Tag Archives: Art of the State

The Week that Was: A summary of news and features around Harrisburg

June 28, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg school district Receiver Janet Samuels speaks to the press.

The weekend is upon us once again, but it can’t start until we sum up another heavy workweek of news around Harrisburg.

“Art of the State” opened at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, giving our art reviewer a chance to check out the annual juried exhibit dedicated to PA artists. Also, find out who won the awards.

Bethesda Mission received Harrisburg City Council approval for its proposal to demolish the historic Shamrock Fire Station and build a new addition to its community center on Herr Street. Click here for the details.

Capital Region Water unveiled its plan to begin imposing a stormwater fee for system upgrades and greening initiatives. CRW officials stressed its necessity, but not everyone was happy about it. For all the details, click here and here.

D&H Distributing is making a major commitment to help out our region’s children. Find out what this company, one of our area’s largest yet little known, is up to. Click here for the details.

Harrisburg swore in nine new police officers and gave commendations for bravery to both officers and civilians. Separately, a city hall ceremony honored Capt. Gabriel Olivera, a long-time officer who is retiring from the force.

Harrisburg School District again offered a bounty of news, as the district’s new court-appointed receiver cleaned house of the old administration, including the embattled superintendent, and announced that she would bring in a new team. Our editor added his own commentary.

Harrisburg University has attracted students from all over the world to attend its annual AI Bootcamp. Click here for the details.

July 4 Food Truck Festival and Fireworks will return for another year on Thursday. We have all the patriotic details from the mayor’s announcement.

Keyzus was our featured musician for the week as we wrapped up our series in honor of African American Music Appreciation Month.

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman opened the pool at his Fort Indiantown Gap mansion to groups and organizations, and Harrisburg schoolchildren were the first ones to make use of it.

Rockhill Trolley Museum is a nice day trip to view (and ride in) historic trolleys from around central PA, says our writer.

Rock climbing has become a popular sport in recent years, and there are numerous walls to scale around the Harrisburg area. Click here to read our feature story.

Sara Bozich punches your ticket for a fun weekend with her weekly roundup of things to do around the Harrisburg area.

TheBurg distributed our July issue to more than 500 locations in seven counties around central PA and posted all the content to our website. This month, we have a focus on pets, in addition to our usual wealth of community news and features.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Harrisburg a $300,000 grant to help clean up old, polluted industrial sites known as brownfields. Click here for the details.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news and events? If not, subscribe here!

Art Debut: Annual “Art of the State,” a feast for the eyes, the emotions; winners announced

June 24, 2019 | by Bob MacGinnes

The State Museum of Pennsylvania houses many collections, but none quite as diverse and rich as this one.

On Sunday, the museum unveiled this year’s “Art of the State” with an opening reception and awards ceremony, marking an exceptional 52nd edition of the annual juried contest and exhibit.

The exhibit honored some of the best artists from across the commonwealth, with artists both seasoned and emerging joining forces to create a tour de force.

Applications for this juried show started shortly after the new year. Entrants numbered 2,170, and, in the end, 110 works of art from 103 artists across 35 counties were selected. Cash prizes were awarded for painting, works on paper, photography and digital arts and sculpture and craft.

As the State Museum’s curator of fine arts, Amy Hammond, along with Carol Buck, curator of installations, took great care in presenting this latest edition of “Art of the State.”

By purposeful design, Hammond’s presentation replicates that of an upscale gallery, elevating what could be an unwieldy task in highlighting 110 works of diverse media. In this massive undertaking, many hands worked together—from collecting and cataloging to the final finish as the last piece is hung.

The power of art is such that it can transform a mere viewer to a full-in participant. There is art that speaks in a whisper, art that leaves us thunderstruck, and art that bowls us over with a feather.

In no particular order, the following are 10 “snapshots” from the 2019 class of “Art of the State”:

James Evangelista’s “The Law’s Must Change” (pictured top) is a close-up a child’s face peering through a wire fence. No work is more charged politically or fraught emotionally as one imagines a child separated from their family and freedom. This photo speaks a thousand words without uttering a sound.

