Artwork by a dozen graphic design seniors is on exhibit in The Gallery at Penn College, the latest incarnation of a yearend campus tradition. A public reception for “Design 2018” was held Friday evening on the third floor of Madigan Library, where the portfolio display continues through May 10.
Photos by J.J. Boettcher, student photographer
Twelve graphic design seniors at Pennsylvania College of Technology will exhibit their work as part of “Design: 2018,” the annual student portfolio exhibition in The Gallery at Penn College.
A public reception for the exhibit’s opening will be held Friday, April 27, from 4 to 6 p.m., in the gallery, located on the third floor of the Madigan Library. The design work will be on display April 27 through May 10.
About 50 alumni of Williamsport Technical Institute returned to campus on Friday for an annual reunion of graduates from the institution that laid the foundation for today’s Pennsylvania College of Technology. Established by the Williamsport School District, WTI developed many innovations in hands-on adult education before becoming the third community college in the state in 1965 and later Penn College. In addition to reminiscing, the alumni – whose graduation years ranged from 1945 to 1966 – heard from current students about the latest advancements in the college’s welding, occupational therapy assistant and mechatronics academic programs. After a morning of nostalgia and student presentations, the group gathered for lunch and toured the college’s art gallery and veterans’ resource center.
Oil paintings embedded with the intention of stirring compassion were explored by guests at the opening of “Hope and History” Thursday night in The Gallery at Penn College. Artist Judith Peck shared her process and answered questions during the artist’s talk, which drew a sizable crowd of college and community members. Peck’s intimate storytelling on canvas aims to expose our shared humanity, with observations on individual grief and small acts mirroring collective hope and healing. The artist remarked on the beauty of The Gallery space and the welcoming reception she’s received during her visit. “Hope and History” runs through April 18 on the third floor of Madigan Library. The Gallery at Penn College is open 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. The gallery is closed Saturdays and Mondays, and will be closed on Easter Sunday, April 1.
Judith Peck has made it her life’s work to paint about history and healing. She portrays the broken yet beautiful human experience in her oil paintings.
The Gallery at Penn College will host “Hope and History,” a collection of Peck’s work, March 13 through April 18. A Meet the Artist Reception is set for Thursday, March 15, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., featuring an artist’s talk at 5:30 p.m. The reception and exhibit are open to the public and free of charge.
“I look at the things happening in the world today, and what history has taught us about our broken world, and I can’t stop being drawn into the unreason of it all,” Peck says in her artist’s statement. “What I try to express in my art is that we all have the same hopes and dreams as anyone, anywhere at anytime in the present or throughout history. I depict how, despite our rifts, we might experience healing in a broken world, and how that undertaking is universally human.”
An atmosphere of awe, delight and curiosity filled The Gallery at Penn College on Thursday evening for the opening reception of “Books Undone: The Art of Altered Books,” the gallery’s first-ever national juried exhibition. A large crowd enjoyed perusing the imaginative creations, listening to an artist’s talk, and celebrating the pieces honored with prizes.
The first floor of Madigan Library is overflowing with imaginative creations by Pennsylvania College of Technology students: “Old Books/New Lives: The Art of Upcycling,” an exhibit of “novel” artwork, is on display through Feb. 28.
The library and The Gallery at Penn College invited students, faculty and staff to upcycle a selection of old books into creative art objects. The result is a presentation of more than 50 inventive pieces.
Visually stunning reinventions of the printed page will fill the Madigan Library at Pennsylvania College of Technology in two exhibitions in January and February.
“Books Undone: The Art of Altered Books,” a national juried exhibit, will showcase 58 imaginative works in The Gallery at Penn College, located on the third floor of the library, and “Old Books/New Lives: The Art of Upcycling,” a display of student creations, will be presented on the first floor of the library.
The exhibits will run Jan. 11 through Feb. 28, with a gallery reception scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 18, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Awards for “Books Undone” works will be presented at 5:30 p.m. The reception and exhibits are open and free of charge to the public.
The Gallery at Penn College filled with about 100 eager art enthusiasts Thursday night for the Meet the Artist Reception for “The Spaces Between.” Artist Melanie Johnson traveled from the Kansas City, Missouri, area to discuss her creative process and offer insights into the psychological narratives and personal iconography she explores in her work. Johnson’s large-scale figurative drawings and paintings – created not in a studio, but outdoors – attempt to engage viewers in “unflinchingly candid” representations of everyday moments, conversations and tales. The exhibit will be on display through Dec. 7. The Gallery at Penn College is open 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. It is closed on Saturdays and Mondays, and will be closed Nov. 22-26.
