Mission Accomplished:  The Gallery at York Hall

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to turn a large empty room in Yorktown into a gallery using only $3,000.

It seemed like a mission impossible, but that is exactly what Sharon Owen and a group of other like-minded Yorktown art enthusiasts accomplished. In 2002, the Gallery at York Hall opened as a nonprofit in partnership with York County and the Celebrate Yorktown Committee of the Yorktown Foundation. 

“The first exhibit featured 75 quilts by the Peninsula Peacemakers Quilt Guild,” said Owen. “This gave us time to find more artists and crafters in all media.”

Today, the Gallery has become an eclectic collection of one-of-a-kind keepsakes, art, and souvenirs featuring the work of 300 creatives. Nearly thirty volunteers staff the facility with Owen serving as its volunteer manager. Running a gallery is not a foreign concept to Owen as art and design have always been a part of her life. Before moving to Yorktown with her husband, she owned a flower shop in Illinois. She says she draws on that experience to create beautiful displays and exhibits that change every six weeks. 

The Gallery at York Hall is open year-round and donates a portion of the proceeds from each purchase to support 20 other nonprofits including The Fifes and Drums of York Town, Wreaths Across America, the York County Historical Museum, and the Watermen’s Museum.

“Since our beginning, we have greeted over 16,000 people a year,” exclaims Owen. “That is my favorite part -- meeting people from all over the world!”

While Tom Cruise may be jumping out of airplanes and rappelling from skyscrapers, we think what Sharon Owen and her loyal group of volunteers accomplished is equally impressive and noble.

The Gallery at York Hall is located at 301 Main Street in Historic Yorktown. From April to December, it is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 1  to 4 p.m. on Sundays.