Faces & Places - A Tribute to Robin Larsen

I met Robin Larsen in the spring of 2001. At the time, she was busy working on the Bastille Day Celebration. Within minutes of our meeting, she had pulled me into the event as one of her newest volunteers. (Anyone who knew Robin knows that she pretty much saw a potential volunteer in everyone she met.)

I have worked with Robin off and on since I met her. I was there when she created New Hope Arts, Inc. I was there when she struggled with the naming of it. And I was on her board of directors for almost five years. In June of 2001 I wrote an article about Robin for this website. The article is as valid now as it was then and I am reprinting it below.

The difference is that now, having worked with her for nine years, I know first-hand how much Robin has shaped the New Hope Art Scene. I know how tirelessly she worked in the name of art; how passionate she was about education and how patient she was with her grandchildren; how devoted she was to her family and how much she adored her loving husband, John. I know how she would always be the one taking the press photos and never allowing herself to be IN the pictures; how she would be the winning bidder on multiple items at her own fundraisers (there were a couple of times that she and John were bidding against each other without knowing it); how difficult she could be to work with because she was such a perfectionist and wanted to be part of every piece of the project.

I know that she would always order steamed mussels when we met at Triumph for a business meeting and that she hardly every ate any of them; that she was a good friend to Jim Hamilton, Larry Keller, and dozens of other. I know how private she was about her health and her emotions. I know how many artists she introduced me to over the years. I know that one year she ran out of time to get a Christmas tree and instead painted several different sized boxes green and stacked them in her living room as a “work of art”.

I know that she could easily nurture others but had trouble nurturing herself; how she loved talking about the “good ol’ days when she had a gallery on Mechanic Street and all the artists and shop owners would sit outside on a balmy summer’s eve just talking about art and New Hope; that she was creative, funny, and witty; and that her most favorite thing in the world to do was to “talk art.” I know that she taught me a lot about small town living and that you have to forgive and move on and not let past hurts and petty differences get in your way. I know that she has supportive and helped hundreds of artists throughout the years.

I know that Robin Larsen changed the landscape of New Hope by establishing a rotating series of sculptures in the town; that her passion for New Hope Arts will probably not be matched by anyone present or future; and that she was a really good friend and that I will miss her very much.

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First published June 2001 in anticipation of the July Bastille Day - updates and additions are in brackets [ ].

Intense and fun-loving. Humble but not shy. Robin has been an effective mover and shaker, as well as a talented visual artist, in New Hope for many years. What she has NOT sought or attained is the public recognition she justifiably deserves!

Robin describes herself as "an artist with a sense of promotion and a believer in community service." She sees herself as an example of the late 60s /early 70s, growing up in the south, marching for people's basic rights, and attending college during the Vietnam War.

"I learned early on that if you spoke up and, more importantly, took action, it had meaning."

Robin moved from New Orleans to this area in the late 1970s - but not before she developed the first comprehensive art program in the state of Louisiana, served as Bicentennial Coordinator in 1976, and directed or co-directed five other arts programs in New Orleans. After relocating to New Hope, in addition to creating her wood and fabric sculptures, Robin entered a long career in the area of arts promotion.

Among the many projects she has undertaken are:

Director for River Center for The Arts, 1981-1982

Project Manager for the New Hope Art Show from 1981-1985

Exec. Director of New Hope Magazine (now Nouveau) from 1983-1985

Gallery Director, Larsen Gallery - 1978-1988

Chairman of Showcase the Arts of New Hope - 1986 - 1989

Producer of Salute to Theater, 50th Anniversary of Bucks County Playhouse, 1989

PR Consultant, 1987 - 1990

Co-owner, Larsen Dulman Gallery, 1988 - 1991

Production Director, The New Hope Modernists, 1988 - 1992

Founding Director, the New Hope Lambertville Gallery Association, 1984- 1995

Artistic Producing Director, New Hope Performing Arts Festival, 1986 -1997

Exec. Director, New Hope Arts Commission, 1986 - 1997

Owner/Consultant, Larsen Designs, 1995 – Present [she pretty much gave this up after starting New Hope Arts in 2003]

Producing Director, One Theater Group in NYC, 1998 - 1999

Exhibition Coordinator, Works in Wood Exhibition, 1998 - 2000

Served on the boards of a dozen arts groups, including her present affiliations with AIR (Artists in Residence) , the Community Education Committee (New Hope/Solebury School District), and Contemporary Arts Commission (in Scranton, PA)

Won numerous achievement and recognition awards

[Founder of New Hope Arts, Inc. in 2003]

And NOW, Robin Larsen is the Event Coordinator for the First Annual Bastille Day Celebration. Looking at her accomplishments, we should be ready for a highly successful and FUN event this year on the July 14th weekend.

When she is attending volunteer or community meetings, hammering at her computer for some new promotional event, or spending a few free moments with her adored grandchildren, Robin lives (quietly?) in New Hope with her husband, John Larsen, co-owner of John & Peters.

"I always hope to take joy in the work - to know that the measure is in the DOING, not always in the immediate reward."

I will finish with a quote by Robin that I have had on the home page of my website for years:

"The arts aren't something we do; it's a part of the way we live." ~ Robin Larsen, founder of New Hope Arts, Inc.

The New Hope community will come together to remember Robin on Sunday, November 15th at 5:30 PM at the Eagle Firehouse on Sugan Road. All are invited.

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Website: Bullock Marketing & Design