Artist meetup builds community across the Lehigh Valley

An artist brings a project to work on. Someone else tries a new medium. And across the table, two people who have never met begin talking.

What started as a casual conversation between friends Brandon Dominguez and Elise Schaffer has grown into the Lehigh Valley Artist Meetup.This informal gathering between friends has now formed into a community connecting artists across Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and the surrounding area.

The group brings people together through workshops, informal art-making sessions and collaborations with local organizations.

Dominguez and Schaffer said they hope to make the arts more accessible, while giving people a place to connect without the pressure or cost that can come with traditional art events.

“I was looking for something that was kind of just more casual and time to spend with other artists,” Schaffer said.

Schaffer works at Lehigh University Art Galleries, and said the idea emerged from a sense of separation within the local arts community following the COVID-19 pandemic. Artists in the Lehigh Valley were spread across different cities and towns, but struggled to find free, informal spaces where they could gather.

She and Dominguez had connected through the local arts scene and began discussing the lack of what Schaffer described as “third spaces” for artists and other creatives.

While galleries and organized workshops offered opportunities to make and display art, she wanted a place where people could meet without paying to participate or feeling pressure to produce something polished.

Rather than wait for an existing organization to fill that gap, they decided to create something themselves. 

The first meetup took place in December 2024.

Dominguez said the original idea was simple: spend time with other people, make art and build friendships. As more people have joined, he said, the purpose has remained the same.

“We still find ways to use the meetup as ways to not only bring us together as a group of friends, but also meet new people and learn new mediums,” Dominguez said.

The meetups vary depending on the location and the people involved. Some focus on learning a particular artistic medium, while others invite participants to bring their own projects and work alongside one another.

The group has hosted creation-based events, including photography, printmaking, zine-making and mending clothes, among other forms of art.

At a typical meetup, according to Dominguez, participants can talk with familiar faces, meet someone new and work on a project in a relaxed setting. The group also offers opportunities to learn skills beyond making art, including professional development sessions about exhibiting work and applying for art opportunities.

She said the relaxed atmosphere is intentional.

Participants don’t need to be experienced artists or arrive with a finished project. Instead, they can try something unfamiliar and learn alongside others. Keeping events free is also a priority for the founders.

Art supplies can be expensive, and Dominguez said the group tries to provide materials whenever possible through its own resources and partnerships with local organizations.

“We try to make sure that it’s a very laid-back environment, where everyone feels welcomed, where everyone feels safe,” Dominguez said.

The group moves between locations throughout the Lehigh Valley, including Lehigh University Art Galleries, Alternative Gallery and Homebase Skate Shop. Holding events in different spaces allows the organizers to reach people who might not otherwise encounter the meetup or feel connected to the region’s arts community.

Emma Ryan, a local artist who has attended meetups and helped lead workshops, said the accessibility filled a gap in her own life.

After graduating from Cedar Crest College and staying in Pennsylvania, Ryan found it difficult to build a social circle in the area.

“It was a really great way for me to get connected with the Lehigh Valley community,” Ryan said.

Ryan has since helped lead workshops, including sessions on zine-making. Zines are self-published booklets that can combine writing, collage and other visual art.

In one workshop at Lehigh University Art Galleries, Ryan led a zine workshop to develop into a library at the galleries, extending the project beyond a single meetup.

Ryan said these opportunities have allowed her to share an art form she cares about while introducing others to new ways of creating. They have also given her a more active role in the local arts community.

“I definitely think it’s brought our community a lot closer and opened up other opportunities for artists as well,” she said.

As the group has grown, its collaborations have extended beyond its own meetups.

The organizers have worked with local galleries and businesses, including Homebase Skate Shop, to create opportunities for artists to learn, meet collaborators and display their work.

Dominguez said some collaborations have included one-night art shows that allow artists to exhibit their work without the barriers that may come with more formal exhibition opportunities.

The events offer free entry and give both Lehigh students and beginner artists a chance to participate.

Organizers are working to connect more artists with Lehigh University Art Galleries. Schaffer said the galleries offer a centrally located space in South Bethlehem and provide opportunities to introduce the meetup with other artists and organizations.

The artists last met on Oct. 28 at Lehigh University Art Galleries as part of a series featuring local artists. The first session was led by Andrew Fernando, a local artist and photographer who also works at the galleries, Schaffer said.

The collaboration is intended to bring new people into the galleries while introducing more community members to the meetup.

Schaffer said partnerships like this can help artists and organizations connect with audiences they might not reach on their own.

Ryan hopes the events will encourage Lehigh students who are interested in making or exhibiting art to become involved in the broader community.

For the organizers, the goal is not to establish a formal arts institution so much as to keep creating opportunities for people to find one another. The group continues to develop its programming through conversations about what participants want to try next.

Dominguez said people do not need to identify as artists to attend. Anyone curious about making art or learning more about the local art scene is welcome.