The pop-up art exhibit on the corner of Germantown and West Evergreen Avenues provides a whimsical and intimate experience for its visitors.

Brooke Conroy of Ferule Designs is a mixed-media freelance artist. She took over the lofty, donated space back in April of this year, and officially opened in June, and will occupy the space until the end of November. The space is only open to the public during art classes and special events, but can be rented out for small parties upon request.

The name Ferule is a combination of feral and ferrule, Feral being the name of a stray cat and a nickname her husband uses when she stays up late into the night working on her art, and ferrule being the silver part of a paintbrush.

During her time working for Anthropologie she became fascinated by the manipulation of nature and channeled that into her pop-up. The space itself is covered in poppies and crepe paper mushrooms, with a fox made with hundreds of pine needles. Conroy found both the needles and the grasses on hikes and in Pastorius Park.

Her first instinct was to create a communal space where people could come to talk and reconnect, especially on her evergreen couch, what she calls the “narrator” of the exhibit. She encourages all of her visitors to sit on the couch to truly immerse themselves in the artistry, and hopes that she can help give Chestnut Hill back its “pulse” after the lull created by Covid-19.

Behind her exhibit lies the space where she will be holding children’s art classes this fall. She is offering a creative kiddos class for ages 2 to 4, a watercolor and a sculpture class, both for ages 10 to 14. Details can be found on her website, feruledesigns.com.

While her classes are formal, she aims to keep the content informal and allow the kids to be creative while still learning practical building techniques. She also offers private classes for those who want more one-on-one coaching or who are being cautious due to the pandemic.