Sep 4, 2023 | Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is pleased to announce the 25th anniversary this September of The Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild (MLQG), which meets monthly at the Gmeiner. As part of that celebration, the members of MLQG are planning a bed turning event to take place at the Gmeiner on Friday, September 29th at 7:00 PM and on Saturday, September 30th at 1:00 PM. What is a bed turning? It’s basically a quilt show in an hour! The selected quilts which are stacked on a bed are turned over one at a time while a member explains and describes them.
At the 25th anniversary bed turning, the guild will highlight quilts made by some of its charter members and presidents, as well as some past raffle quilts made over the years by many members of the guild. The audience will hear the stories behind the quilts and what inspired the quiltmakers to make them. There will be quilts of all styles, colors, and fabrics, from traditional to modern.
This should be a fun and inspirational event for quilters and non-quilters alike, so be sure to mark your calendars and tell your friends. The bed turning is free and light refreshments will be served.
To learn more about the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild, check out their blog at mountainlaurelquiltguild.blogspot.com. 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 | Call for Artists, News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center announces the return of our Regional Juried Exhibit to be held December 2-23, 2023. Any artist located within 150 miles of our location working in any two-dimensional media is invited to apply!
The deadline for entry submissions is November 2, 2023.
The Gmeiner is a large, free public art gallery located in beautiful downtown Wellsboro at 134 Main Street. We are committed to showcasing local emerging and established artists.
Calendar:
Entries begin: Monday, October 2
Go to: gmeinerartculturalcenter.org and click on the link for the submission form
Deadline for entries: Thursday, November 2 at midnight
Notification of acceptance: Friday, November 10
Delivery of accepted work: Thursday, November 16 and Friday, November 17 from 12-6 PM.
Exhibit dates: Saturday, December 2 through Saturday, December 23.
Reception date: Sunday, December 3 from 2-4 PM
Pick up dates for unsold works: Tuesday, January 2 and Wednesday,
January 3, 2024 from 12-6 PM
Eligibility:
• Artists living within a 150-mile radius of 134 Main Street, Wellsboro
• Age 18+
• Must be original work completed within the last five years
• Artists may submit up to 3 works
• All two-dimensional media considered
• Artwork cannot have been displayed previously at the Gmeiner
• Work cannot exceed 60” in any direction
• Work submitted must be available to be on display for the entire length of the exhibit
• No substitutions allowed
• Accepted work must be professionally finished and installation ready – either framed or gallery-wrapped – with secure wiring
• Unfinished, wet or uncured objects will not be accepted
The Gmeiner reserves the right to refuse any work that is not properly prepared, is not of acceptable quality, differs significantly from the images submitted, or is not original. Fees will NOT be refunded for work that is not accepted.
Submissions:
• To submit entries, go to: gmeinerartculturalcenter.org and click on the link for the submission form, which will open on October 2nd .
• The following information is required for each submitted piece:
o Title
o Date completed
o Medium
o Dimensions
o Price (or NFS)
• A short description (less than 200 words) of the work is optional
• Each submitted work must have a digital photo that shows the whole piece
• Up to 3 original works may be submitted per artist
• Up to 2 detail or alternate views per work may also be submitted
Images should accurately represent the work. Poor-quality images are more likely to be eliminated.
Image files submitted for the jurying process may also be used for publicity purposes prior to and during the exhibit. The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center may photograph, digitally distribute or reproduce the entries for educational, cataloging, and publicity purposes.
Image Files:
• Files must be under 3 MB each
• Only files saved in JPEG format will be accepted
• Suggested minimum file size – 72 dpi, 1,000 x 1,000 pixels (no less than 480 pixels)
• Image files MUST be named in the following format:
o Last Name
o Entry #
o Title of work
o Detail # (if applicable)
• Use underscores between parts of file name, not commas or spaces
• Examples:
Heath_1_Dragon.jpg
Heath_1_Dragon_Detail1.jpg
Powell_1_SprayCans.jpg
Powell_2_ElliotNessFest.jpg
Powell_3_NeatoBurrito.jpg
Fees:
• $10 per entry, up to 3 entries (non-refundable)
• Fees may be paid by bringing or mailing cash or a check made out to:
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center, 134 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA 16901. Fees may also be paid for using a credit card or mobile app in person at the Gmeiner or by calling 570-724-1917 during our normal business hours.
