The Gallery at Penn College, on the third floor of Pennsylvania College of Technology's Madigan Library, will host "Terra Incognita," an exhibit by five award-winning mosaic artists, from July 10 to Aug. 26.
The exhibit features the works of JeanAnn Dabb, Karen Kettering Dimit, Cynthia Fisher, Yulia Hanansen and Rachel Sager Lynch.
The show’s title, “Terra Incognita,” is a term is used in mapmaking to describe an unknown or unexplored land or region. It aptly describes the cross-boundary quests each of the artists brings to her studio practice.
Yulia Hanansen, “Supernova,” 16 inches by 12 inches, layered glass
It was in the unknown areas of old maps that mapmaking artists were given free rein to fantastical imagination, often reflecting the current beliefs of their society. (Photo gallery)
Interpreting “Terra Incognita” by its traditional usage in cartography, or as a metaphor for the exploration of the unknown in our world and ourselves, these award-winning artists will each present a body of work that reflects uncharted explorations of the present using an ancient medium.
As they push the boundaries of the medium of mosaic, the artists’ individual curiosity also drives them to cross divisions in disciplines, incorporating anthropology, archaeology, art history, astronomy, cartography, earth sciences, history, literature, social studies and women’s studies.
Dabb is a professor of art history at University of Mary Washington. She specializes in ancient and medieval art and the history of mosaics. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Weber State College, a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a doctorate from the University of Michigan.
Kettering Dimit is chair of the sculpture section at Pen and Brush Inc. in New York. She studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Compleat Sculptor in New York and Orsoni Mosaics in Venice, Italy. She maintains a studio in Queens. Also a classical singer, she holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in that field from California State University, Northridge, and a license in vocal performance from the Guildhall School of Music, London.
Fisher teaches basic mosaic techniques at her western Massachusetts studio, Big Bang Mosaics, as well as at a variety of art centers in the Northeast. Initially introduced to mosaics at the age of 12 through a photo in a craft book, it was nearly 30 years later that she began experimenting with the medium.
Hanansen, a second-generation mosaic artist, is an instructor of printmaking and drawing at Towson University in Maryland. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Cooper Union in New York and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan and Columbia University. She has been trained in mosaics, large-scale works, tapestry weaving and academic drawing by Yakov and Angele Hanansen. She owns Mosaic Sphere Studio.
Sager Lynch holds a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College and a master’s degree in mosaic study with maestro Lucio Orsoni, Venice, Italy, and has completed intensive study with maestro Verdiano Marzi in Chicago. She operates a studio in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The gallery will host a Meet the Artists Reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on July 12, with a gallery talk at 5:30.
In addition, the gallery will host a two-day, hands-on Mosaic Workshop with Hanansen on July 12-13. During this workshop for beginners, participants will learn to translate the ancient technique of mosaic into a modern, colorful expression.
The workshop fee of $255 includes lunch and all materials necessary to create a 12-inch by 12-inch mosaic. Preregistration and deposit are required. To register, call 570-320-2445 or email.
All exhibits are free and open to the public. Through July 31, the gallery is open Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. (closed Monday and Saturday).The gallery will be closed Wednesday, July 4.
Beginning Aug. 1, the gallery will operate on its regular schedule: Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 2 to 7 p.m.; and Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Monday and Saturday).
For more about the exhibit, workshop and The Gallery at Penn College, email or call 570-320-2445.
To learn more about the college, email or call toll-free 800-367-9222.
The exhibit features the works of JeanAnn Dabb, Karen Kettering Dimit, Cynthia Fisher, Yulia Hanansen and Rachel Sager Lynch.
The show’s title, “Terra Incognita,” is a term is used in mapmaking to describe an unknown or unexplored land or region. It aptly describes the cross-boundary quests each of the artists brings to her studio practice.
![Yulia Hanansen, “Supernova,” 16 inches by 12 inches, layered glass Yulia Hanansen, “Supernova,” 16 inches by 12 inches, layered glass](http://www.pct.edu/files/news/images/2012/06/Yulia-Hanansen-Supernova.jpg)
It was in the unknown areas of old maps that mapmaking artists were given free rein to fantastical imagination, often reflecting the current beliefs of their society. (Photo gallery)
Interpreting “Terra Incognita” by its traditional usage in cartography, or as a metaphor for the exploration of the unknown in our world and ourselves, these award-winning artists will each present a body of work that reflects uncharted explorations of the present using an ancient medium.
As they push the boundaries of the medium of mosaic, the artists’ individual curiosity also drives them to cross divisions in disciplines, incorporating anthropology, archaeology, art history, astronomy, cartography, earth sciences, history, literature, social studies and women’s studies.
Dabb is a professor of art history at University of Mary Washington. She specializes in ancient and medieval art and the history of mosaics. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Weber State College, a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a doctorate from the University of Michigan.
Kettering Dimit is chair of the sculpture section at Pen and Brush Inc. in New York. She studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Compleat Sculptor in New York and Orsoni Mosaics in Venice, Italy. She maintains a studio in Queens. Also a classical singer, she holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in that field from California State University, Northridge, and a license in vocal performance from the Guildhall School of Music, London.
Fisher teaches basic mosaic techniques at her western Massachusetts studio, Big Bang Mosaics, as well as at a variety of art centers in the Northeast. Initially introduced to mosaics at the age of 12 through a photo in a craft book, it was nearly 30 years later that she began experimenting with the medium.
Hanansen, a second-generation mosaic artist, is an instructor of printmaking and drawing at Towson University in Maryland. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Cooper Union in New York and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan and Columbia University. She has been trained in mosaics, large-scale works, tapestry weaving and academic drawing by Yakov and Angele Hanansen. She owns Mosaic Sphere Studio.
Sager Lynch holds a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College and a master’s degree in mosaic study with maestro Lucio Orsoni, Venice, Italy, and has completed intensive study with maestro Verdiano Marzi in Chicago. She operates a studio in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The gallery will host a Meet the Artists Reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on July 12, with a gallery talk at 5:30.
In addition, the gallery will host a two-day, hands-on Mosaic Workshop with Hanansen on July 12-13. During this workshop for beginners, participants will learn to translate the ancient technique of mosaic into a modern, colorful expression.
The workshop fee of $255 includes lunch and all materials necessary to create a 12-inch by 12-inch mosaic. Preregistration and deposit are required. To register, call 570-320-2445 or email.
All exhibits are free and open to the public. Through July 31, the gallery is open Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. (closed Monday and Saturday).The gallery will be closed Wednesday, July 4.
Beginning Aug. 1, the gallery will operate on its regular schedule: Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 2 to 7 p.m.; and Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Monday and Saturday).
For more about the exhibit, workshop and The Gallery at Penn College, email or call 570-320-2445.
To learn more about the college, email or call toll-free 800-367-9222.