“Zen Teraglyph” is a color photograph by John Meza that depicts a series of crop circles dusted by new fallen snow echoing down the centuries with man’s fascination of mysteries manifested from beyond the natural realm.

The perfection achieved in Bill Snyder’s night skyscape, “Mars Milky Way and Seneca Rocks,” almost makes one think it was staged that way. Along with Mars’ amber glow is sprinkling stardust from the Milky Way, making a serendipitous moment captured on film.

Michael Munchel’s “Salon de Musica” is a photographic study of a haunted habitué no longer present. His depiction details a salon of spirits only in showing an ambiance of abandonment. The photo features a neon pink piano as its primary focus. A diffused use of color, tinting and light only heightens the melancholy mood.

At face value, Donna Barlup’s whimsical watercolor painting captures its title perfectly, a girl sitting astride her father’s shoulders gives her the “Best Seat in the House” (pictured). Perhaps they are at a country fair, but the painting shares its deeper meaning—that special bond between daughter and father. Barlup achieves an artistic nonchalance as only a master watercolorist could attain.

The world would look a lot different to us if we only saw it in black and white. If color is king, then Chuck Olson’s “The Meeting Place” delivers the goods. But more than that, the title carries additional import as the oil painting converges head-on at the intersection of abstraction and color.

Michelle Thomas’s acrylic work on canvas, “Route 29 South, Late Autumn,” captures a stretch of road in northeastern Pennsylvania that could just as easily be an unknown destination in our imagination. Brilliantly inserting the viewer behind the wheel creates an eerie sense of entering a dreamscape. What lies around the bend is entirely up to you.

“Embrace the View” is Paul Sirofchuck’s gift to sculpture and craft at its finest. This thought-provoking, imagination-invoking combination of solid cherry, wenge, brushed aluminum and polished mirror standing 7 feet tall, is a statement piece of its own accord. If beauty is truth, then this is as honest as it gets.

Qay San’s “Emergence of the Grid” demonstrates pottery’s testament to time immemorial in its tonal and textural tribute to what looks like could be a Mayan artifact that speaks to lost civilizations. A time when life was lived completely off the grid.

Sandra Moore’s “Fat Egg II” takes Native Okeewemee red clay from North Carolina to create a vessel that defies description. The artist states, “Hot clay dictates the moment when the painting of line and direction of smoke is embedded into the burnished layers of the clay resulting in translucent planes of line and smoke.” The piece tells the story of each of those moments.

More than ever, “Art of the State” exemplifies the vast richness of art and artists distributing a common wealth to all who visit.

“Art of the State” runs through Sept. 8 at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 North St., Harrisburg. It close coincides with the Art Association of Harrisburg’s citywide Gallery Walk.

And the Winners Are:

The State Museum of Pennsylvania today announced the winners of 2019 “Art of the State” juried competition. Awards are $500 for first place, $300 for second place and $200 for third place.

Photography
1^st Sanh Tran, “Untitled, No. 1 (Country Mouse)”
2^nd Lisa Bennett, “Constructed Lights 5095-45”
3^rd James Evangelista, “The Laws Must Change”
Honorable Mention: Irene VanBuskirk, “Divided Attention”
Honorable Mention: Kyle Yates, “Indiana Theater”

Painting
1^st Denny Bond, “DIY”
2^nd Debbie Baer, “Hostile Takeover”
3^rd Robert Arnosky, “Wish I Was There”
Honorable Mention: Paige Tibbe, “Mike”

Work on Paper
1^st Geoffrey Beadle, “Samuel Illuminated”
2^nd Cassaundra Flor, “Aeolian Cityscape”
3^rd Lauren Scavo-Fulk, “Building and Tree”
Honorable Mention: Terri Fridkin, “Freeriding”
Honorable Mention: Linda Aragon, “Maria”

