Tag Archives: Carrie Wissler-Thomas

Bob’s Art Blog: Gallery Walk #36, in the Books

September 10, 2024 | by Bob MacGinnes

An award-winning work by Andrea Finch at AAH

“Blue skies smiling at me, nothing but blue skies do I see.”

The report from the front is in on Gallery Walk #36, held on Sunday. The weather proved to be a huge factor for the event as it was sunny, breezy and felt like the first day of fall. Art was everywhere you looked, especially on all the Gallery Walkers faces (picture yourself here) with art in their eyes.

The day started at the Art Association of Harrisburg, that bastion of brilliance and boldness with bravura brushstrokes a-plenty. CEO Carrie Wissler-Thomas and director of exhibitions, Nate Foster, had stars forming a halo over their heads as they walked on cloud nine over the unveiling of the “Heroes and Heroines” exhibit. Awards were handed out from Wissler-Thomas and its board president, Travis DiNicola. Best-of-show went to Sarah Jacobs for her work, a nod to Ophelia. A standout piece of textural interplay came from Andrea Finch, which took a second prize. AAH counted a record number of visitors, topping 300.

Checking in with Vivian Sterste-Brandler and Jackson Boyd of the Vivi on Verbeke outpost, they shared, “We had tremendous tourist traffic all day long with clients still shopping even after the closing bell rang at 5. Many new faces, collectors and young artists kept the gallery open going into overtime through 7 p.m., which was fine with us. I reckoned over 100 visitors passed through our doors for a record turnout.”

The colorful backyard at Vivi on Verbeke

Civic Club President, Contrena Baltimore and art adventuress R76 (you know you’ve arrived when the public knows who you are by a letter and number) staffed the battlements at the Overlook Mansion with visitors as the tally grew to double digits. Art vendors included Prittyfy, Witmer Wood, Toro Comics, Bootleg, Iquan Summers, Carrie Feidt, Art by Elliot, Tom Walsh and King Prolifik. Reina shared, “The Civic Club offered a variety of art experiences throughout the day. I pointed the way with guests as to the direction creativity was taking in the City of Harrisburg. My mantra ‘Artists Unite’ applies to everything I support. Art is bringing a fresh energy to our communities.”

Ted Walke (“talked the talk” and you know the rest…) at his Gallery at 2nd (608 to be exact). Ted shared, “Many visitors enjoyed ‘talking art’ and were happy to immerse themselves in the city’s art venues. I thought of myself as a ‘link’ in a chain. That is, making sure to direct visitors to both the Civic Club and the State Museum as their next stop. I would have to say that, with the turnout I saw, it was one of the most well-attended Gallery Walks in my 14 years of participation in this annual event.”

Julia Mallory of TEN OH! SIX found the day full and rich with art lovers for her very first Gallery Walk at her studio on 3^rd Street. Art friend Cody spent the entire day at the gallery and reported a strong turnout. Featured artists were Bryan “King” Prolifik and Cheryl Peoples. Julia stated, “Gallery Walk was an incredible opportunity for us to connect both with existing friends and new supporters which demonstrates the power of what is possible when art and community collide.”

When you make a list, you better check it twice! Artist Craig Bomberger of the hand-painted silk scarves soirees, had two stops to make for Gallery Walk. “Check to make sure my art is hung in the best possible light at the LGBT Center. Secondly, set up my live painting demonstration providing in-house poetic painting for the Historic Harrisburg Association, which also featured members of the AAH who displayed their work.”

Artwork by Craig Bomberger at the LGBT Center

It turned out that Mr. Bomberger got to meet a lot of Harrisburg history buffs all afternoon. In fact, Executive Director David Morrison greeted visitors to this resource repository with a warm welcome and tour of the rich history our beloved city entails. In speaking with Mr. Morrison, he related, “The Center was so busy throughout the afternoon that there was no time to take pictures. But there were plenty to be seen from archival photographs showcasing the tapestry of time since the city was founded in 1719 by John Harris.”

It was a great sign for Harrisburg artists to have the tremendous outpouring of support that was shone throughout the day with a record number of art lovers, gallery walkers, and first-time visitors to the city. A huge thanks to all on both sides of the aisle on the avenues of art and behind the counters both. Harrisburg’s creative community basked in the limelight.

When you get right down to it, is there anything more beautiful than the person to your right or left, in front or behind you…there is beauty in everyone if you take the time to look.

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Creative Path: The new Harrisburg Arts District crafts an inspired walk

August 29, 2024 | by M. Diane McCormick

Event at the Art Association of Harrisburg. Photo courtesy of Art Association of Harrisburg

Carrie Wissler-Thomas can’t say for sure how the family of tourists from Ohio found their way to the Art Association of Harrisburg.

They had visited Hersheypark and the usual suspects around town, but they wanted to see a gallery, and the Harrisburg Arts District now has an app for that.

“They visited what was going on in the region, and they saw us and they came,” Wissler-Thomas said. “Maybe it was because of Google. I like to think it was the Harrisburg Arts District.”

Opinions differ on whether Harrisburg needs an arts czar, but the new app from Visit Hershey & Harrisburg does some of that coordinating. The app puts the Harrisburg Arts District in the palms of hands, whether those palms belong to visitors or locals looking for a new scene.

With its walkable array of galleries, performing arts groups, murals, shopping, and food and drink, the Harrisburg Arts District was just made for an app that helps patrons customize their own experience.

Critical Mass

The Harrisburg Arts District spans the city’s downtown, Midtown and riverfront. Created by Visit Hershey & Harrisburg, the district now has an app for digital-age relevance. The new app allows visitors to search by categories of murals, performance venues, events, museums, galleries, monuments, shopping and food and drink.

App users can customize their itineraries, curating and mapping the walks that deliver the experiences, sights, sounds and tastes they crave. They can play concise audio narrations describing each of the Sprocket Mural Works’ pieces they’re pausing to see, perhaps learning how Ryan Spahr drew inspiration from the surrounding city for the colorful butterfly of “Arise,” or how the dramatic “Bruja” from Ecuadorian artist Vera Primavera celebrates female empowerment.

A Creative Communities Grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts funded development of the app. Dauphin County tourism grants are helping support ad campaigns promoting the arts district.

The creative sector contributes $30 billion to the Pennsylvania economy, according to PCA Executive Director Karl Blischke. A defined arts district gives that sector a place, he said, and “place is the driver of decisions that are made about where we want to live, where we want to visit.”

The app adds momentum to a growing arts scene that’s contributing to Dauphin County economic development, tourism and a record number of hotel rooms booked, county Commissioner George Hartwick said at the app’s launch in July.

“Sometimes, we don’t even know what’s in our backyard,” he said. “This is an opportunity for us to reacquaint ourselves with all the great assets we have as well as help visitors from around the country have that opportunity.”

Susquehanna Art Museum Executive Director Alice Anne Schwab credited the changing look of Midtown Harrisburg, including a new cocktail lounge going where a saloon once stood, to the “critical mass” of activity in the Harrisburg Arts District.

“More and more, things are happening in this area because people want to be connected to the arts,” she said. “Yes, it drives money, but it drives something that’s even more important—all those feet traveling to our door, to Whitaker Center, to all of the performing arts organizations.

