Oct 6, 2024 | Gmeiner5, News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
By: Carrie Heath, October 1, 2024
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center announces an upcoming workshop titled “Zen Calligraphy and Meditation” which will teach participants how to use art as a form of mindfulness. The workshop will be held on Saturday, October 19th from 11:30 AM-1:00 PM in the Studio of the Gmeiner. Participants will learn how to create calligraphy as part of a meditation practice. The workshop is free, all supplies will be provided and no experience is necessary. If students would like to purchase a calligraphy brush to continue the practice after the class, those are available for a $20 donation. Pre-registration is not required. The workshop will be led by Quynh Luong, a member of the Dancing Flame Sangha meditation group that meets at the Gmeiner most Thursdays from 6:30-8PM.
Oct 6, 2024 | Gmeiner4, News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
By: Carrie Heath, October 1, 2024
Feeling the need to express yourself artistically, but you’re not sure where to start? Do your kids love art and you’re always looking for opportunities for them to learn something new? Want to get those creative juices flowing without having to plan out a project, buy supplies, and clean up a mess? Check out “Crafting with Carrie” at the Gmeiner! At each of these informal, drop-in sessions, the Gmeiner’s director, Carrie Heath, will lead students of all ages in creating a simple craft. These crafting times are free, all materials are provided, and students of all ages are encouraged to come! (Parents are requested to stay with their children if they are under 12 years old.) The materials for these crafting sessions are provided by Art’s Friends, the volunteer group that supports the Gmeiner.
There are two crafting sessions scheduled for October. The first one will be on Thursday, October 17th from 4-6PM. Participants will have the opportunity to create a lace tile (if weather permits) or a tile thumbprint craft. The second crafting session will be held on Thursday, October 24th from 4-6PM. Participants will get to paint a pumpkin using tole painting techniques and acrylic paint. Some come on down, learn something new, and express your creativity!
Oct 6, 2024 | Gmeiner3, News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
By: Carrie Heath, October 1, 2024
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is thrilled to announce the Kitty Crawford Film Festival! This free series of film viewings will take place at the Gmeiner on four consecutive Friday nights at 7PM starting on October 11th. The films will be a combination of Gale Largey’s two documentaries about Kitty as well as selections from her career in film. This series is presented by the Kelsey Academy of Tioga as part of their mission to provide lifelong learning by and for residents of Tioga County and the Gmeiner Art and Cultural Center as part of its mission to provide unique artistic and cultural experiences to locals.
The Festival will kick off on Friday, October 11th with the premiere of “Love Theft,” Dr. Largey’s short documentary about the “marital crime” scandal that rocked Kitty’s romantic life. Guests will then get to experience the delightful silent film “King of the Rodeo” starring Kitty and Hoot Gibson. Friday, October 18th, will feature Gale Largey’s “Grit and Mirrors” full documentary about Kitty Crawford’s life, beginning as a child in Wellsboro, through her glamorous career in Hollywood, and onto the triumphs and tribulations of her later life. The third night of the film festival on October 25th will be a showing of “Safety in Numbers” one of the most notable films in Kitty’s career. Also starring Buddy Rogers and Carole Lombard, this movie tells the tale of a young man who is about to inherit a fortune and the chorus girls hired to teach him about the pitfalls of the big city. For the grand finale on Friday, November 1st, guests will be treated to a showing of “Skyway,” a 1933 film about a cocky young pilot who, at the urging of his girlfriend, takes a nice, “safe” job at the bank where her father is president. Since this is a shorter film, there will also be some additional excerpts from other movies featuring Kitty Crawford. All showings will begin at 7PM, with the movies taking approximately one and a half hours. Guests will have the opportunity to engage in discussion at the end of each night.
