Penn College News

Pop Culture Exhibit at Penn College Honors Little League®

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Colorful creations by an internationally renowned  3-D pop artist are teamed with artwork by area middle and high school students in “Collective Pop,” an art exhibit celebrating pop art and the 75th anniversary of Little League®.

“Collective Pop” opened July 10 in The Gallery at Penn College and continues through Aug. 24 – the final day of the 2014 Little League Baseball® World Series. A special “Meet the Artist Reception” is set for Monday, Aug. 18, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Best known for his use of bright colors, intricate details and 3-D layering techniques that animate his images, Charles Fazzino has exhibited his work in hundreds of museums and galleries in more than 20 countries over the past 30 years.



"Collective Pop," on display at The Gallery at Penn College through Aug. 24, features works created by internationally renowned 3-D pop artist Charles Fazzino and area students. The exhibit celebrates the 75th anniversary of Little League Baseball. Earlier this year, Fazzino collaborated with fifth-grade students from schools in Lycoming and Sullivan counties in the creation of an official artwork for the 75th anniversary of Little League. The piece will be dedicated during this year’s Little League Baseball World Series at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16, and displayed in the World of Little League: Peter J. McGovern Museum in South Williamsport.

Supported by the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania, Little League International and Penn College, Fazzino’s artist-in-residence program also included educational workshops for teachers, elementary and high school students and an art contest for students. Works created by fifth-grade students and their art teachers, as well as the winning entries in the contest, are included in the exhibit at Penn College.

“Little League has played a vital role in our greater community here in central Pennsylvania for 75 years,” said Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour, who serves as chairman of the Little League International Board of Directors and is a member and past chairman of the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania. “This is an exciting project in which we can follow in the vision of Little League founder Carl E. Stotz to educate the area children while creating a lasting work of art to celebrate the community and Little League’s commitment to developing Major League people.”

Fazzino’s portion of the “Collective Pop” exhibit at Penn College will feature original creations depicting a range of iconic contemporary life and scenes.

"Fazzinopalooza" was created by Charles Fazzino and area high school students during his artist-in-residence program held earlier this year. The work's theme was “Little League in Our Community.”“I am truly honored to be a part of this exhibition at The Gallery at Penn College,” Fazzino said. “These young artists are an inspiration to me, and the idea of being able to inspire them to create such brilliance is humbling. I’m proud to hang my art with theirs and will forever treasure the experiences I had working with them in honor of the 75th anniversary of Little League Baseball.”

The Gallery at Penn College is on the third floor of the Madigan Library. The gallery’s summer exhibit hours are Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m. (closed Saturdays and Mondays). Regular hours resume on Aug. 1: Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2 to 7 p.m.; and Wednesdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Saturdays and Mondays). 

Admission to the gallery is free and open to the public. In addition to serving as an educational resource for Penn College students and a cultural asset to the college and community, the gallery is dedicated to promoting art appreciation through exhibitions of contemporary art.

For more about The Gallery at Penn College, email or call 570-320-2445.

For more about Penn College, which is marking 100 years as an educational institution of national reputation throughout 2014, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.

Photos by Dalaney T. Vartenisian, student photographer