Mural by Sprocket Mural Works

Finer Things

The Harrisburg arts sector comprises organizations and artists who are dynamic enough to thrive on their own without a city arts director or umbrella organization adding bureaucracy, said Art Association of Harrisburg Executive Director Carrie Wissler-Thomas. But the Harrisburg Arts District does need VHH’s cross-promotional marketing, amplified by the app, to attract visitors, audiences and participants, she said.

“It’s hard to reach an audience beyond our own constituency,” Wissler-Thomas said. “All of us share so many people that like the finer things in life—the theaters, the galleries, the art, the fine food and breweries—and this widens our audience.”

Harrisburg-based artist Reina “R76” Wooden watched in dismay when the pandemic wiped out the area’s small galleries. As showcase spaces dwindle, she found her home in a studio at the Millworks, an app presence in Midtown Harrisburg.

Wooden told TheBurg that she has been “barking every four years in the mayoral race” that the city of Harrisburg needs an office of arts and culture. Creation of the Harrisburg Arts District helped fill that gap, she believes.

“Clearly, something has been happening behind the scenes,” she said.

The app is “a great start” and a powerful megaphone for artists and performers promoting their work and their presence, she added. Going forward, she hopes to see more inclusivity, with the addition of smaller galleries, music and spoken word, and a footprint that expands into other parts of the city, including Olde Uptown and Allison Hill.

“If you are going to say ‘Harrisburg,’ it has to be beyond Midtown,” she said. “There are staples in the art world that we as a creative community know, but you want the people who are traveling from outside because they like to find those quirky, small, unique spaces where it’s not just all about, ‘Please buy my food, please buy my beer.’”

Visit Hershey Harrisburg App

The Beginning

The idea for the app originated with Harristown Development Corp. President and CEO Brad Jones, who approached VHH about developing it. The app sticks to downtown, Midtown and the riverfront because research by the VHH director of experience development found that the key to successful arts districts nationwide is walkability.

“We asked if someone is coming and wants to park their car and doesn’t want to move it around, what does that footprint look like?” said VHH Director of Communications Allison Rohrbaugh. “It’s not every arts-related business in the city of Harrisburg. It’s that walkable footprint that says you can come here, and you can spend an entire day or weekend visiting something that’s really accessible and really close together.”

Listed sites and venues also needed a physical presence with reliable hours and established websites to help visitors unfamiliar with the city “easily understand where an arts organization is, when it’s open, and what they can do,” she said.

Some of the listed organizations are VHH partners, but VHH membership is not a requirement, Rohrbaugh said. The list of sites “is always going to flex and grow a little bit.”

City Director of Economic Development Jason Graves called the app “just the beginning of what could be happening” to bring more people to the community.

The app and its direct links to the websites of listed organizations is “very cool,” said Wissler-Thomas.

“It’s wonderful,” she said. “It’s a miracle. It gets the word out there for all of us. All the culture groups do such wonderful things. There’s no denying that it’s hard just getting the word out to people beyond our members. It’s now reaching people beyond that.”

For more information, visit www.visithersheyharrisburg.org or just download the app.

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Bob’s Art Blog: Harrisburg Artists Trailblaze Summer

August 13, 2024 | by Bob MacGinnes

“Gather and Release” by Elaine Elledge

Elaine Elledge in the Margins @ SAM

There is no greater force at work in an artist than the need to create. There are times when, due to circumstances far beyond control, that need gets sidelined even though the desire burns bright.

Altoona-born, Harrisburg-based artist Elaine Elledge faced such a daunting challenge, due to a serious health concern combined with the test of new motherhood. Those demands, physical and emotional, left the artist with depleted strength, as she looked for time to see her project through to the end. The fervent desire to push onward against odds and obstacles won out. Her remarkable reward is on view in the main lobby at the Susquehanna Art Museum through Oct. 6. At the halfway point in its run at SAM, it is the golden ticket for this Friday’s 3rd in the Burg.

Finding beauty in impermanence is the hallmark foundation of the Japanese philosophy of Wabi Sabi. Chasing the ever-allusive entity of beauty is what kept Elaine afloat, navigating the flotsam and jetsam of life’s sometimes difficult waters. Utilizing fragmentary moments during the baby’s naps and when health provided strength, she carved out crucial windows of time. Mounting an astounding solo show, “Margins and the Height of the Sun” at SAM proved to be Elaine’s raison d’etre, realizing the tangible goal of seeing her work completed.

Elaine Elledge

The Millworks artist-in-residence can take heart with a great sense of accomplishment, knowing all the hard work was well worth the balancing act it took. Incorporating paper, cheese cloth, fabric and the fine arts of printmaking and sewing combined to create a rich and full experience with a tactile tableau that weaves both the medical and domestic materials of life into a tapestry of triumphant tenacity.

“Margins”…could refer to those slivers of sacrifice when Elaine’s strength ebbed, yet her need to push through superseded any shards of discomfort, shining a light at the end of the tunnel. The artist divulged, “between moves, babies and illness, making art is not done out of abundance but exhaustion and weakness. It is necessary. It is beautiful. It is hard.”

Elaine found deeper meaning in achieving her goal through a will of spirit. Her journey, cathartic in nature, is shared from a physical, philosophical and personal perspective with every stitch and thread detailing the road to resilience and resurgence.

Contact the artist: [email protected]

susquehannaartmuseum.org

Hometown Heroes of the AAH

Allison Juliana and Carrie Feid

“Yay we go way back where we started from. We were hometown heroes high enough for everyone. Oh, we used to say, ‘it’s one for all and all for one.’”

So go the beginning lines from the effervescently catchy song, “Hometown Heroes” by Moon Taxi from a few years back. Viewing the big picture at a vantage point high on the hill at Reservoir Park, summer art instructors of the AAH, Carrie Feidt and Allison Juliana, had home field advantage and 20/20 vision in their game plan for the entire summer. Teaching art and the love for it is second nature to these two, just doing what comes naturally. Translating that to active city youth, every day, the routine of creative endeavors could pose a challenge, but these two art adventurers are so skilled that their target group was unaware they were learning a new skill set. It was all just like having a group hug daily with fun at the center.

Young artists at work

All seated at the picnic tables by the pavilion, the group of young artists were only too eager to put books aside just for a few weeks and pick up paints, brushes and other tools of the trade. The best part—it exercises the right side of the brain, the one that stimulates thinking outside the box, the creative cortex.

Carrie and Allison were wowed by the group’s output and even. at times, a competitive nature was all in good fun for lifting spirits. The art classes were part of Harrisburg’s Summer Enrichment Program, free to city residents age 6 to 14. The camps just ended on Aug. 9, running five days a week with a free lunch for all participants. Beyond the site at Reservoir, the program was offered at seven other city parks. The camps included yoga, pool trips and art but not all at once. The campers can’t wait until next summer, keeping their brushes at the ready. Judging by the art map, just about every city quadrant had a camp close by. A big thanks to Mayor Wanda Williams for such a great summer initiative and to Carrie Wissler-Thomas at the Art Association of Harrisburg for providing the program with the art instructors, one of its many community-wide art outreach programs. Hometown Heroes ends this celebration of its summer chapter with art campers singing, “one for all and all for one.”

Contact: artassocofhbg.com

harrisburgpa.gov+summer

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Bob’s Art Blog: Abracadabra & Presto Change-o

September 11, 2023 | by Bob MacGinnes

The magician stepped out onto the stage with all attention on him under the spotlight. He tapped his wand three times on the black top hat and said loud and clear, “Abracadabra.” What took place next you can see now on the main floor at Susquehanna Art Museum in its “Transformative Craft,” an “understated powerhouse” of an exhibit for the next 30 days. If that sounds like an oxymoron, you will soon learn as to why.

