The Gallery at Penn College Announces Exhibits for 2005-06

The Gallery at Penn College on the main campus of Pennsylvania College of Technology has an exciting lineup of artists scheduled for the 2005-06 academic year.

The kickoff exhibit, "Urban," features watercolor paintings by California artist Kirk Pedersen. His untraditional works involve abstraction, collage and the use of words to create an altogether new style of watercolor paintings for the viewer. Pedersen is a full-time professor of art and the art department chair at Mt. San Antonio College. "Urban" runs from Aug. 30 to Sept. 23.

In contrast to the vibrant and stimulating colors of Pedersen's paintings, the second exhibit, "Contemporary Landscapes," features works in charcoal. Rather than allowing her chosen medium to offer a subdued vision of the landscape, artist Linda Mylin Ross attempts to portray her concern with environmental issues within the black-and-white images. Such issues should raise awareness in many patrons of this exhibit, as she takes inspiration from the area surrounding her home in Pennsylvania. The exhibit opens Oct. 4, with an artist's talk scheduled for 4 p.m., and runs until Oct. 30.

The third exhibit of the fall season, "Visions & Imaginings," offers a different take on the landscape. Victoria Veedell's paintings suggest landscapes that may not have been physically seen, but rather sensed or experienced by the artist. Much of her inspiration comes from her travels in Japan, India and Canada, as well as the United States. The exhibit will open Nov. 8 and runs through Dec. 9.

Mixed-media artist Gretchen Moyer will open the Spring 2006 calendar with an exhibit titled "Schemata." Moyer encompasses all her varying techniques of interest in her works on paper, including painting, printmaking and drawing. She earned degrees in the latter two. The exhibit runs from Jan. 17 to Feb. 10.

The exhibit "Misplacement" is composed of intriguing photographs by Fanky Chak. The artist starts with straight black-and-white photographs, then inserts them into another setting and takes another photograph, this time in color. He says he "plays on the ideas of consciousness versus randomness, staged versus documentary photography, and analog versus digital technology." Chak is an assistant professor of art at The College of New Jersey. The exhibit opens Feb. 21, with an artist's talk scheduled for 4 p.m., and runs through March 24.

The final show of the academic year, "Bearing Water: Prints and Drawings," features the work of Rosemarie T. Bernardi. An associate professor of art at Keene State College in New Hampshire, Bernardi uses her original photographs to create works in a series. Most of her recent work has been based on images taken at medical museums and combines text with prints and drawings to form dynamic wall installations. The show runs from April 4-28, with an artist's talk scheduled at 4 p.m. April 4.

The great variety of artistic styles constituting this year's exhibition calendar follows the gallery's mission to promote art appreciation and understanding. Visitors are encouraged to attend gallery openings for an opportunity to hear about what inspires the artists and the messages they try to portray.

The Gallery at Penn College is located in Room 202 of the Bush Campus Center. Exhibit openings run from 3:30 to 6 p.m. The gallery is also open from 2 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays or by appointment. Special hours are provided to coincide with Williamsport's First Friday events.

For more information about the 2005-06 shows at The Gallery at Penn College, call (570) 326-3761, ext. 7973, or send e-mail.