2023 – 2026
20*20 House, Lansdowne, PA
Operated for the Lansdowne Economic Development Corporation
Overview
I became involved with the Lansdowne Economic Development Corporation in 2023, when I was recruited to chair its newly reconstituted Arts Committee and join the LEDC board. The Borough had transferred stewardship of its arts programming to the organization, including the 2020 House, a municipally owned gallery that had been largely dormant since the pandemic.
I saw the house as an underused cultural asset. We began by restoring a regular exhibition schedule. As my role with the LEDC expanded, so did the program: the 2020 House evolved into a free, year-round community arts center with rotating exhibitions, artist-led workshops, public programs, performances, and space for people simply to gather.
The program combined internally curated projects, guest-curated exhibitions, partnerships, and juried open calls. Its goals were deliberately multiple: to create meaningful cultural experiences for residents, to provide professional opportunities for working artists, and to demonstrate that the arts were part of Lansdowne’s civic and economic infrastructure.
Throughout my time at the LEDC, I always strove to balance the 20*20 House as a community arts space while also providing real professional development for working artists.
Curatorial + Program Approach
The 20*20 House did not follow a single curatorial model. I developed a mixed program that could support different needs and different levels of artistic experiences, which included:
Curated exhibitions
Projects developed around ideas emerging from the community, local history, contemporary cultural questions, and relationships with artists and partner organizations.
Guest-curated exhibitions
Paid opportunities for outside curators and cultural partners to bring different perspectives and networks into the house.
Juried open calls
Free accessible opportunities for regional artists to submit work, receive curatorial support, and exhibit in a professional context.
Community partnerships
Programs developed with schools, youth organizations, artists, civic groups, and other cultural organizations.
I used community surveys, informal conversations, program feedback, and ongoing relationships with residents to understand which subjects people wanted to explore. Exhibition were not designed by popular vote, but the program was grounded in the belief that curatorial rigor and community responsiveness are not opposing values.
Exhibition views
Art as a public service and an economic resource
I treated the 20*20 House’s place within an economic development organization as a strength rather than a contradiction.
The program served residents through free exhibitions and public programming, supported artists as working members of the local economy, and brought visitors from outside the Borough into the Borough. Artists received opportunities to exhibit, teach, lead workshops, develop new work, strengthen their résumés, and connect with audiences and other organizations. Visitors, in turn, were encouraged to spend time in Lansdowne, patronize local businesses, and leave with a stronger sense of the Borough as an arts and culture destination.
For artists with less exhibition experience, participation could also include practical curatorial support, from shaping a body of work and writing artist statements to documenting installations, pricing work, speaking with audiences, and navigating the expectations of a public exhibition.
The goal was to strengthen the conditions in which artists could continue making it while reinforcing Lansdowne’s identity as a place where arts and culture matter.
The 2020 House was one part of a broader creative economy strategy that also included artist studios, professional development, public events, paid creative opportunities, and advocacy for artists within civic and economic conversations.
Candid views of visitors interacting with the exhibition and programming
Selected Press
Broad Street Review
“Celebrating a history of LGBTQIA+ activism and community with Homecoming”, Dara McBride
Read coverage →
American Dream TV
“Lansdowne: The Art of Community Part 1”, American Dream
Watch episode →
All images courtesy of Lansdowne Economic Development Corporation
Continue exploring
Contact Clare about cultural strategy, exhibitions, and public programs →