“Supplication” by Jordan Bashore

For Susquehanna Art Museum’s 8^th annual juried art exhibition, 24 artists from around the country brought their exceptional skills up to the challenge with their interpretations of what transformative craft entails. In every case, each artist brought critical thinking and ingenuity to the foreground, parlaying positive change in approaching their medium and object reimagined. When the creation is no longer that of its conceptualized norm due to addition, alteration and amelioration, the completed result rises to a whole different plane and idea of beauty reflected in its new state. In other words, when is a chair more than a chair or a textile becomes a photographic keepsake? They are but two of two dozen excellent examples selected from over 500 entries nationwide juried in that made the cut for the exhibit. “Transformative Craft” is born again as a brand-new entity. The tightly compact number of selections is given free rein in the wide-open space of the museum’s ground floor as well as the DeSoto Family Vault. By intentional choice, each objet d’ art shines forth on its own, shared Executive Director Alice Anne Schwab. The narratives that accompany the art share the artist’s arrival at its finished state, critical to the viewers overall experience. The backstory lends insight to the deeper meaning of transformation.

Highlights of the show include Travis Townsend’s “The New Ship of Progress,” a craft of wood and mixed media that pays homage to the Chinese “junks.” These sea vessels were used for trading and housing as well as pirating, originating during the Han Dynasty. Townsend’s vessel is worlds apart from those of yore. He incorporates compartments and apparatus necessary for adventures of the subconscious mind. Conceptually colorful and artistically executed, “Progress” creates the means to an end that appeals to all the senses. Of local interest, Jordan Bashore of Harrisburg marries “textiles, tulle, and acorns,” according to the artist, threading a needle of continuity throughout her work in “Supplication.”

“drifted over the tide (2)” by Morgan Ford Willingham

On a smaller scale, Morgan Ford Willingham’s “drifted over the tide (2)” entails a “cyanotype with hand embroidery on found textiles.” Her skilled craft as a photographic master allows for a union of mediums shining forth in subtle nuances. The subject matter explores the relationship between mother and daughter in an incandescent image that is as haunting as it is healing. The beauty of an intimate object, both personal and universal, brings the viewer to bear on the gravitas of a parent’s love for a child.

The exhibit runs through Oct. 15. 3^rd in the Burg this Friday night provides the perfect opportunity to view the exhibit before its gone.

Robert Childs and Carrie Wissler Thomas

Presto Change-o! (To change quickly from one thing to another, used originally as a magician’s command.)

Wrapping up Gallery Walk 35 this past Sunday afternoon saw the curtain come down on what may be viewed as the best Gallery Walk ever. Thanks to its illustrious leader, Carrie Wissler Thomas, CEO of the Art Association of Harrisburg, and Rachel O’Connor, curator, both had more than a few tricks up their sleeves to pull off such a stunner! Twenty venues, hundreds of artists and hordes of gallery-goers all contributed to a memorable day of art. Curator O’Connor dialed up this year’s theme, “Art Is,” an open-ended dialogue to demonstrate all the facets of the discipline of art with no wrong answers. It is subjective by nature as everyone has their own take on the subject. Evidence was everywhere with more than just “the usual suspects” in the lineup. Museums and murals all added up to lasting memories that will carry us through to next year’s Walk.

“Floating to the Chesapeake” by Kathleen Joffrion, at AAH

Reporting From the Front Lines: Starting at the AAH for Gallery Walk kickoff at noon, the foot traffic was like an art stampede. The amazing thing, the first sale of the day was to a well-known art collector from Winchester, Va., who purchased a Marjorie Taylor painting as an investment. Art patrons also drove in from Fredrick, Md., after seeing the billboard on Route 81 advertising Gallery Walk. Word is out, (literally). Judging by the head count for the first hour at the AAH, edition #35” could be a record setter. The weather tried its best to rain on the parade and, for a while, it did. However, the day would not be deterred nor the art lover’s determination. Rainy day and all umbrellas got their workout. And there were unexpected winners.

“Night Fall on the Farm” by Josephine Alexander, at AAH

Perhaps the most appreciative audience were the ducks on Front Street traveling to the Civic Club of Harrisburg for a special group of artists that included an AAH art instructor, Carrie Feidt. By 2:30 p.m., at the halfway point of the event, the storm passed over with “nothing but blue skies from then on.” In speaking with Vivian Sterste, who marked 10 years at her Vivi on Verbeke studio along with partner Jeb Boyd, reported various artists shopping her studio during Gallery Walk, which included Victor Capecce and Craig Baumgardner, artists showing their works at the AAH. Vivi went on to say that there are “new possibilities in the infinite to be discovered.”

Segue to Chantal Eloundou at her Nyianga Store who stayed open later than the 5 p.m. closing bell as she still had customers visiting her boutique. And if that wasn’t enough, the second annual “impromptu after party” took place at Millworks. It’s always 5 o’clock somewhere. Tara Chickey, art director, revealed “the day mirrored the weather with the foot traffic’s ebb and flow dependent on Mother Nature.”

In case there is any doubt, let me assure you that two Pauls are better than one. Paul D. Murray, gonzo artist in residence, echoed Tara’s words as the rain clouds played a part behind the scenes, but when the sun came out, so did the art audience. Paul Gallo, lively and quick, (one of the seven lively artists) joined the after party, stating that “Gallery Walk brought out new faces, curiosity seekers, and a fair amount of folks enamored with art.” The other Paul, ping ponging back to Murray, referenced a painting Paul G. did a few years back depicting a sci-fi galaxy featuring a functional, not flashy, spaceship entitled, “Searching.” Yachiyo Beck took that as a cue to join in returning to Millworks after spending five hours demonstrating her painting at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church. Ms. Beck briefly announced, even with the gray skies, last year’s attendance was eclipsed at the church with visitors and onlookers. Artist Judy Kelly rejoiced that the day brought a great experience, one worthy of sharing with the world.

It is the special moments we share in life as part of a bigger picture that matter the most. When we feel connected to a likeminded group (like Judy Kelly’s visit from four college-aged girls who met on an app), which brings strangers together to share activities as simple as going for a walk. It is so obvious. Judy truly relishes the joy in the every day. Those times are remembered long after the event has taken place, put in a memory bank that grows with each passing year. Such is the stuff dreams are made of…

September Art Events
Friday, Sept. 15, 3^rd in the Burg
Saturday, Sept. 16, Hummelstown Art Festival, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Photos by Jana MacGinnes

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The Painted Word: “Art Is…” Gallery Walk at 35

August 29, 2023 | by Bob MacGinnes

Josephine Alexander

Sept. 10 marks the 35th edition of Gallery Walk, the one-day event scheduled for the first Sunday after Labor Day, set aside to tour art galleries, museums, restaurants and shops that designate space to the art of the community, our beloved Harrisburg. It is a day to celebrate the beauty of life through art. This special anniversary, symbolic of longevity and success, is a special tribute to the visionary who originated the concept.

