Oct 1, 2023 | Call for Artists, News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
By: Carrie Heath, September 20, 2023
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center and the Hometown Science Festival announce an open call for local artists to participate in the November Atrium exhibit, “The Golden
Ratio: Where Math, Art, and Nature Intersect.” Artists of all ages and levels of experience may enter one piece in any medium which shows their interpretation of the Golden Ratio. Drop-off for artwork is Thursday, November 2 from 12-6PM. The exhibit will be on display from November 4-26th.
What is the Golden Ratio? The Golden Ratio is a proportion of 1 to 1.618. Take a line and divide it into two parts – a long part (a) and a short part (b). The entire length (a + b)
divided by (a) is equal to (a) divided by (b). And both of those numbers equal 1.618. So, (a + b) divided by (a) equals 1.618, and (a) divided by (b) also equals 1.618. It may be
easier to think of a rectangle with a square inside it. The sides of the square are equal to the shortest length of the rectangle. These squares and rectangles can be placed
together in a pattern radiating out from a center point. Then, if you draw an arch from one corner of each square to the far corner, you create a perfectly balanced spiral. This
shape may be familiar to you from fractals, flower petals, and seashells.
Where do we see the Golden Ratio? The Golden Ratio can be seen all over in nature – in the spiral of a fiddlehead fern, the swirling clouds of a hurricane, even the proportions
of our faces. Artists, architects, and product designers have used the golden ratio for centuries to create harmonic, pleasing designs like the Parthenon, the Mona Lisa, and
even the Apple logo! Many websites use this proportion as the basis for their designs.
Rules for Entries:
Entries must relate to the theme of the Golden Ratio. All 2-dimensional work should be able to be hung on the wall. Any 3-dimensional pieces should be stable enough to sit on
a flat surface without support. Artists will need to fill out a form with their contact information when they drop off their artwork, and will be expected to pick up their
artwork at the end of the exhibit.
Exhibits at The Gmeiner are not insured, so artwork is displayed at the artist’s risk.
Please ensure that your work is ready for display by the drop-off date. All pieces should be signed and dated, and they should have the title on the back. Paint or photographs
should be dry. Photographs of children will only be displayed with signed consent from their parent/guardian.
Only work completed in the past five years will be accepted. Pieces that have already been displayed at the Gmeiner in group or regional shows will not be displayed again.
*The Gmeiner reserves the right to refuse any work.*
This is truly an open call for submissions. There is no fee to enter. We would love to see a child’s work displayed next to their grandparent’s artwork, amateurs next to
professionals. The goal of the Hometown Science Festival is to show individuals that science is in their lives every day. Our hope is that this exhibit will reinforce that
message and show viewers how art, science, and math can intersect to produce beautiful results.
For further information, go to the Gmeiner’s website at https://gmeinerartculturalcenter.org/the-golden-ratio/ or contact Carrie at 570-724-1917 or [email protected].
Oct 1, 2023 | News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
By: Carrie Heath, September 20, 2023
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is thrilled to announce a book sale, signing, and performance by Michael Biddison on “Zart: The Art of Everything from Z to A, and A to
Z” on Friday, October 20 th from 7-9PM. Admission is free and open to the public.
Michael will be playing some music, sharing some thoughts and pieces from the book at 7:30 for about 45 minutes. Come by a little earlier to say hello and thumb through a
copy, or stay a little later. He hopes to see many old friends and fellow creatives who are interested in the art of everything. Michael says that this book has a number if chapters in it that are love letters to Wellsboro and its creative treasures. He hopes you find them.
Zart is a 404-page full color adventure in multi-media playing, in the form of a book. It is impossible to categorize, sometimes humorous, sometimes pensive. Michael calls it an
“automythography” because it is a mostly autobiographical project that takes liberties in combining his imagery, origin stories, lyrics, and links to his music. It is all meant to be a pondering on how the creative life can be potentially radically inclusive. Michael says, “I have found that what many people expect from art sells short of what it can do to feed and connect us to ourselves and to each other. To see my work, my family, our community, my home and gardens as creative opportunities, I can make life in general
more beautiful, adventuresome. I can experience people and situations with more awareness and openness. I can give myself permission to enjoy some things I might not
have, were I not to assume that there’s opportunity awaiting everywhere and in every being and thing.”