Craft
1^st Amy LeFever, “Untitled”
2^nd Paul Sirofchuck, “Embrace The View”
3^rd Sue Reno, “In Dreams I Slept in a Cabin”
Honorable Mention: E. Douglas Wunder, “Scramble”
Honorable Mention: Janine Wang, “Snug Stones”

Sculpture
1^st Diane Pepe, “Installation: Selective Processes of Memory”
2^nd Brian Glaze, “WPA”
3^rd Jennifer Rubin Garey, “Transformation”
Honorable Mention: Tyler Stanton, “Tree House Credenza”

The State Museum Purchase Award
Cassaundra Flor: “Aeolian Cityscape”
Sanh Tran: “Untitled, No. 1 (Country Mouse)”

William D. Davis Memorial Award for Drawing
Richard Huck, “Assault”

Art Docents Choice Award
Paul Sirofchuck, “Embrace The View”

“Painted Journey”: PA Watercolor Society opens exhibit at Brain Vessel

June 10, 2019 | by Bob MacGinnes

My personal 3rd in the Burg arrived early this month, and the “burg” got switched to Mechanicsburg. That’s accurate in that an art reception was held at Brain Vessel on the Carlisle Pike last weekend, but don’t despair. Harrisburg’s monthly 3rd arrives as scheduled on June 21.

Nothing evokes summer more than a wistful watercolor painting that engages a symphony of colors. So, it was appropriate that the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s board of directors opened their exhibit, “Along the Painted Journey.”

The board’s Debra Kreiger graciously guided me around the gallery for the grand tour of watercolors. A knowledgeable host, she has a personal connection to the gallery, as she is one of the co-owner’s mothers. In the background, the jazz duo of Rhoads and Putt provided the perfect seasonal sounds, sharing standards with a twist on electric guitars. The society’s Walker family was well represented—John, Virginia and Johnny. Rounding out the board of 12 were artists Donna Barlup, Jeannine Swartz, Pam Wenger, Linda Young, Helen Canfield, Eric Miller, Gay Dunn and Caryn Husowech.

Barlup is also a past president of the Susquehanna Valley Plein Air Painters, and her works have also been well represented in “Art of the State,” the annual juried exhibition at the Pennsylvania State Museum. She and her fellow artists embrace the challenges created by watercolors, approaching their next work with planned precision as exacting execution determines the finished result.

Perhaps one of the most challenging mediums in the art compendium, watercolor painting, in its best representation, proves that focused attention to detail and a steady hand are paramount to success. Watercolorists’ lives are defined by beauty and passion, chasing ethereal eloquence on archival paper with brush in hand.

Speaking of challenging—on hand for the show was Roni Dietrich, who has specialized in the artistic endeavor of scrimshaw for 40 years. In case you’re not familiar, scrimshaw is the adornment of whalebone and walrus tusks with carved or colored designs. Her work has been featured at galleries in Maine and Rhode Island, as well as in art journals and national publications.

It makes sense that Dietrich is a house artist at Brain Vessel, since, as one pulls up to the building on the Carlisle Pike, piracy immediately comes to mind. Romance of the high seas is visibly present with a rusted ship’s anchor at the entrance to the gallery.

The brainchild of Doug Koozer and Jason Kreiger, Brain Vessel opened in 2013 and is known for incorporating their love and legacy of high-seas hijinks, branding its way onto a buccaneer’s bounty of treasures. It’s on playing cards, collectible coins, dice and tooled leather coasters, among other objects, all carrying a nautical theme. Brain Vessel’s own creations mark just the beginning of an adventure-worthy visit through a gallery that highlights artists’ works through showings and classes.

Brain Vessel houses a pirate’s plunder of products for adorning the home, from fine art to one-of-a-kind, out-sized sculptures. Woven baskets, pottery, turned wooden vessels, hand-cast jewelry, teas and botanical honeys complete the flagship’s first floor. With another studio gallery below deck and a sumptuous garden out back, I recommend allowing an hour or so just to navigate the “vessel” and experience the adventure in its complete package.