The year was 1988, and CEO Carrie Wissler-Thomas of the Art Association of Harrisburg (AAH), in tandem with a list of who’s who art makers and shakers in the city, came together to present an all-inclusive gallery walk. Looking back to that year, individual exhibits from the Penn State Downtown Center, Temple University and the Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank, all located in Strawberry Square, threw their support to this collective art symposium. Independent galleries included Gallerie 110, Tangerine Gallery and Metro Arts, as well as the nonprofit Dōshi Gallery. On that day, flags waved outside the participating galleries with the downtown streets teeming with gallery-goers, brochures in hand, venturing from site to site. The day was a tremendous success and became an annual event.

This year promises even more excitement, as Gallery Walk isn’t the only anniversary. Midtown Scholar Bookstore turns 20, featuring the new George’s Collectibles, an adjacent building housing all sorts of antiques, rare prints and ephemera. Just a half-block down Verbeke, you’ll find Harrisburg art couple, Vivi Sterste, potter with elan, and Jeb Boyd, poet/photographer, welcoming guests to the 10th anniversary of their gallery, Vivi on Verbeke. Completing the 3rd and Verbeke triangle is Nyeusi Gallery, celebrating their second anniversary on Gallery Walk Sunday. The anniversaries are even more reason to get out and party, honoring these gems that beautify our homes and businesses with exceptional art, prints, pottery, photographs and more.

Art & History

Make your way to the AAH for the inside scoop on this year’s theme, “Art Is,” as presented by its members. Subjective studies swirl seductively, pulling the viewer into the members’ many moods of meaning. Smelling salts are offered for those who swoon under September’s spell. After you’re revived, spin around on the gallery floor to Hemlock Hollow’s mellifluous strains. Then go out the door on Front Street and turn left to 219 S. Front to the rich repository at the Historical Society of Dauphin County. Check off all the “A’s” that Christine Turner, its director, has in store: artifacts, artwork and architecture.

Up the street in the other direction, drop in at the newly renovated McCormick Riverfront Library and view the art on display while you marvel at the extensive restorations. Close by, you will find one of the Seven Lively Artists, Jonathan Frazier, showing his oil paintings at the Riverfront Gallery of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Zion Lutheran Church not only offers tours but the oil and acrylic paintings of John McNulty, who has exhibited with those magnificent seven. While there, catch the stencil prints of Japanese artist Sadao Watanabe.

One church leads to another over on Chestnut Street, with Salem United Church of Christ housing Roxanne Dombrosky’s Muddy Rox Pottery, organically influenced utilitarian vessels. Tours of the historic church will be in sync with stained glass art from Diane Hoffer. Nearby, CASA’s “Mixed Media Showcase” highlights the best from its students. Speaking of high school artists, more will show at Old City Hall Apartments as part of the “Artistic Expressions” group.

St. Michael’s Lutheran Church is excited to showcase the fine art of Yachiyo Beck. Her watercolor and oil paintings are internationally revered for their beauty. Do “Pass Go” and travel to 612 N. Front St for a visit with Contrena Baltimore, president of the oldest civic institution in our city, the Civic Club. Be sure not to “Overlook” the art at the mansion throughout this historic building.

Creative Gems

Now’s a good time to slow down the pace and catch your breath in the great outdoors. A “Capitol” idea forms at its steps at noon and 2 p.m. for Sprocket Mural Works tours of the Midtown mural corridor while, at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., the tour heads to downtown’s mural scene. The best part is it’s just $15 per, with no speeding tickets given as each tour takes place at 1 mph. The State Museum of Pennsylvania offers free admission for Gallery Walk and mounts its 56th edition of “Art of the State.”

When it comes to local history, Historic Harrisburg Association’s David Morrison is a treasure trove of tales from the past and a wealth of knowledge regarding the rich and varied visual vignettes captured in photographic archives. Nearby, the Susquehanna Art Museum is the only dedicated art museum in the area and houses ever changing exhibits on its spacious two floors. If you have never visited, Gallery Walk provides the perfect opportunity. Catch “Transformative Craft” through Oct. 15 and vote for your favorite creation. Just doors away, at 1423 N. 3rd, is a gem of a boutique, the Nyianga Store. Owner Chantal Nga Elondou hails from Cameroon, bringing the best of her homeland. Clothing, rich and vibrant, an array of leather goods, jewelry, beauty products and art fill the interior with cultural treasures.

Another niche art gallery providing an alternative approach for art can be found at Gallery@2nd at 608 N. 2nd St. Proprietor and lowbrow artist, Ted Walke, and comrade in brush, Krissy Whiski, have a floor dedicated for each of their works. Under gallery Art Director Steve Barber, Nyeusi is a vital source for works that fall under the umbrella of Black art. It is the last word on African and Caribbean art, artifacts and books. Ending your day at Millworks has its advantages in viewing the featured artists on the lobby walls. Art Director Tara Chickey revealed that Paul Gallo, Elaine Elledge, Rebecca Adey, Linda Benton McCloskey and April Henbest will display their latest collections, and many of the Millworks’ studio residents will greet patrons and art lovers. Afterwards, stay for the second annual impromptu after-party at the restaurant and bar.

“Art Is”

Art is personal and universal rolled into one. Art is uplifting and buoyant. Art is moving and thought provoking. Art is an image that speaks to the soul, and art is something solely for you. Art is a thought put into action and the very act may give satisfaction to the artist and the audience from their own point of view. Art is meaningful or easily dismissed, art is beautiful like a lover just kissed, art is temporal or eternal, art is the language spoken around the globe. Art is a joyous slice or a feast for the senses. Art is transcendent for race, color and creed, leaving us speechless on bended knee.

The 35th annual Gallery Walk takes place on Sept. 10 at locations throughout downtown and Midtown Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.artassocofhbg.com.

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Bob’s Art Blog: Better Nate than Lever

June 12, 2023 | by Bob MacGinnes

Behind the Scenes at the AAH

How many art assistants do you know that now have two blogs written about them? Years ago, my editor surprised me with christening my “art musings,” calling them Bob’s Art Blog. The first one was titled “Illustrated Man,” all about Nate Foster, gallery assistant and art instructor at the Art Association of Harrisburg who operated like a stealth missile behind the scenes.

Flash forward to spring 2023 and Nate has his day as guest curator at the esteemed institution for a stellar show in the upstairs gallery entitled, “Correlated Cultivations.” As viewed through the lens of artists Young Won, Earle Rock and Marina Radanovic, curator Foster cultivates more than just a passing-glance correlation by doing some heavy lifting experimentally with his placement of their works. Allowing for maximum exposure, Nate assigned entire walls for each of the trio, providing spatial distancing like a sommelier’s decanting a fine wine to breathe. The impact achieved is dramatic and deliberate as the paintings simmer and shimmer exquisitely all on their own.

This blog, though, is as much about relationships as it is about art. When a team approach is used democratically, given assignments to challenge and inspire, there is a greater chance for a successful outcome. At the AAH, a handful of operatives work closely in sync under the educated eyes of CEO Carrie Wissler-Thomas and gallery curator, Rachel O’Connor. The latter, now well into her seventh year as curator with a talent beyond art exhibits, is mentoring the team. More than a trickle-down effect, O’Connor elevates the concept to a grand design, sharing her expertise in mounting a show to pass that knowledge on to the assistants. Working closely with her are Jonathan Frazier, Tien Tran and Rachel Haas-Gutin, gallery assistants, and Randy Miller, webmaster. Mr. Foster paid his dues as an assistant and recently overhauled the association’s sales gallery. The result is noteworthy in that the new look is creating great interest and boosting sales of the members’ works. With that came a promotion to gallery sales manager and an opportunity to guest curate this art exhibit.