• Entries are not considered complete until the fee is received
Insurance:
The Gmeiner does NOT insure exhibits. Art is displayed at the artist’s risk.
Artists are encouraged to speak with their insurance company about a rider if coverage is desired. Please keep this in mind when deciding whether to submit your work for the exhibit.
Selection:
• The independent juror will select the works of art to be included in the exhibit, as well as choose the award winners, based on their merits.
• Not all works submitted to the jurying process will be selected.
• Fees will not be refunded for works that are not selected.
• Artists will be notified if their works have been selected by Friday, November 10, 2023.
Delivery of Artwork:
• Artists are responsible for delivery and pickup of their artwork.
• Artwork accepted into the exhibit must be hand-delivered to the gallery on Thursday, November 16 and Friday, November 17 between the hours of 12-6 PM.
• The artist may have another person deliver their work for them.
• We do not accept artwork by mail, nor do we have storage room for packing materials.
• Pickup of any unsold artwork will be on:
o Tuesday, January 2, 2024 from 12-6 PM and
o Wednesday, January 3, 2024 from 12-6 PM
Sales:
• Artwork does not have to be available for sale to be included in the exhibit. Please mark such pieces as “NFS.”
• Keep in mind the cost of materials (including framing), your time, and the Gmeiner’s commission when pricing your work.
• The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center will handle all sales of artwork in the exhibit, including collecting PA sales tax (6%).
• It is the responsibility of the artist to pay any tax owed.
• The Gmeiner charges a 20% commission on all art work sold during an exhibit.
• Artists whose work sells during the exhibit will receive a check within 3 weeks of the end date of the exhibit.
• Although we encourage guests who purchase art work to leave it up until the end of the exhibit, because we are a tourist location, that is not always possible.
• The Gmeiner does not ship purchased artwork.
About the Juror:
John McKaig is an associate professor of art at Bloomsburg University. He received a BFA in printmaking from Miami University in Ohio, and an MFA in printmaking from Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY. He has taught printmaking, painting, figure drawing and anatomy at Syracuse University, and all levels of painting, printmaking, general and figure drawing, and analog photography at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, MI. John McKaig has exhibited work throughout the United States and internationally, in group and juried exhibitions as well as in several solo exhibitions.
Calendar:
Entries begin: Monday, October 2
Deadline for entries: Thursday, November 2 at midnight
Notification of acceptance: Friday, November 10
Delivery of accepted work: Thursday, November 16 and Friday,
November 17 from 12-6 PM.
Exhibit dates: Saturday, December 2 through Saturday, December 23.
Reception date: Sunday, December 3 from 2-4 PM
Pick up dates for unsold works: Tuesday, January 2 and Wednesday,
January 3, 2024 from 12-6 PM
Any questions, please contact Carrie Heath, the director of the Gmeiner at
570-724-1917 or [email protected]
Aug 20, 2023 | News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
She wowed them from the start, with her starburst eyelashes, Miss America smile, and impossibly long legs – all eight of them. Wellsboro’s glamorous new resident – an
outsized spider fashioned from gears, wrenches, hay rakes. and other metal parts – arrived with “Metal Metamorphic,” the Gmeiner Art and Cultural Center’s April exhibit of
metal artwork by sculptor Mark English of Westfield, PA.
The metallic beauty now has a forever home at the Gmeiner, where you’ll find her comfortably nesting in the front flowerbed, the prime spot she occupied during the show.
It took a trio of local art lovers – current and recent Gmeiner docents – to make it happen. Noticing how the unconventional sculpture delighted visitors of all ages and stopped passersby, Holly Morris, Kathy Plumley, and Karen Meyers pooled their resources to purchase the piece for the center’s permanent collection.
“It was definitely a stroke of genius to put it out front,” says Meyers. “People were taking pictures of their kids with the spider, then going in to the exhibit with them, then finding
out about all the programs the Gmeiner has for people of all ages. So, we thought, let’s make this permanent.”
