Chillicothe – Delaware, Ohio – and Kentucky — Two artists from out-of-town have filled Chillicothe’s free public art gallery with works about struggles over creativity, activism, and life.
Santha Gwyn from south of Portsmouth, and Damianne Fischer from north of Columbus, are sharing the Pump House Center for the Arts for the month of August. I interviewed both in the opening of the “Speak Your Mind” show on August 8th, 2025.
Santha Gwyn (not Samantha) says she switched to colored pencils after struggling with carpal tunnel issues and oil paint in her “Surrealist style with a Renaissance influence.”
She explained two of her favorite works. The first is about “overwhelming inspiration,” featuring a self-portrait and well-researched bluebirds.
She says the second is about the struggle with mother/hood or Mother Nature. “Stable and ancient” architecture, trees, and drapery, dramatize fallopian tubes, childbirth, and menstruation – while playful babies are oblivious to the struggle.
Gwyn says some of her works on display have taken up to two years so she can do much research to create what is in her head.
Hear her in her own words in the below interview…but sorry for the audio quality – I processed it as well as I could. (Maybe I need a class from the Rec W!)
Gwyn says all of her works on display are originals, and most of them are for sale. She has a website, Facebook page, and Instagram account.
Damianne Fischer returned to the Pump House again after being there periodically over the last 10 years, but this time sharing the two-person show. She says she loves Chillicothe’s art gallery even after being in galleries around Central Ohio.
She explained some of her artworks about quiet activism and more, including her latest sculpture “Planting the Seeds for Change.” Fischer said it is a political statement about needing to get to a grass-roots level and build resistance. An old old seed spreader is the base, the upcycled body is dryer lint and clay, and the dress is an old seed bag.
Another sculpture, an African-American woman with a giant cotton boll for her hair, is on a stand made from an old family hoe, with leaves from Fischer’s yard.
She says some of her art on display is for sale, but she’s saving back others for future exhibits. Fischer has a web entry, Facebook page, and Instagram account.
Pump House director John Payne did his usual introduction about 7pm in the opening. Hear him and the artists in the below video. The complete introduction is available in a video on their Facebook page.
The Pump House Center for the Arts is closed Mondays, but open most other days at least 11 to 4. Learn more on their Facebook page and website.
