Gallery at Penn College to Feature Artwork by Cathy Breslaw
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The Gallery at Penn College, on the third floor of Pennsylvania College of Technology's Madigan Library, will host "Illuminations," an exhibit of works by Cathy Breslaw, from May 18 to June 28.
Breslaw's work explores the possibilities of using familiar and accessible commercial materials to create art pieces that awaken the mind and spirit.
"My work engages materiality in many forms," Breslaw says. "It has its roots in childhood and the family fabric business. Spending a multitude of hours around fabrics of all kinds seeing and feeling colors, textures and patterns presented on an array of fabric types, made an indelible impression (that) followed me into adulthood and into the art I make."
Influenced by those years in southern California, where she also observed the play of light and space, she creates mostly large-scale wall, floor and installation works that reflect "the ephemeral transparent lightness of the environment in which I live, highlighting the fragility of life."
Journeys to Taiwan and Shanghai introduced Breslaw to factories where industrial mesh was manufactured for consumer grocery and kitchen products. Taking the material out of the world of commerce and into her studio, Breslaw revealed its organic and ethereal traits as she created works that combine forms of painting, sculpture and installation.
Her creations invite the viewer to take an intimate look at materials that transcend their function and defy their destiny, existing indefinitely as enduring art rather than as expended and discarded goods.
Breslaw earned a Master of Fine Arts from Claremont Graduate University. She has exhibited her work across the United States at museums, college and university galleries, art centers and commercial galleries.
The gallery will host a Meet the Artist Reception with Breslaw from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on May 22, with artist's comments at 5:30.
"Illuminations" will be on display through June 28. All exhibits are free and open to the public. Through May 30, the gallery is open 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 Saturday and Monday). The gallery will be closed Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-28.
Beginning June 1, the gallery will operate its summer schedule: Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. (closed Monday and Saturday).
For more about the exhibit and The Gallery at Penn College, visit on the Web , email or call 570-320-2445.
To learn more about the college, visit online , email or call toll-free 800-367-9222.