Born in Wellsboro, Kathryn Crawford (née Moran) achieved fame as a film star and actress on Broadway and in touring companies. She was known for premiering the song “Love for Sale” in Cole Porter’s “The New Yorkers” (1930). Kitty’s early life was marked by her mother’s “impulsive insanity,” larceny, and substance abuse. Kitty began performing as a child, and by the time she started touring as a teenager she was a triple threat – singing, dancing, and acting in traveling revues. During the 1920s and early 1930s, Kitty starred in eighteen films, making the transition from silent movies to “talkies” easily. She played opposite Buddy Rogers, Hoot Gibson, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante, and even the Three Stooges. Kitty married James Edgar, a Detroit-based heir to a sugar fortune, but was later granted a divorce due to his cruelty. Then James Edgar filed a sensational “Love Theft” lawsuit against another wealthy heir, Lewis Mallory, claiming that he had stolen Kitty’s affections. In later years Kitty became an acclaimed interior decorator for the famous, including Barron Hilton, Douglas MacArthur, Herbert Hoover, and Mary Pickford. Eventually, Kitty did find love with Ralph Parsons, a self-made man who founded the Parsons Design group. They are buried next to each other in graves with matching headstones that read, “Somewhere There’s a Place for Us.”
The Gmeiner is located at 134 Main Street in Wellsboro behind the Green Free Library. Admission to the gallery is free.
Oct 6, 2024 | Gmeiner2, News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
By: Carrie Heath, October 1, 2024
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is pleased to announce the Atrium Gallery exhibit for October, the annual Wellsboro Art Club members exhibit. This exhibit demonstrates the members’ wide variety of styles and mediums, and this year’s challenge to “work small.” The pieces may be small in size, but they are large in creativity. The exhibit will open on Saturday, October 12th with a reception from 2-4PM. The reception is free and open to the public, who are invited to come enjoy light refreshments provided by members of the Wellsboro Art Club. This exhibit will remain on display until Sunday, November 3rd.
The Wellsboro Art Club started in 1948 as a group of local painters who wanted to work and learn together. Over the years, the group has expanded to include crafts as well as fine arts. Recently, they held the wildly successful Wellsboro Wilds Plein Air Painting Festival. This year the members challenged themselves to “work small”. This idea was inspired by former member Maureen Babb, who used to paint tiny oil paintings. While their show usually takes place in the Main Gallery, they are happy to use the Atrium Gallery this year so that Mr. Gmeiner can have a long overdue show of his works. The Art Club, along with many other organizations and the community at large, have benefited greatly from Arthur Gmeiner’s generosity and vision. The Art Club hopes that the community enjoys their show of miniature works.
The Wellsboro Art Club holds their business meeting on the first Thursday of each month at 10AM in the Studio at the Gmeiner. On the other Thursdays, they have informal “studio time” from 10-12 where members bring projects that they are working on to the studio to learn from each other and socialize. They often go to lunch afterward. New members are always welcome. To learn more about the Wellsboro Art Club, see their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WellsboroArtClub/
The Gmeiner is open from 12-6PM Tuesdays through Sundays and is located at 134 Main Street in Wellsboro behind the Green Free Library. Admission to the gallery is free.
Oct 6, 2024 | Gmeiner, News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
By: Carrie Heath, October 1, 2024
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is pleased to announce that the Main Gallery exhibit for October will be a full display of Arthur Gmeiner’s own work to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the opening of the center. Did you know that the building houses a permanent collection of more than 400 of Mr. Gmeiner’s oil paintings? The exhibit will open on Saturday, October 12th with a reception from 2-4PM. The reception is free and open to the public, who are invited to come enjoy light refreshments provided by members of the Wellsboro Art Club. This exhibit will remain on display until Sunday, November 3rd.
Arthut J. Gmeiner was born on a farm near Liberty in 1884 to German immigrant parents who worked in the farming and lumber industries. Arthur graduated from Mansfield Normal School (now Commonwealth University: Mansfield) and began his teaching career at a one-room schoolhouse in Nauvoo. In 1919 Arthur moved to Denver, Colorado and purchased the Parks School of Business with his brother. When he retired from teaching, Mr. Gmeiner devoted himself to painting, creating over 200 artworks in 30 years.
Mr. Gmeiner then began looking for a place to house and display his collection. He considered the Denver area, but decided he would rather have it near his family’s roots in the Twin Tiers. Mr. Gmeiner offered the center to many towns in the area, and Wellsboro’s council enthusiastically agreed. The land behind the Green Free Library was donated by the library board, who agreed to be stewards of the center. Construction on the unique Mid-Century Modern style building started in the spring of 1969 and it opened on October 1, 1969. The center was a great success and very quickly expanded with the addition of the Studio space in 1975. This is used for classes and workshops, as well as a meeting space for groups. It also contains the storage area for Arthur Gmeiner’s collection which continued to grow. Mr. Gmeiner continued painting in his “primitive” style until he died in November of 1985 at the age of 101.