The artists bring their own worlds to the upstairs gallery, highlighting a-show-within-a-show premise and presence. When an entire room is dedicated to depicting detailed destinations, a narrative unfolds, allowing for insider’s perspective as to what the artist may be all about.

Young Won arrives at the jumping off point where the sky meets the horizon with her adroitly articulated works on paper. The educator/artist is intentional in her approach and a master technician as segments meet, coalesce and cohabitate in a community of texture, template and time. The end results may seem to overlap but exist in a seamless, transitory state…cohesive and controlled yet never contrived.

Paper on Paper by Young Won. Photo: Jana MacGinnes

Painting by Earle Rock. Photo: Jana MacGinnes

Earle Rock, as the name may suggest, works in larger-than-life personas and portraits, capturing special moments in time of his “studies” at the peak point when all comes together for personal triumph and permanence presented in the rendering for posterity. Whether person, place or thing, Rock makes it his through color and contrast, contextualizing character with drama and depth.

Painting by Marina Radanovic. Photo: Jana MacGinnes

Marina Radanovic brings her personal upbringing to the canvas, having grown up with religious iconography surrounding her from Byzantine statuary to the realms of phantasmagoria. Often, her self-portraiture straddles both worlds, the temporal and the eternal…the secular and the sacred. In a modern-day presentation, musician friends form the focus for her paintings.

The trio’s collective body can easily stand apart, yet, when taken as a whole, “Correlated Cultivations” theme, like the AAH’s closely formed relationships, forms an ellipse like rings around the sun.

PS: As for me, this blog is “better late than never.” With just 10 days left, get to the AAH this Friday for 3^rd in the Burg and tell them Nate sent you. The exhibit closes June 22.

Penned to Purr-fection at CALC

The last school bell just rang, signaling the end of another year. Parents have already made summer reservations for vacations or stay-at-home adventures.

As for the kids, they will romp and play for at least 48 hours and then “I’m bored” will resonate far and wide. Thank goodness young and old alike will have summer’s pastime close at hand. Books provide escapism at its best and, for those under the age of 12, illustrations paint a picture of what’s to come. Carlisle author and illustrator of children’s books, Amy June Bates, has just the ticket for summer getaways for young minds. A one woman show, “By The Book,” features four of her favorites showcased with a reading nook and interactive components for all ages in the Carlisle Arts Learning Center’s GB Stuart Gallery. With two decades under her belt, her national reputation includes print making. The exhibit’s focus are illustrations from “The Big Umbrella,” “When I Draw a Panda,” “And I Paint It,” and “The Boy and The Sea,” providing plenty of insouciant charm. Special “By the Book”-related activities, including crafts and games, are a featured attraction on Saturday, June 24, in the gallery during Summer Fair. Guaranteed to be a real page turner, the exhibit runs through July 29, just before August arrives, signifying back-to-school time.

In the upstairs gallery artist, Cheryl Kugler, took the hundred-day challenge and drew 100 cats up for adoption through rescues. As of this writing, 60 drawings are left for sale with proceeds benefiting Loving Care Cat Rescue and Nobody’s Cat Foundation through July 1. Meow!

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Bob’s Art Blog: April’s Artful Arrivals

April 11, 2023 | by Bob MacGinnes

“April” pulled into the station at Harrisburg about five minutes late. She only felt a little “foolish,” but, by the next day, all was well. Now, April 2 is a very special day for us, but you will have to read through to the end to learn why.

Back in 1964, Paul Simon wrote a tune with the beginning refrain, “April come she will…when streams are ripe and swelled with rain.” The brief song (1.53 minutes) takes one through a season of love ending in September. Simon equates the seasons of change as a metaphor for a girl changing her mind about love or at least the one she loved just six months prior. April heralds spring and its rebirth of life both pastoral and elegiac in its myriad odes to the cycle in nature.

“Octopus’s Garden” by Beau MacGinnes, Jana MacGinnes, Aubrey McNaughton and Debbie Reihart at “Art in the Wild”

“All on board, first stop, Wildwood Park.” One of those bookmarks is “Art in the Wild’s” 11^th edition, highlighting land art installed by 18 artists this go-round, which just opened to the public on April 2. The theme this year is “The Earth Laughs,” so get out and have one on them as you traverse the 3.1-mile trail at Wildwood Park. Pulling up to Site #5, “The Octopus’s Garden,” I was greeted by familiar faces all. The MacGinnes team spearheaded by Beau, the only 11-year participant of AITW and his mother, Jana, now in her eighth year, with his sister, Aubrey McNaughton, in year five were joined by land art enthusiast, Debbie Reihart in her second year as part of the team. She is now considered family. They were putting finishing touches on their magnum opus. It is woven of grapevine, limbs, branches, reeds with its eight tentacles inlaid with lichen for an authentic suction cup rendering. Its extended limbs lead to a beatific garden of daffodils safely protected in its grasp. The team prides itself in incorporating only materials found within the park, true to AITW’s original concept and rules established in 2012. Past back-to-back winners, the MacGinnes team was buoyed by all the onlookers stopping to marvel over the process of the four weekends creating the work. The Beatles would be honored by their tribute.

Past participants of “Art in the Wild” made worthy contributions, notably, Eve Gurbacki, Ray Curancy, Carol Reed, David Reeve, Richard and Maria Joel with Steven Reinhart’s installation named best of show. Newcomers to the fray collectively made an impact with school groups, family presentations and an amazing number of youngsters paving the way for future endeavors at Wildwood Park. Highlighting the artist reception was a presentation from Bill Allis of the Bower, a 36-acre land garden sanctuary nestled in Perry County. AITW is open to the public through Sept. 30.

Meanwhile, indoors, the Art Association of Harrisburg is now down to its final 10 days in its revolutionary “Reinterpretations” at 21 N. Front Street. For the first time, this institution will hold a must-see closing night reception on April 21. AAH curator Rachel O’Connor brilliantly brought together a foursome of fearless facilitators of art for the exhibit from this side of the Mississippi to Harrisburg in mounting this powerhouse show. O’Connor discussed the criteria she uses when grouping artists together for a show. “Do the artists’ works allow for conversations between them; do they stimulate dialog metaphorically and literally; is the bridge between solid enough to work in sync with each other? Certainly, opposites attract and yet there is a distinct thread of continuity at play,” she said.

Art by Joseph Mayernik

Chicago-based photographer, painter and collage creator, Jeffrey Equality Brooks’ works are like a gust of fresh air blowing in from Lake Michigan. Tossing all three mediums into the air, Brooks balances them like the art juggler he is, pulling parts from one, adding to the next and completing the exchange before they crash to the floor. In a feat of legerdemain, they remain somehow suspended in a surreal surfeit suitable for any taste in art.

Joseph Mayernik hails from Rochester, N.Y., well familiar with March Madness, home to basketball powerhouse, Syracuse University. One could say that artist Mayernik is a real “cut up.” His reputation for dicing up vintage comic books in creating larger-than-life iconic images and superheroes is the stuff of legend. In a hyper-exaggerated manner, catapulting collage characterizations cohesively careening off the canvas, Mayernik’s “madness” explodes in a comic bubble. KAPOW!