Gmeiner Director Carrie Heath, welcoming the acquisition, says she will launch a “Name the Spider” contest in August: “Children are invited to come and give their suggestions for names on our ‘Idea Web.’ At the end of the month, all the name ideas will be considered and the winner will be selected. So if you think you have a creative, ingenious name for our new metallic friend, please let us know!” Heath notes that the Gmeiner will be open from 12-6 PM Saturday, August 5th through Sunday August 27th (closed on Mondays) for the August exhibits.
The spider’s creator has this to say about his art (artinthewilds.org/english). “My materials, much like people, are often imperfect, showing signs of wear, yet having a story and waiting to be transformed.” Children visiting the Gmeiner and imagining names for English’s arachnid may wish to weave their own web of stories around Wellsboro’s winsome newcomer.
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.
Jul 30, 2023 | News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
By: Carrie Heath, July 25, 2023
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is thrilled to announce a widely varied exhibit in the Main Gallery for August, “Alice Mickey Hard: A Retrospective.” This exhibit will feature
some of the work of beloved local art teacher, Alice Mickey Hard, who passed away in 2022. Exhibit guests will be able to view Alice’s incredible ability to see the beauty in
everything from a very early age, as well as her gift of being able to express that beauty through art. There will be pieces in the exhibit from the 1930s through the 2010s, in
ceramics and clay, fiber arts, acrylics, pen and ink, batik, quilting, watercolor, pastels and more. The exhibit will open on Saturday, August 5 th at noon. However, the reception
for this and the Atrium exhibit will be held on Sunday, August 13 th from 2-4PM, so that the artists’ families may attend. The reception is free and open to the public, and light
refreshments will be provided.
Alice Carlson Mickey Hard was born in Lorraine, Ohio on December 8, 1931. She married Max Mickey in 1954. Alice and Max moved to Wellsboro in 1959 and had three
children: John Mickey, Judy Watson, and Ann Miller. Alice began teaching art in the Wellsboro Area School District in 1967. Before she retired in 1994, she was named
Head of the Art Department and Teacher of the Year in 1987. She was a member of the
Williamsport Chapter of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen, Surface Design, Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, and a charter member of the Wellsboro Art Support
Group. In October, 1983, she had a batik printed in the September issue of Fiber Arts. It was a commissioned batik Peace banner that now hangs in a cathedral in Budapest,
Hungary. Alice contributed to many Vesta shows and other art shows at the Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center and around Wellsboro. Her first husband Max passed in 2009.
Alice remarried in 2012 to Larry Hard. He passed away in 2014. Alice was a prolific artist throughout her life until she passed away at 90 in 2022.
Come to the Gmeiner in August to see the amazing talent of a Wellsboro artist who is sorely missed by family, friends, and former students. Some original works of art will be
for sale. Alice’s family has also commissioned some small items printed with her original works that will be for sale during this exhibit.
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.
Jul 30, 2023 | Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
By: Carrie Heath, July 25, 2023
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is pleased to announce a retrospective exhibit of Josh Crane’s pen and ink artwork in the Atrium Gallery for August titled, “Post Its.” The
exhibit will open on Saturday, August 5 th at noon. However, the reception for this and the Main Gallery exhibit will be held on Sunday, August 13 th from 2-4PM, so that the artists’ families may attend. The reception is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be provided.
Joshua Samuel Crane was born Jan. 3 rd , 1988, at Corning Hospital. He was the 8 th child of Gloria and David Crane. Throughout his life he lived in Tioga, Antrim, Covington,
Wellsboro, and Corning. Josh liked to be around people, which might have something to do with being from a large family. He was also spiritual and interested in theology like
his father before him. This was a main motivating factor in creating his art. He was very astute and learned many subjects without a formal education. He was a self-learner
who read many books on psychology, classical literature, history and the many art forms. His love for people was deep and serious, based in theologies such as Tibetan
Buddhism and Christianity. Joshua was also spritely and athletic. Working out with friends was something that gave Josh a feeling of physically bettering himself. He was an avid skateboarder, which he also turned into a way of displaying art and entertaining the public.