The real genius of Brain Vessel is its ability to cross-pollinate both merchandise and ideas with other central Pennsylvania merchants and businesses. This creates a network that helps all in the way of maximum exposure. By breathing life into a vision of their client’s needs, Brain Vessel creates a polished product uniquely its own, solidly establishing an identifiable brand that cements an intangible idea with a real commodity. No mad scientist here, but true genius, capable of executing an idea to its desired end.

Brain Vessel Gallery is located at 4704 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg. For more information visit https://brainvessel.com/ or their Facebook page.

Artist in Focus: Andrew Guth

April 30, 2019 | by TheBurg Editor

Do you own a Guth?

If you’ve been around Harrisburg awhile, you just might.

Artist Andrew Sedgwick Guth has been creating art in the capital city for more than a decade, formerly as part of the North Gallery and Mantis Collective and, now, as an independent artist with a studio in the Millworks in Harrisburg.

His painting and printmaking is eclectic in media and theme. One day, he might employ mixed media to create figurative art with a deeply personal message. On another, he’ll turn to abstraction. Then he’ll create whimsical representations of taco trucks, bears or parking meters. You just never know.

One thing you will know is that Guth’s art will be of high quality. His work has been shown regionally and nationally, and he has curated more than 125 exhibits throughout his career. His art has been showcased in such prestigious places as the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, where, in 2017, his work on paper took a first-place award in the annual, juried “Art of the State” exhibition.

On this page, we include a small sample of Guth’s work. To see more, visit www.andrewsedgwickguth.com or, even, better stop by his studio in the Millworks.

June News Digest

June 30, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

Dog Park Proposed

Terriers and hounds soon may displace groundhogs and squirrels from a block of long-empty land in Midtown, as plans are afoot for Harrisburg’s first public dog park.

The community group Friends of Midtown is raising about $18,000 to cover two years of expenses for the off-leash park, which would be created on a grassy, three-quarter-acre expanse at N. 7th and Granite streets.

“We have the enthusiastic support of the city, the planning bureau,” said Annie Hughes, who is spearheading the effort for Friends of Midtown with her husband Andy. “Everybody’s all in, essentially.”

The Vartan Group owns the lot and has agreed to a two-year commitment, Hughes said. Friends of Midtown should hear soon on the fate of a grant application from PPL Electric and also is soliciting funds from individuals. It hopes to have the park, which would be free and open to the public, ready by spring 2018.

Plans call for a fence to ring the lot, which would be divided into two areas—one for large dogs and the other for small dogs. Dog waste bags would be available on site, and signs would be posted with the rules of the park.

The desire for a dog park in Harrisburg has come up repeatedly in recent years. Two years ago, it was the fifth most-popular suggestion among 1,200 ideas for inclusion in the city’s comprehensive plan, Hughes said.

She added that the dog park would be temporary, serving as a pilot for the city, which may use data collected from this effort to build a permanent park.

Jackson Hotel Mural

A new mural will celebrate Harrisburg’s African-American history, adorning the side of a building that once hosted such luminaries as Louis Armstrong and Pearl Bailey.

Sprocket Mural Works announced the project last month for the former Jackson Hotel and Rooming House on the 1000-block of N. 6th Street, a building that, decades ago, catered primarily to a black clientele refused service in the city’s major, segregated hotels.

“It will be an African-American historic mural, playing off the history itself,” said Sprocket co-founder Jeff Copus.

The Jackson Hotel painting is one of 10 murals that will be created during the Harrisburg Mural Festival, which Sprocket is organizing for the first 10 days of September.

Copus last month told the Harrisburg Architectural Review Board (HARB) that the mural will feature people who stayed at the hotel, possibly including entertainers like Armstrong, Bailey, Cab Callaway and Ella Fitzgerald. It may also incorporate images of important Harrisburg figures such as Ephraim Slaughter, an escaped slave who fought in the Civil War and later settled in the city.

In August, Sprocket will seek public input for the mural design, Copus said.

Sprocket is commissioning artist Cesar Viveros to paint the mural. Locally, Viveros is best known as the artist-in-residence who helped design and lead the creation of the Mulberry Street Bridge murals.