Works by John Guarnera

As seen through the eyes of an 8-year-old boy walking through the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the first time, a world of wonder and beauty seeped into the subconscious mind of ceramist, John Guarnera. John, looking back at his younger self shared, “The statuary shaped, multi-colored and ornate is representative of headdresses worn by chieftains.” His vessels, vital vagabonds, create a community contained in its own unique cadence. Pretty heady stuff for a young mind to assimilate years later in modern-day interpretations. John is from Duncan’s Island or, as it is known today, Duncannon. Guarnera’s objets d’ art stem from a 12^th-century process firing ceramic vessels using the Obvara technique of Raku as the pieces are dipped into an alchemist mixture that incorporates flour, yeast, sugar and water that creates a unique pattern. He is part of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen and teaches Raku at the Carlisle Arts Learning Center.

James Gallagher, who calls the Red Rose City of Lancaster home, shares the love of ancient cultures with fellow ceramist Guarnera. In fact, he was the latter’s mentor. He explores how prior civilizations used art to better understand the world. Symbols and signs represent a variety of natural phenomenon. He renders his pottery full of markings and meanings such as spirals, chevrons, zigzag patterns and more to arrive at the foregone conclusion as to what came before comes full cycle. Ancient art conveyed seasonal change and major events in the circle of life. Gallagher is represented by Lancaster Galleries and has taught at Millersville University and Lebanon Valley College.

CEO Carrie Wissler-Thomas and curator O’Connor are aided by gallery assistant Nate Foster, who singlehandedly completely revamped the Gallery Sales Room with members’ works and exhibiting artists’ pieces available for purchase. The trio is greatly anticipating the closing night reception featuring the artists from the eastern seaboard from 5 to 8 p.m., which promises a tour-de-force evening of electric exchanges. With this show, the AAH positions itself as a showrunner of imagination, innovation and ingenuity.

New Cumberland Collective: Earth and Art Festival

Did you hear the one about the educator, environmentalist and artist who walk into a library? The educator asks the librarian, “Please give me the latest data on implementing change in schools.” The environmentalist queries, “The last word on climate change please?” And the artist pauses, reflecting on their requests and inquires, “Can you point me to the kids’ section because I know there I will get the truth?”

“Yellow Warbler” by Steph Holmes at New Cumberland Earth and Arts Festival

Touted as “an arty party for the planet,” the New Cumberland Collective is hosting the first annual “Earth and Arts Festival” at the New Cumberland Public Library on Sunday, April 16, promising five hours of earthbound excitement from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mark your calendar, it’s this coming Sunday. This environmental event kicks off spring as a pre-Earth Day celebration. With music, food and merchants, as well as quest speakers, true Earth advocates will share their experiences all day long. It speaks to the public having much to choose from. Topical talks and workshops will range from fish fly-tying, seed swaps, stewardship for wildlife, a neighborhood foraging walk and a seed-planting station round out a smorgasbord of Earth-friendly fare. Activities artistically entail a community clothing recycling drive incorporating vintage clothes, hands-on indigo dying with fabric chanteuse, Dirt Petal, screen printing station to print your own and a tutorial on recycling clothing 101. Music from Swamprat, Joe Pye Revival and Autumn Sky Hall will offer something different for everyone’s taste. Food trucks galore will temp tastebuds. A Restyle Sustainable Fashion Faire features varied merchant vendors. Merrymakers include homemade soaps from Soap du Jour and handmade clay bead bracelets for adults and kids, upcycled clothing from Beehive’s Vintage and Cumberland Bootleg. Gabe’s Gardens and Em’s Garden showcase, you guessed it, garden accoutrements. Steph Holmes Art, Moonrise Candle Company, The Rebel Herbalist, Radiant Flora, Lawler Creative Company, Beshore Hill Farm, Mycrosymbiotics, Why Knot, Jillian’s General Store, “Paint Your Stones” by Lisa Jones (hum a bar, it will take you far), Meraki, Thrifting Fashion with Hannah Lyter and, last but not least, Carrie Shusta’s stained glass.

Of Special Note: Happy Birthday

And as for the story behind April 2 in our hearts…borrows from Bread’s ’70s hit, “Aubrey.” “And we’d go a million times around the world just to say she had been ours for a day.” Our beautiful daughter, Aubrey, was born in Fort Lauderdale on that date and now we have her daughter, too, making life that much sweeter. Happiest of birthdays, Aubrey!

April Art Events

“Midtown Makers Series,” classes in diverse art mediums, April 1 to April 30

New Cumberland Collective: Art in the Stacks at the New Cumberland Library features the Art of CASA Students April 1 to April 29

“Art in the Wild,” 11^th edition, at Wildwood Park, April 2 – Sept. 30

Hershey Art Gallery & Studio Grand Opening, April 15 and 16, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1077 Swatara Rd., Hershey

“New Cumberland Earth and Art Festival,” April 16, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the New Cumberland Public Library

3^rd in the Burg, Friday, April 21

Art Association of Harrisburg Closing Night Reception for “Reinterpretations,” meet the artists. The 4 J’s from 5 to 8 p.m., April 21, with James Equality Brooks, Joseph Mayerink, John Guarnera and James Gallagher

Odd Ones Bazaar, April 22, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Millworks 340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg

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Bob’s Art Blog: Rebel With a Cause & Holiday 3rd in the Burg at the AAH

December 12, 2022 | by Bob MacGinnes

A mask from “I’m Fine”

There are as many reasons why art exists as there are mediums to express it. More than likely, the obvious springs to mind: beauty, creation, emotion and the list goes on.

The one that holds the greatest meaning for me is art that makes a statement and stands for something that cuts to the very core of our being, universally sharing a truth that sometimes gets pushed aside or buried underneath the surface of the everyday. Artists create art for the greater good, hoping to change the world dynamic and cause for the better, to right a wrong, to overcome obstacles, and to inspire hope for a brighter day.

For 20 years, I have known artist Carrie Breschi of Carlisle, and I continue to marvel at the heart she brings to art. Humanitarian and art activist, Breschi is a rebel with a cause. She is a social entrepreneur and community engagement consultant, and her life’s work is evident in the passion she brings. She states, “The foundation of my work is built on the philosophy that the visual arts can ignite positive change in our communities.”

Breschi began her mission one cause and art installation at a time. Starting in the field as the driving force and first executive director of the Carlisle Arts Learning Center, she created inroads in establishing a solid art base through CALC. Her influence as an agent of change has reverberated throughout Carlisle, drawing other artists into her sphere of orbit. Her groundbreaking installations include CALC’s “Homelessness” exhibit, where she hit paydirt by deploying cardboard in all its iterations to spotlight the nation’s plight. Powerfully chilling, the show highlighted the coast-to-coast epidemic where millions are displaced from their homes. Considering the exhibit came a year before COVID made it even more poignant. From Carlisle, the exhibit traveled to Chambersburg at the Foundry. In the years since, Breschi, along with friend and fellow art activist, Maureen Joyce, combined to encapsulate causes ranging from isolation, mental health and suicide prevention under the umbrella of “I’m Fine.”

Formed from the seedling of “a one-off workshop” addressing mental health, the “I’m Fine” project, as it is known today, is a juggernaut sweeping through cities and towns across Pennsylvania. Breschi states, “To date over 1,000 participants have reaped the benefits of de-stigmatizing the topic of mental illness through openly frank discussions and by the power of art as the agent of change.” The mask we humans put on everyday to face the world becomes a protective shield, allowing feelings to be tamped down. “I’m Fine” allows those feelings to flow freely without fear of shame or weakness.