When the center opened, Mr. Gmeiner stated, “This modest, but attractive building is here, and the fund has been set up to maintain it through the years. Down deep in my heart I present it to you in sacred memory of my father and mother, a sister, and two brothers, all of them now departed.” Mr. Gmeiner never married or had children, so this center serves as a legacy for his entire family. Over the past 55 years, it has enriched the Wellsboro community with art, music, poetry and more. We invite you to come see our founder’s work and appreciate his extraordinary gift to the community.
The Gmeiner is open from 12-6PM Tuesdays through Sundays and is located at 134 Main Street in Wellsboro behind the Green Free Library. Admission to the gallery is free.
Sep 29, 2024 | News, Visual Arts
By: Carrie Heath
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is pleased to announce the Atrium and Main Gallery exhibit for September, the biannual Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild members exhibit. This exhibit, which is always very popular, showcases the members’ artistry in fabric. The Atrium gallery features examples of the guild’s charitable work, and the main gallery showcases members’ large, small, wall hanging, and miniature quilts. There is also a “Challenge Quilt” section, and members will be selling tickets for this year’s two beautiful raffle quilts. The exhibit will open on Saturday, September 14 th with a reception from 2-4PM. The reception is free and open to the public, who are invited to come enjoy light refreshments and meet some of the artists behind the quilts. This exhibit will remain on display until Sunday, October 6 th .
The Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild furthers the art of quilting through education, provides a means of sharing ideas, materials, skills, and fellowship, and encourages self-expression through the art of quilting. The guild currently has about 120 members, of all ability levels, mostly from North Central Pennsylvania and the Southern Tier of New York. MLQG sponsors workshops and lectures by nationally-known quilters, as well as workshops by guild members. There are several informal smaller groups within the guild which allow members to work on their own quilting projects in a comfortable atmosphere with other quilters. Other activities sponsored by the guild include a community outreach program and bus trips to national-level quilt shows. The Guild celebrated its 25 th anniversary last year, and this is its twelfth exhibit at the Gmeiner.
As in past years, MLQG’s exhibit encourages audience participation. Visitors will be given a ballot when they enter the show and are asked to vote for their favorites in six categories: machine-quilted large quilts, hand-quilted large quilts, small quilts, wall hangings, miniatures/miscellaneous, and the Challenge quilts. The quilts’ categories are designated by the color of paper that their individual labels are on. This year’s challenge was for members to turn to page 25 of any non-quilting magazine, and create a small quilt under 25 inches based on that page, which resulted in some very diverse and interesting quilts. Children visiting the exhibit will also have the opportunity to complete a scavenger hunt based on the quilts and will receive an “Art Takeaway” packet provided by Art’s Friends.
The Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild engages in numerous community outreach initiatives, which are showcased in the Atrium gallery for this exhibit. MLQG members create a number of sewn and quilted items to provide comfort to individuals and families in need.
These include: Bumble Bags, which are given to the Humble Bumble project and filled with items for cancer patients of all ages; quilted placemats for Meals on Wheels; whimsical pillowcases for children staying at Hershey Children’s Hospital; fidget quilts that provide sensory and tactile stimulation for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia; honor quilts for veterans in hospice care at UPMC; and a handmade quilt for every single child who enters foster care in Tioga County. At each of their exhibits, the guild has created small art quilts that are sold to raise money for a different local charity. This year’s quilts cost $30 and all of the money from their purchase will be donated to This is My Quest’s “Veterans in the Wild” program that helps local veterans engage in outdoor adventures like fishing, hiking, camping, and horseback riding.
To learn more about the guild and to see a virtual “show and tell” of members’ quilts, see their website: https://mountainlaurelquiltguild.blogspot.com.
The Gmeiner is open from 12-6PM Tuesdays through Sundays and is located at 134 Main Street in Wellsboro behind the Green Free Library. Admission to the gallery is free.