Stop the Drop

A small change to trashcan lids may cut the amount of litter on Harrisburg streets.

That’s the idea behind “Stop the Drop,” a campaign to turn home trashcans into, essentially, public trashcans.

The new lids are bright orange with a hole in the center that residents can attach to their trashcans, replacing their existing, solid lids. Pedestrians then can put litter into the can through the hole, rather than toss it in the street, said Julie Walter, neighborhood revitalization manager at Tri County Community Action, a part of the grassroots coalition Clean and Green Harrisburg.

A successful, three-month pilot run on 6th and Market streets convinced the coalition to roll out the lids citywide, Walter said.

“[We were] excited that people were actually using the lids,” she said about the trial run. “When we would go check them out, there would be coffee cups and chip bags in the cans. You can tell that there was actually a need.”

Later this month, residents citywide will be able to volunteer to swap their lids out with the new lids. These new lids work well with rowhome residents who place their trashcans at the front of their houses, she said.

King Mansion Sells

Harrisburg’s iconic Horace King Mansion sold last month, purchased by an engineering firm that plans to relocate there.

K & W Engineers, under the holding company name 2201 NFS LLC, purchased the building at 2201 N. Front St., along with several adjacent parcels, for $1.8 million from a group called 2201 Partnership, which had owned it since 2003.

The 10-person engineering and consulting firm expects to leave its current offices in Swatara Township and move into the building once renovations are completed this fall. To that end, CREDC provided a $325,000 Enterprise Zone Loan for improvements to the second floor.

The building also houses the marketing firm Sacunas, which moved into the first floor late last year.

Home Sales Up Again

Area home sales continued a years-long climb, as unit sales rose 4.4 percent in May, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors.

GHAR said that May sales totaled 948 units versus 908 houses in the year-ago period. The median price dipped to $170,000 compared to $174,900 in May 2016.

Dauphin County sales were strong, with 355 units sold versus 297 in the year prior, with the median price unchanged at $155,000. In Cumberland County, 310 houses sold compared to 326 in May 2016, with the median price falling to $190,125 versus $193,950, said GHAR.

In Perry County, 43 houses sold versus 30 in the year prior, and the median price fell to $127,000 against $151,500 in May 2016, said GHAR.

GHAR covers Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry counties and parts of York, Lebanon and Juniata counties.

So Noted

Andrew Guth of Harrisburg took first place in the category of “Work on Paper” at the 2017 “Art of the State,” a juried exhibit held each year at the State Museum of PA to honor the commonwealth’s best artwork. Guth is a Millworks and Burg artist, contributing the cover art for our May issue. You can see his winning entry, “Where We Used to Go When Everything Was Wrong (I Watched the Lilies Grow Until They Got Old),” with the rest of the exhibit, which runs through Sept. 10 at the State Museum.

Anna Rose Bakery & Coffee Shop opened last month at Walnut and N. 2^nd streets in Harrisburg, featuring doughnuts, cupcakes, cookies and espresso drinks. The business, owned by Ron Kamionka, is located in the rear portion of the former Molly Brannigans Irish Pub, which closed almost three years ago.

Excelon Corp. is making plans to shutter Three Mile Island in 2019 absent policy reforms by the state legislature to make nuclear power more competitive. TMI employs 675 workers, most of whom would lose their jobs if the facility closed.

Freshido, a fast-casual restaurant specializing in Asian cuisine, is expected to land this fall in Strawberry Square, at the corner of N. 3^rd and Market streets. The 50-seat eatery will occupy the 2,200-square-foot storefront long vacated by Plum Sport.

Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District launched “Discover the Ducks Downtown,” an outdoor art and beautification exhibit for the summer. Along with HDID, Harrisburg-based Sprocket Mural Works commissioned artists to paint 15 fiberglass ducks, which now can be seen throughout the downtown.

Harrisburg Hoopla, a field day of track-and-field activities, raised $5,500 last month for local nonprofits. Fourteen groups with 101 participants competed for select organizations in this first-ever charitable event, sponsored by Emerging Philanthropists Program, a partnership of TFEC and HYP.

Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitor’s Bureau last month received a Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation from the Public Relations Society of America. The award was for “Tourism in Your Town,” a series of advertorials that appeared in TheBurg throughout 2016.

PFM Asset Management signed a lease last month for 63,133 square feet of space in an office building at 213 Market St. in Harrisburg. By year-end, the firm plans to relocate its 150 employees from 100 Market St., where it has been for the past 20 years, according to commercial real estate firm CBRE Group, which represented the company.

Rite Aid has opened in Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg. The new, 14,000-square-foot store moved from cramped quarters across Market Street after a yearlong build-out.

Changing Hands

Adrian St., 2418: G. Brown to R. Ivey, $30,000

Balm St., 60: Kusic Financial Services LLC to OJK Enterprises, $32,000

Bellevue Rd., 1921: CNC Realty Group LLC to J. Romelfanger, $55,000

Berryhill St., 2202: PA Deals LLC to R. Narinesingh, $62,500

Berryhill St., 2316: D. & Y. Jiang to D. & L. Nguyen, $30,000

Boas St., 1925: P. Long to Resistance Properties LLC, $38,000

Camp St., 521: G. & S. Gallagher to K. Moralez, $30,000

Conoy St., 123: Secretary of Housing & Urban Development & Information Systems Network Corp. to E. Fultz, $73,000

Elliot St., 1080, Lot 2: R. & C. Berger to A. Gerges, $250,000

Fox Ridge Ct., 307: B. Miler to C. Hoover, $121,500

Green St., 1007: R. Nicoli to J. & C. Nunley, $110,000

Green St., 1915: J. & K. Johnston to S. Williams, $207,900

Green St., 1930: A. Miller to I. Bailey, $205,000

Green St., 2013: L. Binda to M. Didone, $214,000

Green St., 2137: Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. Trustee to N. Morrison, $32,694

Green St., 2321: J. Yoder to Willowscott Investment LLC, $37,500

Hale Ave., 447: K. & L. Torres to D. Norris, $62,000

Hamilton St., 242: J. & J. Collins to P. Christensen, $150,309

Harris St., 207: MTGLQ Investors LP & Selene Finance LP to K. Clark, $117,900

Harris St., 344: MidAtlantic IRA LLC Phillip Sachs IRA to M. & A. Gilbert, $108,500

Herr St., 269: G. Thall to M. Berlin, $115,000

Hoffman St., 3221: W. Wood to N. Consagra & L. Umberger, $109,900

Holly St., 2006: W. Thompson III to SCC Ward Inc., 32,000

Kelker St., 427: Secretary of Housing & Urban Development & Information Systems & Networks Corp. to I. Jordan, $32,500

Kensington St., 2110 & 2116: Donald L. Pong Trust to M. & A. Robinson, $59,000

Lewis St., 237: J. Toro to M. Horgan & Innovative Devices Inc.., $43,500

Locust St., 202: AMTO LLC to Sturges Property Management LLC, $300,000

Luce St., 2320: EAD Associates LLC to S. Ginder, $38,000

Muench St., 278: Secretary of Housing & Urban Development & Information Systems & Network Corp. to H. & C. Foley, $44,06

N. 2^nd St., 1522: J. Cantarell & A. Meck to K. Reiter, $164,000

N. 2^nd St., 2323: LSFP Master Participation Trust to M. Horgan & CR Services Inc., 63,900

N. 2^nd St., 2528: A. & C. Broadus to E. Pine & S. Ransome, $145,000

N. 4^th St., 3119: R. & C. Steele to T. Gottshall, $123,500

N. 4^th St., 3213: A. Semancik to G. Erdman & S. Ukodie, $120,000

N. 4^th St., 3227: Central Penn Properties to T. Barnes, $142,000

N. 5^th St., 2515: 2013 M&M Real Estate Fund LLC to T. & V. Williams, $129,900

N. 5^th St., 2600: PA Deals LLC to S. & S. Aiken, $69,900

N. 7^th St., 2714: M. Owens to L. Owens, $45,158

N. 14^th St., 1206, 1314 N. 15^th St. & 603 Benton St.: Kirsch & Burns LLC to Equity Trust Co. Custodian John Spencer IRA, $165,000