Michael Biddison is a 1978 Wellsboro High School graduate. He has been a part of numerous group and solo shows of his visual work at the Gmeiner Art center since his
teens. In 2015, he was part of the three-person show with local art luminaries Tucker Worthington and Dale Witherow. He has also written and performed music since the
mid 1970’s with bands such as Ticapoo Brain, Space Goop, Neo Pseudo and the Llama Dalis. Michael feels fortunate to have grown up in this town surrounded by natural
beauty and so many people in all walks of creative life. Starting with Alice Mickey’s art classes, Pat Davis’s musical offerings, and a host of creative spirits and coaches such
as Tucker Worthington, Steve and Rita Bower, Dale Witherow, Warren Goodrich… as well as his creative contemporaries.
Michael currently lives near Pottstown, PA between creeks and a cornfield. He continues to show and perform, while also sharing his most recent visual works and
music primarily in a combined gallery and performance space called “The Bungalow” in Kimberton, PA. In addition to his more obviously art-related works, for the past 25 years
Michael has worked as a restoration carpenter throughout the Philadelphia region. In his restoration work, he has found a surprising source for funky tools, old and worn
materials, and a deep appreciation of craft, history and functional invention. In restoring challenging architectural timepieces he has come to see restoration, and sometimes re-invention, as a form of sculpting. In this way, Michael has accidentally found that far from being a distraction to his creative work, the “ordinary life” is anything but ordinary
and that this is what feeds and gives roots to his arts. Work, family, community, and making a home is part and parcel of his art. And so there it is… “Zart, an art of
everything”
For those who want to experience the book without becoming a collector, Michael has donated a copy to the Green Free Library. You can find out more about Michael and his
work at I-zarts.com. For further information about the presentation or the Gmeiner, contact Carrie at 570-724-1917 or [email protected].
Sep 17, 2023 | Call for Artists, News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
Artisan Alley Fine Arts Gallery, located in Shamokin, PA will hold an opening reception for the ‘Intersections’ Juried Exhibition on Friday, October 6th from 6-9pm. The exhibition features work by a select group of artists residing in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States, chosen by this year’s juror, internationally renowned artist, Eddy Lopez.
The celebratory evening will include music, light refreshments inside, and the Smokin in Shamokin food truck for visitors outside. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those over 21. An overview of the selection process and works chosen for the exhibit will be provided by Lopez, along with the announcement of works chosen for Juror’s Prizes. This is a free event open to the public.
Juror, Eddy Lopez was the recent recipient of an award at the Art of the State exhibition at the State Museum in Harrisburg, PA. His work has been exhibited and collected on an international scale. López received an MFA in printmaking from the University of Miami, and a BFA in Painting and Printmaking as well as a BA in Art History from Florida International University.
Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Art at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The show’s theme ‘Intersections’ refers to a point at which two or more things intersect– a crossing, a convergence, a joining. Artisan Alley invited artists to submit work that explores intersections, whether it’s through form, ideas, and/or materials. This is the first of what is expected to be an annual juried exhibition opportunity, planned in collaboration with Anthracite Creative Works. The prestigious event is expected to draw visitors broadly from around Pennsylvania and surrounding states. Artwork will remain on view for the month of October, closing after Artisan Alley’s First Friday event in November.
Sep 4, 2023 | News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is pleased to announce an Atrium Gallery exhibit of new artwork by Mansfield University professor and Wellsboro resident, Michelle Lockwood titled, “My Everyday Way – Making in the Midst of Living.” This exhibit will feature paintings, drawings, and laser engravings, along with additional process photography and sketchbooks. The exhibit will open on Saturday, September 9th with a reception from 2-4PM. The reception is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be provided. Michelle and the Main Gallery artists will give a brief talk at 3PM.
Michelle Lockwood received her BFA in 1989 from the School of Art and Design at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, and her MFA in 2005 from Goddard College. Michelle has worked as an educator for over 20 years. She taught as Adjunct Instructor of Design at Rochester Institute of Technology, served as Assistant and Associate Professor of Design at the School of Art and Design at Alfred University, from 2000-2008, and is currently serving as Associate Professor and Program Director of Graphic Design at Mansfield University Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, where she has been teaching since August of 2008.
