Mulberry Art Studios in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has launched a posthumous exhibition titled "Is This Art?: The Collected Works of Donald Shoffstall." The show features a collection of photocopied signs and posters that Shoffstall, a local figure who experienced homelessness, stapled to telephone poles throughout the city during the late 20th century. Curated by Steve Sylvester and Jerry Greiner, the exhibition presents these stream-of-consciousness writings and abstract graphic works as significant pieces of outsider art.
The exhibition raises poignant questions about the definition of art and the importance of context versus expression. By moving Shoffstall’s work from the public utility poles of Lancaster into a formal gallery setting, the curators challenge viewers to reconsider the value of "fringe" or street-based creative output. The show serves as both a local historical retrospective and a tribute to a man who was often invisible to society, yet left a distinct, indelible mark on the city's visual landscape.