Just when you least expect it, a new art gallery pops up in Lancaster.

This time, however, we mean that quite literally. The Splinter Collective really is a pop-up art gallery. And at September's First Friday (tonight), it will be popping up at the Stahr Center on North Queen Street.

"Splinter: A Pop-Up Gallery" is a rotating gallery show that has already had two shows, in May and July. "This will be our third show," says Splinter Collective co-founder Drew Nowacoski of Lancaster.

Nowacoski explains that the collective is essentially an informal gathering of artists who have the opportunity to show their work at the gallery. The group has been gaining recognition and moving on to bigger spaces for their art shows. All are welcome, whether artists or those who are simply curious about what Splinter is all about.

"We love a good show, and hope people enjoy it as much as we do. We had an awesome response to our first two shows," says Nowacoski. "The show offers positive exposure for the artists and the work that they produce."

The show features between 25 and 40 artists, each exhibiting one to five pieces. And to grasp the concept of what the work might be, it's best to go to the show with an open mind. The range of work is quite wide, from dramatically striking charcoals to playfully whimsical caricatures. From photography to watercolors, oils to pastels, fabric art to sculpture, just about anything is likely to pop up.

Nowacoski says simply, "It's impossible to verbalize. It needs to be seen, so just go see it. There's something for everyone."

The idea for Splinter came about as an answer to the typical gallery setting in Lancaster. Not wanting to be penned in or tied down, the collective prefers to remain more loosely reined or perhaps not reined in at all. Even the name of the collective has an endearing split personality.

When asked to explain where the name Splinter Collective comes from, Nowacoski relies on his trusty Webster dictionary, noting that the definition of Splinter goes like this: "splin·ter n.: 1. a small, thin, sharp piece of wood, bone, or the like, split or broken off from the main body."

Maybe it has something to do with the "splintered" members of the group coming together for a collective show. That's another way to look at it.

At any rate, members of the Splinter Collective are hoping that lots of people come to look. And as they point out, "No two splinters are ever alike."

Splinter Gallery Exhibition

Tonight from 5-9. Free

Stahr Center, 438 N. Queen St.

splintergallery.blogspot.com