Josh loved artists such as Alex Grey, Salvador Dali and Van Gogh. One of his favorite pieces of art was the tryptic “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch.
Artists that pushed their craft and had something to say were of high value to him. Mediums he worked with included chalk pastels, pen and ink, oil paints and tattoo. He
also spray-painted and tagged many buildings and trash cans with the name Rumi. Rumi was his street signature and a poet that he liked to promote. This was also a
game of hide and seek with the police as they had a hard time figuring out who was “vandalizing the town.” He did not see this as a form of vandalism though. Josh was trying to promote a higher form of thinking by making the locals look up the name. He did not think he was lessening the value of things; instead, he felt he was adding to their
value and aesthetic.
Joshua would also create sidewalk art with chalk. He would put hours into this work knowing it would end up sun-bleached, washed away and stepped on by the public.
Sometimes this performative act was to help a friend who had a business; other times he would do it in the idea of the transitory nature of material life. This is in the same vein
as the sand mandalas made by Buddhists, that they would destroy after making. On the opposite end of the spectrum, he also was a tattooist, which meant leaving a
permanent mark on a person’s skin to display throughout their life. No surface was off limits to the message he was compelled to send. Big, small, elaborate or simple, he was
going to share his thoughts intended to spread healing and love to the world.
Joshua passed on June 28, 2022, at the age of 34. He had endless potential and that “What if?” factor about him that will stay with us all. A philosopher he shared a quote
from not long before he died was Marcus Aurelius, who once said “Each of us lives only now, this brief instant. The rest has been lived already, or it is impossible to see.” In life
Josh was more interested in putting his work in coffee houses than galleries as he felt he could affect the everyday man that doesn’t necessarily think about actively seeking
out the arts. But Josh’s family agreed to share his art with the audience at the Gmeiner to help us push the envelope of what is considered “worthy” of a gallery. We hope that
you will come to see this display to appreciate Josh’s vision and honor his memory.
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.
Jul 16, 2023 | News, Regional Arts Events, Visual Arts
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is pleased to announce a workshop and reading from esteemed local author Judith Sornberger. This event is a celebration of the publication of Judith’s tenth collection of poetry, The Book of Muses, which is hot off the presses. In this newest book, the poet invites readers to open the door (or window, or our hearts) to welcome the Muse in her many guises. Both events will be held on Tuesday, July 25 th . The writing workshop will start at 6PM and will be held in the Main Gallery at the Gmeiner. There is a fee of $10 for the workshop, and pre-registration is required. The book reading and party will follow at 7PM in the Main Gallery. The reading is free and no registration is required.
Come have fun, find inspiration, and discover your muse at the workshop "Finding Your Muse in Art: A Fun Writing Workshop with author Judith Sornberger!" In conjunction with Jonathan Bond’s “Rustic Beauty” exhibit, and guided by the poet, participants will imagine their ways into the scenes of these gorgeous paintings and discover ways to write their own poems, inspired by the muses they find in the images in the gallery. Judith is an accomplished teacher who first taught creative writing and literature in Nebraska prisons and since then has taught in many venues, including at Mansfield University. If you are interested in participating in the workshop, please contact Carrie Heath, the director of the Gmeiner, at 570-724-1917 or [email protected] to sign up and pay the $10 fee.
At 7PM, workshop participants and anyone else interested in writing and poetry are invited to gather in the gallery to hear Judith read selections from The Book of Muses. Whether communing with a black bear, describing a painted turtle laying her eggs, or observing a garter snake’s left-behind skin, the poet reminds us that “everything here speaks of her” and is “an invitation to create / something from what / looks like nothing. The poet’s muse is the ultimate shapeshifter–at times a mermaid, a witch, a deer, a painting, or even the woman bicycling up behind her on the Pine Creek bike path.
Readers–and those attending her reading/book party–are guaranteed to find inspiration in these myriad muses. Light refreshments will be provided.
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is located at 134 Main Street in Wellsboro, behind the Green Free Library.