Michelle is a long-time member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), has served on the AIGA Upstate NY Board of Directors, initiated the development of the Alfred University AIGA Student Group, and currently serves as Co-Advisor for the Mansfield University Art and Design Guild —a student-run organization. Michelle’s current personal work involves the use of photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, typography, and installation — exploring a variety of issues, including identity within nature, social history, and objects of memory. The technologies used within her work are always dependent upon the type of work being created. Recently, she has been incorporating the technology of laser engraving and laser cutting into some of her personal work.
Michelle’s obsessions revolve around her life in the country raising a crew of animals, giving energy and creative support to her students, and carving out a making-space of her own.
StableVision Studios, LLC is located in a renovated barn, alongside her furry and feathered friends, where she creates through the lens of her love for nature, animals, and a daily awareness of her presence within these surroundings.
This exhibit is appropriate for all ages, and there will be a scavenger hunt activity for children. The Gmeiner is located at 134 Main Street, Wellsboro, behind the Green Free Library. We are open from 12-6PM Tuesday through Sunday and admission to the gallery is always free.
Sep 4, 2023 | News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is pleased to announce the return of local favorites Steve and Rita Bower for a Main Gallery exhibit titled “Finding the Right Word.” This exhibit will include new acrylic paintings, monoprints, clay sculptures, altered books, drawings, and mixed media pieces from the couple. The artists say, “We have new pieces of art that tell something about our inner journey in expressing ourselves. The mediums speak to us in voices that lead us to the new destinations. We hope to share these ‘travels’ with friends and family.” The exhibit will open on Saturday, September 9th with a reception from 2-4PM. The reception is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be provided. Steve and Rita hope to see many old friends and students at the reception.
Steve and Rita Bower both attended Mansfield University earning B.S. and Master’s Degrees in Art Education. Rita Bower taught art for thirty-five years in the Southern Tioga School District. Rita loves using a variety of art mediums and techniques to express herself in her art-making. She draws inspiration from traveling, study, sharing ideas, and the connectedness of these in everyday living. Rita participates in juried, group and individual shows, as well as teaching student and adult art classes. She loves to learn by doing and to see what the materials around her want to become.
Both Rita and Steve are now retired from teaching full time and together they have continued to create and exhibit their artwork professionally. Steve worked in different school districts, including Southern Tioga. From 2001 to 2008, Steve also served as an adjunct professor at Mansfield University teaching Drawing and Water Base Media. Steve worked successfully as a professional artist for fifteen years, exhibiting his paintings in the American Watercolor Society as well as numerous national and regional exhibitions. In recent years, Steve turned his attention to creating ceramic and steel sculptures and acrylic paintings. Steve considers his career to be a long and consistent pursuit of excellence and the drive to explore and take risks.
This display is appropriate for all ages, and there will be a scavenger hunt activity for children. The Gmeiner is located at 134 Main Street, Wellsboro, behind the Green Free Library. We are open from 12-6PM Tuesday through Sunday and admission to the gallery is always free.
Sep 4, 2023 | News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is excited to offer a series of advanced drawing classes with Kathy Pilling-Whitney. Over the course of two classes, Kathy will teach students how to draw forms turning in space. The classes will be held from 9:30 AM to 12 PM on two consecutive Saturdays, September 16th and 23rd. These classes are free, but students must provide their own materials. Open to students ages 16 and older. Pre-registration is required. To register, please contact the director of the Gmeiner at 570-724-1917 or [email protected]
In the first class, students will learn how to draw sections of drapery, aka “ribbons.” Then they will learn how to overlap and weave the ribbon design, and finally how to shade the ribbons using color to push and pull the forms in space. The second class will build on those skills, teaching students how to draw folds of drapery, including clothing, using charcoal.
The materials needed for these classes are: a pencil, a kneaded (workable) eraser, Vine willow charcoal, colored pencils (Crayola or Prismacolor 12 or 24 set), 4 sheets of 12x 18, 16x 20 or 18×24 inch white paper, and 4 pieces of 16×20 or 18×24 inch white charcoal paper.
