Sisters’ Gallery Revisited

Sister’s Gallery, founded in 1994 by sisters Mary Stoudt and Jean Cocuzza, first operated in Sinking Spring then, in Stoudtburg Village in Lancaster County until 2010. This exhibit features the artwork of the sisters and their daughters, Sybil Thompson and Julia Cocuzza.

During the Sisters’ Gallery years, award winning and Goggleworks alumna Mary Stoudt, created art quilts of great depth and breadth of creativity and craft. Mary gained the respect of the local and regional art communities, winning well-deserved honors, including prizes at the “Art of the State” exhibit in Harrisburg.

Her sister, Jean Cocuzza, continued to paint in oil, watercolor, and pastels, often inspired by gallery exhibits, such as “PA Dutch Post-modern,” “Celebrating Our City,” and “Mother’s Expressions.” Mary and Jean’s work hung beside that of local artists of many genres, including clay, glass, and silk.

Soon the gallery featured the colorful, whimsical work of Sybil Thompson, Mary’s daughter, who is currently a Goggleworks studio artist. Eventually, Julia Cocuzza, Jean’s daughter, exhibited her oil paintings as she continued her art education at Syracuse University and Brooklyn College and developed her career as a mural artist and instructor in New York.

“Sisters’ Gallery Revisited,” also includes newer pieces by Jean, Sybil, and Julia. The gallery space closed in 2010, but the sisters’ spirit of creativity and community lives on in the beloved family and friends of Sisters’ Gallery.