This November, Landis Homes will host a special gallery show that celebrates the lifelong creative work of two of its residents: Leon Yost and Erma Martin Yost. For this husband and wife artist duo, art has always been more than a pastime—it’s been a passion woven through every chapter of their lives.
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eon, now 81, began his journey with a camera at the age of nine. His love of photography led him to a career in medical photography at NYU Medical Center in New York City, where he documented unusual clinical cases and created lecture materials for doctors…long before
PowerPoint or Google Slides existed. But it was outside the lab where his creativity soared. Leon became captivated by the ancient rock art of the American Southwest during travels beginning in the 1970s, leading to his longtime series Riddles on the Rocks, a photographic exploration of Native American petroglyphs and pictographs.
Erma, 78, started painting before she even entered school—her mother would roll out wallpaper in the hallway for her to use as a canvas right on the floor! Her love for art led her to earn a degree in art education and later a master’s in painting and ceramics. For 36 years, she taught art, all the while maintaining her own studio practice and exhibiting work. Over time, her practice evolved from ceramics and painting into mixed media and finally into felt-making, where she now hand- dyes wool, felts it, and embellishes the surfaces with stitchwork and beading—transforming fiber into narrative-rich textile pieces.
Te Yosts’ artistic paths merged early in their relationship, beginning when they met in New York in 1970 and married in 1972. Together, they were founding members of the artist-run Noho Gallery in Manhattan, which still exists today. Teir work—though different in medium—shares a deep reverence for texture, time, and place.
Creativity isn’t just tolerated— it’s celebrated!
Te Yosts both had family ties to Landis Homes going back decades. Even before moving in, Erma donated pieces from her collection to honor four Yost family members who had lived out their lives here. Tat donation, eventually totaling nine works, helped set the stage for what has become a close connection between the artists and the community they now call home.
Today, their work can be found throughout the Landis Homes campus—from the Crossings second floor lobby to the Gather café, where five of Erma’s fiber-based “Domestic Allegories” were recently installed.
For the Yosts, Landis Homes commitment to original art is deeply meaningful. “Tey’re ahead of their time,” Leon says. Erma adds, “It says something about the values here. Creativity isn’t just tolerated—it’s celebrated!”
Teir exhibit this fall will feature selections from Leon’s Riddles on the Rocks series and Erma’s mixed-media and fiber works, including pieces from past exhibitions titled Felted Gardens and Seasons. For both artists, it’s more than a gallery show—it’s an artistic homecoming.
Landis.org | FLOURISH | Summer 2025 • 5
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