April Koppenhaver has always been different – and she’s just fine with that.
As a child, she was instantly recognized for her unruly, curly auburn hair and her lively spirit. As a college student near Pittsburgh, she hung out with Daniel Tiger and Lady Elaine as an intern for “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
When Koppenhaver first came to Lancaster in 1977, it was her dream to start a gallery for all the arts. Mulberry Art Studios was to be a prototype for galleries just like it all over the country. That didn’t quite happen, but Koppenhaver has poured her heart and soul into her Lancaster gallery.
As Koppenhaver marks her 70th birthday — convinced deep down that she is really in her 30s— Koppenhaver will present her own interactive art installation exhibit in the Louise Gallery at …
April Koppenhaver has always been different – and she’s just fine with that.
As a child, she was instantly recognized for her unruly, curly auburn hair and her lively spirit. As a college student near Pittsburgh, she hung out with Daniel Tiger and Lady Elaine as an intern for “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
When Koppenhaver first came to Lancaster in 1977, it was her dream to start a gallery for all the arts. Mulberry Art Studios was to be a prototype for galleries just like it all over the country. That didn’t quite happen, but Koppenhaver has poured her heart and soul into her Lancaster gallery.
As Koppenhaver marks her 70th birthday — convinced deep down that she is really in her 30s— Koppenhaver will present her own interactive art installation exhibit in the Louise Gallery at Mulberry Art Studios. Her show is titled “The Art of…” It opens as she turns 70 on Dec. 5 and explores the arts with the intrepid spirit that has personified Koppenhaver since she was a little girl.
“I think of myself as an artist and poet, but also as an educator and a supporter of the arts,” says Koppenhaver. “I am definitely multi-faceted.”
Stephanie Clayton-Kulfan has seen those many facets while working closely with Koppenhaver as Mulberry Art Studios’ gallery curator.
“Working with April for over 20 years, I have seen firsthand what an innovative, motivated, and creative force she truly is, both for the art community and in her own work,” Clayton-Kulfan says.
Exploring different art forms
Living life artfully has many dimensions for Koppenhaver, and she let them all shine in her “The Art Of…” exhibit, which combines photography, poetry, mixed media art and calligraphy of her writings.
In her “The Art of…” exhibit, Koppenhaver views life through several lenses, each filling in the “blank” of the exhibit’s title. Those include “The Art of Discovery,” “The Art of Listening” and “The Art of Baking,” among others.
In “The Art of Seeing Beauty in the Ordinary,” Koppenhaver invites viewers to try to figure out “What Is This?” from a series of photographs of the same image. Viewed up close, it is nearly impossible to guess what the mottled picture in rust and gray can be. Step back and it is revealed as the rusty wheel rim of an ancient tractor.
Another interactive element is a painting station where kids can make an ornament from recycled materials.
For “The Art of Words,” Koppenhaver shares her poetry. One of her poems, “An Artist’s Prayer,” is hand-calligraphed by Joanne Young Stephan, her first resident studio artist.
Oh Lord, if I could only paint like I see, write as I whisper, sing like I listen, run as far and as fast as I think, fly as free as I dream.
Lord, if I could even do just one of those,
The whole world could experience my love and be forever enthralled,
With the beauty of the rainbow softness of the moon beam and warmth of each other’s spark of fire.
It is for this I work towards perfection.
Koppenhaver’s exhibit even goes back to her high school days, when she was a student at Springfield High School in Delaware County. There, she was editor in chief of the 1973 yearbook, which will be part of the display.
“I am still very proud of that incredible labor of love,” says Koppenhaver.
Beginnings
After high school, Koppenhaver went to West Chester University, where she met her first husband, Barry Van Aulen from Lancaster.
She went on to Chatham University in Pittsburgh, where she studied elementary education and communications, and did an internship with Rogers.
“Fred Rogers was the kindest, sweetest man,” Koppenhaver says. “A true educator. It was a wonderful experience.”
She and Van Aulen married in 1982 and settled in Lancaster. She got her real estate license in preparation for fulfilling her dream of a building that would house her art center. That would eventually become Mulberry Art Studios at 19-21 North Mulberry St., which she opened in 1988.
“It was the perfect space,” says Koppenhaver. The renovated 22,000-square-foot building was originally built by Wohlsen Construction Co. in 1900 as the Gunzenhauser Bakery.
While her husband supported her endeavors to create a prototype for art studios all over the country, he didn’t quite share her fervor for the arts. They divorced in 1994, remaining friends, as she pursued her passion on her own.
“I felt that I had a covenant with God,” Koppenhaver says. “I was driven.”
She was in her 50s when she married Charlie Gaul, an award-winning photographer and owner of Lancaster Business Supply. Gaul was in his 80s, and despite the 30-year age difference, the two traveled the world, journeying to places like Greece and Turkey.
The “Art of Traveling” section of Koppenhaver’s exhibit is dedicated to Gaul, who died in 2019 after 10 years of marriage. Keepsakes and photographs from their travels preserve those cherished memories. And his legacy lives on at Mulberry Arts Studios, where the annual “We Love Our Pets” exhibit honors Gaul and his cherished mixed-breed pup, Milo.
A year ago, Koppenhaver reconnected with Van Aulen. They have found a joyful companionship in their 70s.
“I have to say, it is so great to be back with Barry again, the man who introduced me to Lancaster, and Lancaster is the city which has allowed me to live my dream,” says Koppenhaver.
She makes it clear that her exhibit of “The Art of…” is not intended to be her swan song. She has no plans to retire quite yet. She is still very hands-on at her gallery, where her cherished Chihuahua-shih tzu mix Valentino is often by her side.
“I am passionate about what I do,” Koppenhaver says. “And while I am still in good health, I want to keep doing what I love.”