Zelienople art gallery another way for art educator to make a mark
ZELIENOPLE — Although Jason Shorr resigned from his teaching job last year, he will never retire from art education.
The art teacher spent 32 cumulative years teaching traditional and cyber art to high school students in Butler County — first at Moniteau and then at Seneca Valley High School — but leaving his career only meant changing paths to another creative journey.
Shorr first began expanding his artistic influence beyond the classroom in 2018, by opening CURIO Art Studio on Main Street in Zelienople. Alongside his wife and fellow art educator, Lauren Shorr, he launched the space as a full ceramics and pottery studio, which provides locals with art classes and workshop experiences for artists of all ages and skill levels.
CURIO’s summer week classes called “Summer Art Academy” have sold out every year since the studio first opened. Just this year, the Summer Art Academy served more than 150 different students.
While CURIO Art Studio continues to provide Butler County creators with artistic tools and resources, the Shorr couple said there was still a gap for fine art access and education within the community.
“We felt there was an opportunity to create a stronger arts presence north of Pittsburgh — a place where people cannot only make art but deeply experience and appreciate it,” Shorr stated.
Shorr’s vision came into focus shortly after stepping down from teaching. On Sept. 13, 2025, only months following his retirement from Seneca Valley High School, the Shorr couple opened the doors to JL Shorr Gallery in Zelienople.
The Gallery sits within Main Street’s newly renovated Corner Building and rests beneath the historic 1920s town clock. The interior, which has been redeveloped to host its history with a contemporary context, offers an art lounge where spectators can appreciate and interact with art.
“When people come in, we don’t want them to just see art on a wall. We want them to experience it, to feel how a piece would fit in their homes,” Shorr said.
Transcending traditional art display, Shorr said the gallery’s heart is to showcase professional, contemporary art in a way that feels inspiring, welcoming and meaningful. What’s more, he hopes the gallery will be a gateway to nationally recognized and regional contemporary artists to Butler County.
“The caliber of these artists is what really sets our gallery apart,” Shorr said. “The artists we work with also share their work across the globe. Their exhibits are featured in places like London, Budapest, Germany and New York City.”
Shorr’s exhibits, which run every six weeks, offer various events including educational programming, talks from featured artists and various opportunities to engage with artwork and artists alike. Some of the gallery’s more recent shows have focused on abstract based and figurative art as well as contemporary landscapes.
During the beginning of each six-week show, the Gallery offers a reception-style “Art Social” as a unique celebration of the temporary exhibit. Guests are invited to meet the exhibition artists on site whilst enjoying complimentary drinks and desserts.
The gallery’s most recent exhibition, “With Bated Breath,” showcases three Pittsburgh-based artists who explore the space of anticipation. Through layered paintings, evolving abstract forms or intricate sculptural surfaces, each artist captures moments suspended between certainty and possibility.
Shorr also announced that the gallery will be bringing a rich and diverse variety of exhibitions through 2027.
Gallery visitors can look forward to a guest-curated show with San Francisco Bay Area gallery owner, Dr. Cindy Lisica; a Women in Abstraction group exhibit; a Low Brow outsider art show; and a solo exhibit of work by Tom Megalis, known for his work on Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central.
“We try to keep our shows exciting and to offer something different for everyone,” Shorr said.
In September, J.L. Shorr Gallery is passing its first anniversary in the town where it has made its mark. On Sept. 13, the Shorr couple celebrated their milestone with an “Artist Talk,” featuring Pittsburgh artists Josh Hogan, Jeffrey Smith and Kristen Letts Kovak.
“Zelienople is my wife’s hometown, and it is the community we have chosen to call home for over 13 years,” Shorr remarked. “We feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to invest in this community in this way.”