Over the past year, the exhibit went on the road from York to Camp Hill to Johnstown to Halifax. Reaching WellSpan employees, high school students, cancer survivors and West Shore School District eighth-graders, the life-altering experience continues to expand its horizon to the Steel City of Pittsburgh. The workshops have had an immensely overwhelming response from Carnegie Mellon University to Standard Ceramics as well as the Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media. Residencies in two Pittsburgh high schools will reach an underserved community of students this month. 2023 remains booked solid for “I’m Fine” through August. It is only through dialogues and advocacy that change will occur.

“We are so privileged to work with so many beautiful, open and creative participants,” Breschi shared. “Mental health affects everyone. Hence, we try to spread the conversation as far and wide across Pennsylvania as we can. Every week is different, every conversation is different, but the message is the same. Mental illness is real, and we are not alone in our struggles.”

Life is measured in some small part by the impact we make on others. It is what we were made for—to help those around us live a better life by caring and sharing. Both lie at the very heart of Carrie Breschi’s mission.

3^rd in the Burg “One for the Money…”

Top, Karen Commings; bottom, R. Andrew Hoff

The Art Association of Harrisburg’s curator, Rachel O’Connor, proves again that the perfect way to close out one year and start another is with a powerful photographic exposé. She features three portraitists working in niche avenues of their own desire and taste. For 3^rd in the Burg, AAH offers a reception to meet the artists from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.” The dual shows, “It’s Not All Fun and Games” and “A Journey Through Concrete City to Cresson,” run through Jan. 5. Carrie Wissler-Thomas, CEO, will be on hand for this holiday treat as the exhibits highlight carnival life and abandoned frontiers with starkly contrasting thematic studies.

“One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready…”could be a carnival barker’s chant on the midway to entice rubes to spend their hard-earned cash at wheels of chance or ring toss. In a photographic montage that takes the viewer behind the scenes to the moment of discovery when the curtains are drawn back, “It’s Not All Fun and Games” illustrates both sides of the coin as the exhibit’s title reveals. Having been on the road for five years together shooting fairs, carnivals and county festivals, Karen Commings and R. Andrew Hoff capture the brilliance and beauty, as well as the gritty underside, of the venues.

Michael Hower

Michael Hower, photographer of abandoned atmospheres, adds a different dimension as the third to get ready with his exhibit, “A Journey Through Concrete City to Cresson,” which depicts two abandoned cities that existed in different spaces and time but share a common bond. Hower approached the sculptural and photographic installation as a visual modern-day “Tale of Two Cities.” Photography—albeit surveys of such dramatic images—invite spectators to write the narratives for each shot and to draw their own conclusions. For Commings, Hoff and Hower, they’ve crossed over to surreal surroundings sharing sojourns simpatico.

Into the New Year with Andy Smith’s “Pigment”

Andy Smith

This innovative exhibit for Codorus and Company at the Gallery at 227 (W. Market St., York) runs through Jan. 31. It explores a rarely seen art medium that highlights two-dozen clay monoprints. Following in the footsteps of artistic innovator, the late Mitch Lyons, who created the medium, Andy Smith combines elements of painting and pottery. According to the artist, he used colored clay slips instead of ink for paints in creating the prints with the clay clinging to the finished works. The images are designed on a clay slab uniquely transferred in the following printing. Two prints may be produced with no two ever the same.

Santa’s Reminder

With less than two weeks to go before Santa’s big night, remember to support artists at local galleries, gift shops and museums by “Shopping Small.” Most galleries will remain open for 3^rd in the Burg through 8 p.m.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Bob’s Art Blog: Art Hangover, Hanging Art and Turning 100

September 12, 2022 | by Bob MacGinnes

Gallery Walk attendees look on as artist Jonathan Frazier works on a painting at the Riverfront Gallery at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral. Photo credit: Jana MacGinnes

After an exhilarating and, at times, exhausting five hours out on the town downtown, Midtown and all around yesterday for Gallery Walk, the 34^th edition is “the talk.” My partner remarked it was the best kind of an art hangover she had experienced.

The Silver Screen brought some of Tinsel Town to the Burg with the Art Association of Harrisburg (AAH) saluting Hollywood in grand style. Hats off to Carrie Wissler-Thomas, CEO and Rachel O’Connor, curator and, as Ed Sullivan would say, “It was a really big show.” The weather did not dampen any spirits, only adding an air of intrigue to the day.

For two of the prizewinners at the AAH member’s show, the first name needed to be Jeff. Jeff Bye took “Best of Show” award with his grand scale oil painting, “Everett Theater.” His work demonstrated his love for abandoned old movie houses—this one in decay from Boston. Haunting and dreamlike, its memories linger from the past. Jeff Wiles took first place in photography with a nostalgic nod to the drive-ins of yesteryear in his black and white study, “Last Picture Show,” artfully staged and shot for all time.

“Everett Theater,” oil painting by Jeff Bye, won “Best in Show” at the Art Association of Harrisburg exhibit. Photo credit: Jana MacGinnes

The art hangover was helped along by the Gallery Walk impromptu after-party at the Millworks, where many of the artists congregated at the bar. Zack Rudy and Brooke De Marco of Huckle Buckle Boys held court regaling us with a “Tale of Two Cities”—Philadelphia the night before with a story you could not make up and now back in Harrisburg and so glad to be home. Reina “R76” Wooden did a live demonstration outside the Millworks restaurant doors and made it a point to direct the artists to the bar, including Paul Zemaitis of Moonrise Candle Company, who shared, “Foot traffic was steady all day long for Gallery Walk.” Rebecca Adey of Mod Sew Designs paved her way with a big smile and dog tales to melt your heart. Larry Washington, Jr, photographer at large, arrived after getting some great photos at the AAH early in the day. Jonathan Frazier dropped by after his painting demonstration at St. Stephen’s Riverfront Gallery. Larry traded camera tips and quips with Jonathan as the two weighed in on angles and apertures. PD Murray and Tina Barrier share a Zen-like bond with camaraderie to spare. This dynamic duo will be joined by Tami Bitner for the new show featured on the lobby wall opening this Friday for 3^rd in the Burg. Closing out the first hour with a sou’con of devil-may-care bravado, PD imposed on the chef for soup of all things, for which I will be eternally grateful. Thank you, Mr. Murray. Bon vivants out and about added to the ambiance of “Bohemian rhapsody,” reaching a swell of laughter and frivolity. And to all the art-lovers who toured the museums, murals, churches, galleries and restaurants yesterday, you are all winners.

“Last Picture Show” by Jeff Wiles won first prize for photography at the Art Association of Harrisburg exhibit. Photo credit: Jana MacGinnes

Hanging Art at CALC

In the G.B. Stuart Gallery, friendship and painting go hand-in-hand as female artists and age-old compatriots Peg Belcastro and Gail Walden Coleman express different perspectives in the exhibit “Heartscapes and Landscapes.” In her own words, Walden Coleman “follows her heart’s feelings” in her intuitive works reflective of her emotional barometer. Belcastro’s love of lush surroundings one may find in a forest is deeply infused with a painterly point of view, capturing “the landscape with bold exciting colors.” A study in contrast demonstrates once again that opposites attract. Gail’s paintings’ abstractness juxtapose precisely with Belcastro’s panoramic vistas grounded in realism. Instead of creating a dissonance as one might expect, they draw the viewers into two separate worlds—one with open-ended possibilities, the other taken at face value liberally sprinkled with imagination and color. Together or apart, each allows for introspection and reflection. “You’ve got a friend in me…” and them too!

