The artisans and crafters gathering at the Lebanon Expo Center this week all share an uncommon medium: dried gourds.
“It’s a canvas for you to put any medium on,” said Claudia Hill, chair of the Pennsylvania Gourd Society’s annual Art Show and Festival, which kicked off Thursday and continues through Saturday afternoon. “So whatever type of art you do, gourds make a good canvas for it.”
The all-natural, hard-shelled vessels range from little “egg” gourds — about as big as their namesake — to two-foot-tall kettle-shaped varieties. Some gourds have smooth surfaces; others are covered in bumps. And even within species, the exact shape can vary.
They’re endlessly versatile materials, gourd lovers told PA Local, and each one presents a unique creative challenge.
Hill has seen people paint gourds, weave straw through them, and mold them into masks, musical instruments, and jewelry. For her own gourd work, Hill — a Northeast Pennsylvania artist of many mediums — likes to add beads, carve them, or burn images into them, a practice known as pyrography.
Finding gourds appropriate for crafting isn’t as simple as picking a freshly-grown pumpkin from a patch like you would for a jack-o’-lantern in October. To allow the shell time to develop, they must stay on the vine “well into winter,” explained Jenn Avery, a gourd art instructor from Lancaster County. And after harvest, they have to be dried until all the moisture is gone, the gourd is light, and you can “hear the seeds shaking.” This whole process, from harvest to drying, can take weeks to months.
Unless they grow their own gourds, artists also have to find a supplier. In Pennsylvania, that often means sourcing gourds from three farms in Lancaster County, Hill said.
Gourd art is a niche, but there are more practitioners than you might think.
Nearly two-dozen states have gourd societies. Pennsylvania’s currently has around 120 members, said Hill, a handful of whom make their living from “gourds or gourd-related activities.” The American Gourd Society, which traces its roots back to 1937, has around 3,000 members across North America, said Reagan Bitler, a York County artist and gallery owner who currently serves as its president.
The groups provide a way for gourd lovers to share techniques, connect with suppliers, and link with fellow enthusiasts and professionals.
“We’re very much an open and sharing community,” said Avery, who served as the Pennsylvania chapter’s founding president. “Everybody who’s into gourds loves gourds, and loves sharing things about their gourds. To the point that we might be a little bit annoying … to someone else. When you start talking too much about gourds, you can see the glaze.”
Avery, who specializes in pyrography, got “hooked” on the medium after she found some dried gourds for sale at a local farm about 25 years ago. She’d been looking for a break from two-dimensional art, and fell for gourds’ “organic quality.” She came to love “every aspect of the creation process,” she said.
After a few years of making gourd art, Avery found out about the American Gourd Society. She learned there were over 100 members in the state, but no dedicated Pennsylvania chapter.
“I felt very much isolated, ’cause I didn't know anybody else who did gourd art, and I wanted to connect with other people in Pennsylvania,” she said. “And I thought, ‘OK, I’m gonna put the word out and see if anybody’s interested in forming a chapter.’ Seven people showed up to that first meeting. But then within a year, we had 70.”
Membership has grown since then. It’s now large enough that smaller, regional subgroups — cutely nicknamed “patches” — have also formed over the years, allowing members to meet up with others nearby for workshops, educational talks, or “anything to spread the gourd glow,” Hill said.
Joining gourd societies also helps artists tap into the network of vendors who sell specialized equipment and supplies, said Bitler.
“With using gourds, you just can’t use your regular tools, and things you would have on a regular basis, like in your garage,” Bitler said. “It’s almost like woodworkers. You have specialty tools and specialty materials that you would use for treating the gourds. So, the Gourd Society put that right in my lap.”
Bitler was drawn to the world of gourds nearly 20 years ago, when he spotted a pear-shaped piece at his cousin’s home. Looking for a way to make some extra money and retire early from his teaching career, he decided to try out the medium himself.
Around two years ago, he was able to retire and open his gallery, Creatives on King. Without the American Gourd Society and Pennsylvania Gourd Society, he thinks he would’ve “eventually” ended up at the same point given his general art background, but “it probably would’ve just been a little slower.”
For beginners, Hill recommends stopping by this week’s festival in Lebanon County, which she described as a great on-ramp regardless of experience level. (It’s the largest gourd festival in the Northeast, and where she first picked up her carving tool two decades ago.)
Organizers ask attendees over 12 years of age to make a $3 donation. Raw gourd vendors are in attendance, some booths may have “make-and-take” opportunities, and visitors can view a plethora of gourd art. The slate of four-hour classes costs extra and requires advance registration, but some instructors with open seats may accept walk-ins, Hill said.
Avery added that newcomers should feel free to “just chat with people, because we’re very open, and we love to share.”
“We love to see people get started working with gourds,” she said. “So no matter what your creative background is, or even if you don't have a creative background, but you're just interested, there is a place for you. And we will help you find it.”