“The Spaces Between,” an exhibit of large-scale figurative drawings and paintings by Kansas City-based artist Melanie Johnson, is on display Oct. 27 through Dec. 7 at The Gallery at Penn College.
A Meet the Artist Reception will be held Thursday, Nov. 16, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., with a gallery talk at 5:30 p.m. The gathering and exhibit are open and free of charge to the public.
Penn College’s second annual Homecoming and Parent & Family Weekend had a little something for everyone – and a whole lotta something for those getting reacquainted with their favorite students and/or former classmates! A packed weekend schedule of celebratory activities included a bonfire and paint party, the Athletics Hall of Fame banquet, outlets for artistic expression, informative visits from graduates, guided tours, soccer matches, an alumni golf tournament, a picnic brunch with President Davie Jane Gilmour, musical entertainment, and an Oktoberfest that included a reunion of past Resident Assistants.
The Penn College community attended a graphic design lecture and reception for a poster exhibit on Wednesday. The lecture, delivered by Steven Brower – an award-winning graphic designer, author and educator – was in the Student & Administrative Services Center’s first-floor presentation room. Among Brower’s works are books on legendary musicians Louis Armstrong and Woody Guthrie. The reception for the National Poster Retrospecticus followed in The Gallery at Penn College. The display of 100 posters, which runs through Oct. 11, includes pieces by nationally recognized artists as well as a collection of posters created by Penn College graphic design alumni (when they were students).
Photos by Tia G. La, student photographer
Students, faculty and staff are invited to transform old books into art through an exciting artistic endeavor: “Old Books/New Lives.” A project of The Gallery at Penn College and Madigan Library, the effort offers used books for “upcycling” into works of art. A growing trend, upcycling is the practice of converting old or discarded items into useful or beautiful objects. The resulting creations will be displayed on the first floor of the library in January and February, a complement to a juried exhibition of altered books showcased in The Gallery at Penn College. That exhibit, “Books Undone,” will include works from artists around the country. To help support budding book artists, a series of workshops will be offered on campus this semester, and participants are also welcome to work on their projects independently. Books are available at an “Old Books/New Lives” display table on the second floor of the library. “We are pleased to invite the campus community to participate in this unique ‘upcycling’ challenge,” said Penny Griffin Lutz, gallery director. Lutz adds that a search of #Bookart will offer plenty of ideas, and a selection of inspirational books are on hold for viewing at the library’s Circulation Desk. Works can be handed in anytime during the Fall 2017 semester, but are due by Dec. 7. Questions can be emailed to the gallery.
Photos by Rachel A. Eirmann, student photographer
An internationally traveling poster show that has graced the walls of exciting venues like The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is on exhibit at The Gallery at Penn College through Oct. 11.
The National Poster Retrospecticus (NPR) features hand-printed posters made by prominent designers from around the world. The display of 100 posters at Pennsylvania College of Technology offers a comprehensive and eclectic mix of posters, including “gig posters” created for musical performances, as well as prints celebrating America’s national parks.
“Our students are very excited, as am I, about the NPR show,” said Nicholas L. Stephenson, graphic design instructor. “Poster shows like this one are important because they articulate both the designer’s personal artistic vision and because they are representative of the times in which they are created. This is a great show for anyone who is interested in design, music and/or art. It’s a rare opportunity to see work close up from some of today’s most important and influential graphic designers and illustrators.”
Philadelphia-based artist Kay Healy shared the stories behind her work during a Meet the Artist reception in The Gallery at Penn College on Thursday. Many of the works centered on stories she gathered from others: a series of lost objects, gleaned from interviews with and written submissions from more than 40 people, and the Walton Arts Center Series, created in response to interviews with eight volunteers and donors of the Fayetteville, Arkansas, center. Others represented her own memories. For depictions of lost objects, Healy drew a life-size picture of the object, transferred it to a screen and screen-printed it on fabric, which she then stuffed and quilted. Healy’s exhibition, titled “Vestiges,” remains on display through July 23 and is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Thursday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; and Sunday: 1-4 p.m.