N. 15^th St., 1340: MidAtlantic IRA LLC James Yeager IRA to Z. Yap, $39,000

N. 16^th St., 1216: R. Urrutia to W. Jones, $110,000

N. 17^th St., 1102: C. & N. Finnell to J. Martinez & T. Kobayashi, $33,500

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 605: A. Lenda to C. Carter, $173,500

Peffer St., 219: N. Braun to D. Wendt & S. Shultz, $122,000

Peffer St., 317: 1515 Associates to D. Berhe, $75,000

Penn St., 1605: R. Daniels to L, D. & R. Olenowski, $87,500

Reel St., 2416 & 2418: 24 Reel Street LLC to American Rental Home LLC, $52,000

Rudy Rd., 2454: J. & S. Merlina to J. Howard, $57,500

Sassafras St., 269 & 1112 Susquehanna St.: R. & J. Ruth to Major League Properties LLC, $60,000

Showers St., 605: H. Madsen to J. Moore, $163,900

South St., 122: Tang Liu Realty LLC to FA Realty LLC, $126,000

S. 2^nd St., 316: WK Rentals to Diamond Real Estate Solutions LLC, $32,000

S. 13^th St., 1456, 1460 & 1466: Davden Property Investments Inc. to 4880 East Prospect LLC, $66,000.

S. 16^th St., 947: R. Splawn to L. Jackson, $30,000

S. 24^th St., 623: K. & D. Brown to S. Jordan, $72,200

Swatara St., 2055: G. Barlow to S. Thomas, $34,500

Swatara St., 2413: J. Garisto to PI Capital LLC, $85,801

Verbeke St., 300: Kidder Wilkes LP to Silverstone Enterprises LLC, $215,000

Watson St., 2815: R. & A. Gates & C. Windham to LJ Realty Trust, $59,800

Harrisburg property sales for May 2017, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

Author: Lawrance Binda

Golden State: Raise a glass as State Museum celebrates 50 years of “Art of the State.”

June 30, 2017 | by Diane McNaughton

Photograph; “Miranda” by Nicole Dube

As the summer heat descends upon Harrisburg, many midstaters pack up their suitcases and sunscreen and head for the surf, sand and sea.

Fortunately, for those who are staycationing it by the Susquehanna this steamy season, a free voyage awaits in the shadow of our own Capitol, at the State Museum.

As Marcel Proust once said, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

On display through early September, right here in our own backyard, your eyes can be opened as you take in 130 original paintings, sculptures, photographs and three-dimensional crafts from 119 Pennsylvania artists.

This is the landmark 50^th year of the annual “Art of the State” exhibit, proving that life begins at 50.

More than 20 artists in the exhibit hail from Dauphin and Cumberland counties, including TheBurg’s own Aron Rook, the magazine’s former chief illustrator, and a first-time entrant in “Art of the State.”

Her piece, entitled “Gold Bond, Because Silver Linings Don’t Mean Sh*t,” is wood-burn, acrylic and gold leaf on an antique wood panel. The piece reflects both “strength and vulnerability,” Rook explained, with two mirroring figures who have placed their hearts where their heads are.

“They are deteriorating, they have become disconnected,” she said. “Yet, in all their decay, they are surrounded by golden light.”

Another local artist who dazzles is Nicole Dube, a Carlisle-based photographer whose picture of “Miranda” depicts a pensive young teen.

“That kind of melancholy—you don’t expect a 14-year-old to have such deep thoughts, such a burden on her shoulders,” Dube said. “You rarely see that kind of weightiness.”

Harrisburg’s award-winning street photographer Karen Commings’ entry is a full-color photograph of a bicyclist zipping down 2nd Street in Harrisburg in the pouring rain, the green of the streetlights glowing in the gray mist.

