another 140 or so artists and artisans. The Book Wagon, always a crowd favorite, will be back, along with other festival staples like handmade sandwiches and desserts, live music, and lots of kids’ activities.
The festival is the Tinicum Civic Association’s largest fundraiser of the year. It uses the proceeds to maintain the mill that houses the Stover Mill Gallery and help support more than 30 other nonprofits that call Tinicum Township home.
Not to diminish the art at the gallery or the festival, but perhaps the biggest lure of both is their proximity to the river. With few distractions around either location, a visit is as much a chance to indulge in the scenery as it is the creativity on display.
That said, the gallery and festival aren’t as isolated as they can seem. (Nothing is these days.) Within just a couple miles, there’s Ringing Rocks, Sand Castle Winery, Lovin’ Oven, and, of course, the Golden Pheasant Inn. Which only makes it all the more enticing to make a day out of it.
The Stover Mill Gallery is open Saturdays and Sundays, 1 PM to 5 PM, through October.