You know you are of a certain age when your doctor recommends a diet high in fiber. So, we were elated to learn of CALC’s newest show, opening Friday, Sept. 23—“(un)Common Threads,” featuring fiber art in all its glory, in the Upstairs Gallery. This will be a contrast and a complement to “Heartscapes and Landscapes” downstairs. Curator “Dr.” Cathy Stone, my new art dietician, has assembled a gallery of textile technicians, highly skilled artisans so adroit at their craft that “magician” might be a more apt description. Weavers, dreamers and practitioners of tradition, transcending timeless tactile interest, bring it full circle to a contemporary cache perfect for the stage of tomorrow. Stone’s coterie of juried artists run the gamut from eco-dying, tapestry weaving, knitting, embroidery, felting, saori weaving and lace-making amongst paper and paint and found materials. All told, 31 pieces made the cut, a mere 40% of the entries submitted. There is no one better qualified to juror those select works than guest artist and felting facilitator par excellence, Erma Yost, a Carlisle resident of renown.

Outstanding examples from East Coast artisans include quilting in its many forms. Holly Cole’s layered organza organdy and cotton fabric are dye-painted, hand-embroidered, drawn and free motion quilted. Meghan Udell employed hand-knitted “Morse code” in her unique manner. Other quilt Quixotes include Linda Syverson and Liz Danish. From central Pennsylvania, Carol Reed, CALC instructor, fiber artist and land art enthusiast, specializes in fiber-mixed natural dyeing. In addition, the only wearable art was created by Jana MacGinnes with a flower fusion tunic via roses adorning the neckline and an encased hem with twisted fabric, much like trailing vines entwining romance and fiber as one, like a garden sonnet that captures beauty’s fleeting fancy. When viewed as a whole, this 30-plus-one collection weaves a dream of aesthetic acclaim where art meets craft in a hushed atmosphere. Listen closely as the works whisper to you.

Turning 100

It took me 50 years to turn 100 in my writing career, starting with Harrisburg Independent Press back in 1972. Never thought I would see 100…not years mind you. But this blog denotes my century mark-plus of art columns for TheBurg, including “The Painted Word” and “Bob’s Art Blog.” After my first 3^rd in the Burg coverage on Charlie Feathers’ show at H*MAC back on St. Patrick’s Day of 2019, I thought, what comes next? In those early days, I had to check in with my editor, Lawrance Binda, regarding topics before I headed out on assignment. Long story short—TheBurg was recently honored for “Distinguished Service to the Arts” for the region for 2022. We were humbled to be included that night at Whitaker Center to see Lawrance and the staff of TheBurg—Lauren Maurer, Kelsey Tatge and art director Megan Caruso–feted by Theatre Harrisburg actors. Here’s to turning 100!

September Art Events

Sept. 16: 3^rd in the Burg events throughout the city
Sept. 17: Hummelstown Arts Festival – 170 juried artists on Main St from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sept. 23: CALC’s dual art show “Heartscapes and Landscapes” and “(un)Common Threads” opening reception 5:30 to 7 p.m.

dIf you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

The Painted Word: For this year’s Gallery Walk, Hollywood comes to Harrisburg

August 31, 2022 | by Bob MacGinnes

Artwork by Ted Walke, Gallery@Second

Carrie Wissler-Thomas, CEO of the Art Association of Harrisburg, is rolling out the red carpet. The 34th annual Gallery Walk, held this year on Sept. 11, is a tribute to “The Silver Screen.”

Imagine the streets of Harrisburg like the legendary Sunset and Vine, alongside Hollywood Boulevard. Harrisburg’s art corridors create cinematic verité’ in 19 varied venues throughout the city, tent-poled by the AAH’s homage to stars of yesteryear.

There is something for everyone’s taste with “theaters” both inside and out. Much like at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, cavernous grand lobbies will greet visitors at venues like the Pennsylvania State Museum, leading to “Art of the State” in its 55th edition, and the Susquehanna Art Museum, which showcases “Making Your Mark: Prints and Drawings.”

For history buffs, choices abound. Old City Hall apartments will house works by regional high schools as part of the “Artistic Expressions” group. Capital Area School for the Arts (CASA) in Strawberry Square unveils its student fall show, “Connection,” which includes an awards ceremony. Think the “Oscars” for young artists.

The McCormick Riverfront Library has undergone a dramatic transformation, as has the now-connected Haldeman-Haly House. Both buildings are works of art themselves. Beyond the stacked library shelves, local artists, including Amy Powell, Todd Seltzer, E. Patrick Brown and Christina Juarez, will display their works.

Historic Harrisburg Resource Center will exhibit “Harrisburg’s Hidden African-American Heritage,” which explores the neighborhoods of the old 8th Ward. The fascinating foray is told through verbal recollections, vintage photos and more. Included are the Underground Railroad and the Bethel Trail.

Historic homes also will have their doors open. The Historical Society of Dauphin County will greet visitors at John Harris-Simon Cameron Mansion, as will the Civic Club of Harrisburg at its Overlook Mansion, nestled within Riverfront Park. Come and meet new President Contrena Baltimore, who is overseeing the Overlook.

Religious houses are “G” rated for all ages and beliefs, with open doors for tours, exhibits and more at four participants: Riverfront Gallery at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Zion Lutheran Church, Salem United Church of Christ and St. Michael’s Lutheran Church. While at the latter, look for the photography of Joel Anderson, who specializes in classic film and darkroom techniques.

Five independent galleries will participate, offering unique art adventures from downtown to Midtown.

First up, Gallery@Second, owned and operated by Ted and Linda Walke, will provide a glimpse of contemporary lowbrow and pop surrealist artwork by local artists.

Arriving at 3rd and Verbeke, you’ll be able to visit numerous galleries, all within a stone’s throw.

The Millworks will unveil its new show featuring artists Rebecca Adey, Tara Chickey, Elaine Elledge, Paul Gallo and Julie Iaria. Vivi on Verbeke is a throwback to the best of the late ‘60s-peace, love and pottery, in addition to the stellar photography of Vivian Sterste’s partner, Jackson (Jeb) Boyd. The couple adds ambiance and hospitality every time you enter their gallery-like home.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore/Robinson’s Gallery provides the bridge between education and art. There, local photographer Eric Mizak will be featured, along with prints from the collection of Robinson’s Fine Prints.

Last year, Nyeusi Gallery opened its doors for the first time on Gallery Walk Sunday, bringing African and African American art to the foreground in Harrisburg. Featuring both Pennsylvania artists and an international roster, owners Dr. Dale Dangleben and Michelle Green have made Nyeusi Gallery a destination for many types of artistic endeavors.

Prominently positioned for great viewing is the ever-expanding “drive-in theater” experience, the Sprocket Mural Works tour of building-sized art. “Mural Mile” tours will depart from the state Capitol steps at 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m., with a suggested donation of $15.

That wraps up the preview for Gallery Walk’s edition of the Silver Screen. Who knows, maybe someday in the future Harrisburg will have its own Walk of Fame. Envision timeless tributes set in stone on 3rd and Verbeke, 2nd and Locust, Front Street and the list goes on. Perhaps it’s written in the stars.

The 34th annual Gallery Walk takes place on Sunday, Sept. 11, noon to 5 p.m., at numerous locations in Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.artassocofhbg.com.

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