“I always appreciate the beauty of Harrisburg and seeing it wet,” said Commings, a long-time member of the Harrisburg Camera Club. “I just hope people will appreciate the beauty of the street, and I hope it makes them happy to look at it,”

New Excitement

Harrisburg-based artist Jeff Wiles had an impressive three pieces accepted into the exhibit this year.

“Regardless of the style of photography, it’s always my hope that I establish an emotional connection with the viewer,” Wiles said. “A good image will hold the eye, prompt interpretation and be memorable.”

Dube admits that her favorite piece in the exhibit is Wiles’ photograph entitled “Four Worlds,” which shows four Milton Hershey School students on a bus, each so close in proximity, yet so far apart in spirit.

State Museum Director Beth Hager said the show is an “interesting mix, juxtaposed against each other.” With different judges, and featuring everything from rocking chairs and jewelry to pottery and portraits, the show changes dramatically from year to year.

This show features a first-time award from the docents, she noted, which is triggering new excitement.

“Pennsylvania has a rich artist tradition,” Hager said. “Historically, Pennsylvania has been a mecca for artists.”

She pointed out that “Art of the State” is among the longest-running shows in the nation, if not the longest.

“It just draws you in,” she said. “It’s amazing what comes in every year.”

This year’s exhibit attracted nearly 2,200 entries from 845 artists. It’s co-presented by the State Museum and Jump Street, with WITF and Higher Information Group as sponsors.

Hager noted that, thanks to a newly negotiated reciprocal agreement, members of the State Museum and the Susquehanna Art Museum now can receive free admission to both destinations through Sept. 17.

A Conversation

For the 50th year exhibit, some works are indeed “state-of-the-art.” Others are timeless.

Rook said that, for a work of art to be brilliant, it must be “a most genuine expression, one where sincerity cuts through all the veils. Perhaps it deconstructs and reconstructs beliefs.”

To be a great photographer, “You have to understand your equipment and be willing to experiment and practice, practice, practice,” Commings said.

Keeping up with software and the capricious weather is a constant challenge, she added.

For Dube, the challenge is light.

“Photography is light,” she said. “That’s the hardest thing always.”

From the creative side, Dube said she always looks for a beautiful subject and, more importantly, a subject that resonates.

“A photograph will be empty unless there is some kind of narrative,” she said. “The narrative can be hidden or overt.”

Commings does a lot of street photography, particularly in the rain.

“In candid situations, sometimes it’s the unusual, sometimes it’s the ordinary, shown in an unusual way,” she said. “Nothing is off limits. Once I take it, I know how I want it to look, how I want to process it.”

During the exhibit, the museum plans to offer three “Conversations with the Artists,” programs, where two artists at a time will join together to talk and answer questions.

“We look to start a conversation about art,” Hager said.

On July 7, Pennsylvania First Lady Frances Wolf and Harrisburg’s own Andrew Guth lead the tour. Guth received a first-place award in the category of “Work on Paper.”

And despite what your art teachers may have told you, “There are no right or wrong interpretations. We all see art through the filter of our unique set of personal life experiences,” Wiles said.

With so many works featured, you won’t connect with every selection in the show. But that’s OK.

“A tour through any ‘Art of the State’ exhibit will make you aware of the depth and variety of talent our state possesses,” Wiles said.

That’s worth staying home for.

“Art of the State” runs through Sept. 10 at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, N. 3rd and North streets, Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.statemuseumpa.org.

Author: Diane McNaughton

Art of the State: A Summertime Ritual

July 31, 2014 | by TheBurg Editor

A summertime ritual in Harrisburg, Art of the State has returned to the State Museum, showcasing some of the finest painting, photography, sculpture, craft and work on paper in Pennsylvania.

The juried show features 122 works from 30 counties, culled from more than 1,700 submissions. We’re only able to highlight a fraction of the art here. So, please, motor on over to the museum and check out the exhibit, which runs through Sept. 14, the day of Harrisburg’s annual Gallery Walk.

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