On Thursday, September 18, 2025, the Museum will host the Lehigh Valley Artist Meetup as part of our Third Thursday activities. The idea for the Meetup came from artists Brandon Dominguez and Elise Schaffer, who want to foster connections among local artists. Using art making as an ice breaker, the pair hopes to build a sense of community and belonging to the art scene in the Lehigh Valley.
“We met and became friends through art,” says Dominguez, who has led Third Thursday art workshops at the Museum. “Based on that connection and in the current state of the world we felt the need to stay together among good people and artists, and to help others make meaningful connections, find opportunities, and build bridges in our art community!”
Artists of all ages and abilities are invited to the Meetup, especially teens and twentysomethings who are looking to share ideas and opportunities. Those who come out will be invited to create their own mini Zen garden and take part in a 45-minute mindfulness tour through the galleries at 6:30 p.m. led by the AAM’s manager of accessibility Margie Makowski. Admission to the Museum and to the Meetup is free.
September 18 will mark the second LV Artist Meetup at the Museum. Other Meetups have taken place at Blick Art Materials, where the group created zines, and Homebase Skate Shop in Easton, where the art of stickers was explored. Future Meetups are planned at the Alternative Gallery in Allentown and the Lehigh University Art Galleries (LUAG) in Bethlehem. See HERE for more information.
Here are some images from previous Meetups:
