Castle Consortia is a small, but mighty collective of amazing people who have been working hard in the McKees Rocks area to bring the community a variety of resources and activities. From the gallery to Pittsburgh Symphony events, a Farmer’s Market, and game nights, this space has transformed into a lively, and warm space. Each time I step through the doors, I am welcomed by friendly and creative people who are always looking for ways to provide resources and opportunities for the community. I love this more than I can say, and I am always happy to help feed these types of environments. As an artist, I enjoy exhibiting in spaces like these. Creative people thrive in spaces like Castle Consortia, but more than this, communities come alive because of the energy taking place. It is giving and transcending, and I applaud the hard work. I encourage anyone who has not yet visited to go and see what is taking place there. You’ll have a good time, and you’ll want to go back. You might even want to contribute to it yourself!
I donated my piece Be the Change at a recent fundraising event. I always love knowing where a piece winds up. This piece is one that has been loved for so long, but had yet to find its home. I’m very pleased to know that it has finally made its way to its rightful place, and that it has benefitted Castle Consortia and the community of McKees Rocks along the way!
Castle Consortia is located at 700 Seventh St., McKees Rocks, PA 15136
Let me know if you’re headed there!
One of the pieces that I’ve shown at the Castle is Farm to Table. This piece is one I hold close to my heart. The Artist Statement ad information on Farm to Table is below:
Artist Statement:
Military families and farming families have some common threads. There is a regimented protocol in daily life. The bugle or the cock, daybreak has its waking call. The pounding of boots or the stomping of hooves, there is work before chow. Many rely on you, and despite needing to provide care for yourself, the milk doesn’t flow if the cow isn’t fed. The bombs can’t drop if they aren’t loaded. The grain doesn’t grow if the seed isn’t spread. The earth doesn’t harvest itself. The rows don’t plow themselves. How many things take place before one brushes their own teeth? Farmers and soldiers have lost count. A piece of land, like a patchwork quilt, can hold a square plot for a garden, a home, or a battle. The beauty of planting, watering, harvesting, and cultivating life to nourish ones body, and provide for a family can come from the same soil that others have fought and killed on. That same square can become a graveyard.
Our family is comprised of immigrants. Farmers, soldiers, independent business owners, and strong women who have stiff upper lips. We are beautiful women, who don’t stand for men behaving badly. Farm to Table represents the farm fields where food now grows where boots once left prints. Where cows now graze where bodies once fell. Where wars were won and lost. Where the sun rises with the sounds of women singing and it sets to the sound of children lulling. Where the grain is harvested after the seed is laid in the soil, growing as history presses on. Then when women what is described as the work that we do, tempers are calmer, and bread is broken on the farmhouse tables.
Title: Farm to Table
Artist Name: Jen Haefeli
Medium: Abstract Mixed Media Quilt Painting
Description: Mixed Media on Museum-grade Canvas Panel
Date: 2025
Materials: Acrylic, Watercolor, Metallic Watercolor, Soap & Ink
Size: 30” x 30” x 2.25”
