She wowed them from the start, with her starburst eyelashes, Miss America smile, and impossibly long legs – all eight of them. Wellsboro’s glamorous new resident – an outsized spider fashioned from gears, wrenches, hay rakes. and other metal parts – arrived with “Metal Metamorphic,” the Gmeiner Art and Cultural Center’s April exhibit of metal artwork by sculptor Mark English of Westfield, PA.

The metallic beauty now has a forever home at the Gmeiner, where you’ll find her comfortably nesting in the front flowerbed, the prime spot she occupied during the show. It took a trio of local art lovers – current and recent Gmeiner docents – to make it happen. Noticing how the unconventional sculpture delighted visitors of all ages and stopped passersby, Holly Morris, Kathy Plumley, and Karen Meyers pooled their resources to purchase the piece for the center’s permanent collection.

“It was definitely a stroke of genius to put it out front,” says Meyers. “People were taking pictures of their kids with the spider, then going in to the exhibit with them, then finding out about all the programs the Gmeiner has for people of all ages. So, we thought, let’s make this permanent.”

Gmeiner Director Carrie Heath, welcoming the acquisition, says she will launch a “Name the Spider” contest in August: “Children are invited to come and give their suggestions for names on our ‘Idea Web.’ At the end of the month, all the name ideas will be considered and the winner will be selected. So if you think you have a creative, ingenious name for our new metallic friend, please let us know!” Heath notes that the Gmeiner will be open from 12-6 PM Saturday, August 5th through Sunday August 27th (closed on Mondays) for the August exhibits.

The spider’s creator has this to say about his art (artinthewilds.org/english). “My materials, much like people, are often imperfect, showing signs of wear, yet having a story and waiting to be transformed.” Children visiting the Gmeiner and imagining names for English’s arachnid may wish to weave their own web of stories around Wellsboro’s winsome newcomer.

The Gmeiner is located at 134 Main Street, Wellsboro, behind the Green Free Library. We are open from 12-6PM Tuesday through Sunday and admission to the gallery is always free.