As part of its mission of bringing the arts to all communities throughout our region and of supporting artists throughout their careers, The Exchange has again partnered with a Bloomsburg University professor to fund the annual award given to a Bloom U. student who has taken the initiative to enter work in Exchange Gallery shows. By building a resumé while also supporting a local non-profit organization’s programs, the winning student demonstrates promise of building a life in art and as a community member.
This year we will raffle off an 8″ x 8″ oil-on-canvas painting by Professor of painting Vince Hron, currently the chair of the Department of Art & Art History. Vince has done paintings of clouds for a long time; one of his giant canvases hung at the top of the stairs in the old Moose Exchange for a couple of years, before the opening of the Stairwell Gallery. Vince has three paintings this size in a gallery in Omaha right now, and they sell for $500 each — so you could take this one home for much less!
Tickets sell for $2 each, three for $5, seven for $10, available with cash or check at The Exchange from now until the drawing, which will take place at the end of the Listening Room on Wednesday, the 18th of December. The winner takes home the painting — and every participant has the satisfaction of supporting the arts at Bloomsburg University.
Chad Andrews, Assistant Professor of printmaking, proposed the idea of the award in 2018; we at The Exchange responded with enthusiasm. “The Exchange owes its ongoing success to collaborations like this,” says Oren B. Helbok, executive director. “By specifically celebrating students who engage with our programming, we highlight the importance of the multifaceted relationship between Bloomsburg University and our whole community.” Chad has had a long association with The Exchange, serving on its board 2011-2016 and founding the Stairwell Gallery, now the Exchange Gallery.