In Celebration Of National Park Service’s Centennial Anniversary – SRHA & MCCC Partner To Host Nationally Touring Art Quilt Exhibit W/Opening Reception Oct. 5

Wings of Fire by Melani K. Brewer

Pottstown, PA—Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) and the Schuylkill River Heritage Area (SRHA) will present a traveling juried art quilt exhibit, “Piecing Together a Changing Planet,” which illustrates how pollution and climate change have affected national parks.

The 26-quilt exhibit has been on display at national parks and partner venues since 2014 and is continuing its journey across the country in celebration of the National Park Service’s Centennial Anniversary this year. Since the exhibit started, it has been seen by nearly a quarter-million people, according to Gary Bremen, a park ranger who helped to coordinate the exhibit.

The exhibit will be held at at MCCC’s Fine Arts Gallery, North Hall, 16 High Street, Pottstown, from Oct. 3 through 28 with an opening reception on Wednesday, October 5, 5-7 p.m. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the community—everyone is welcome.

The Last Resort by Mary Rhopa la Cierra

The quilted artwork was created by Florida members of the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), a 3,000-member international organization dedicated to the promotion of art quilt. In addition to traditional stitching and piecing, this type of quilting features graphic design and layering of pieces of fabric, creating a dramatic, three-dimensional effect. As a result, butterflies appear to flutter from treetops, while glaciers seem to melt into oceans.

According to exhibit curator Maya Schonenberger, “The artists’ goal is to help open people’s eyes to the beauty of nature that surrounds them, and share their concern for its loss.”

Over the years, climate changes, particularly the warming of the atmosphere, has created many changes in the environment, which are often evident in America’s national parks.

“Stories of how artists have played a crucial role in environmental protection are legion,” said Bremen. “The arts convey beauty, fragility and urgency in ways that touch the heart and soul, thus opening the mind as well.”

Last Leaf by Linda S. Hoffmeister

The national tour of Piecing Together a Changing Planet is made possible by SAQA and Biscayne National Park, with financial support from the National Park Service’s Climate Change Response Program, the South Florida National Parks Trust, Les Bouquinistes Book Club and an anonymous donor.

For more information about the Schuylkill River Heritage Association, visit http://www.schuylkillriver.org/.

The Fine Arts Gallery is open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Friday, 8;30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed weekends. For more information about MCCC, visit http://www.mc3.edu.

MCCC To Host 11th Annual Art Students’ Exhibition And Competition In Pottstown – Opens April 6‏

“Wooden Boat” by Emily Brunton

“Flowers” by Matt Uhl

“Bottle on the Beach” by Lauren Marsh

“Swamp Light” by Greg Pipkins

Pottstown, PA — Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) will be highlighting the talent of its art students at its 11th Annual Art Students’ Exhibition and Competition, which opens Wednesday, April 6, and continues through Friday, April 29, at the Fine Arts Gallery, North Hall, 16 High Street, Pottstown.

Approximately 50 students will be displaying their artwork in a variety of media, including drawings, paintings and mixed media. The artists’ reception will be held Wednesday, April 13, from 5-7 p.m. with the awards ceremony at 6 p.m.The exhibition and reception are free of charge and open to the public.

The Fine Arts Gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Closed weekends.

MCCC’s Fine Art Program provides the foundation studies and studio expertise that parallels the first two years of study at a four-year college and enables students to develop their skills and produce a portfolio in the visual arts to obtain employment after earning an associate’s degree. Students may concentrate their studies in subjects including Animation, Ceramics, Drawing, Graphic Design, Illustration, Painting, Photography, Printmaking or Sculpture. For more information about the Fine Arts Program, visit www.mc3.edu.

For more information about the exhibition, contact MCCC Gallery Director Holly Cairns at 215-619-7349 or hcairns@mc3.edu.

Follow the arts at MCCC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DestinationArts for information about upcoming performances and art exhibitions.

MCCC Awards Student Artists At TriCounty High School Art Exhibition‏

Photograph: Students from area high schools participated in Montgomery County Community College’s TriCounty High School Art Exhibition, and 19 students received Awards of Excellence for their artwork. Photograph by Diane VanDyke.

Pottstown, PA —More than 115 visitors attended the “Meet the Artists” reception and awards ceremony for the Third Annual TriCounty High School art show on Feb. 17 at Montgomery County Community College’s Fine Arts Gallery, North Hall, 16 High Street, Pottstown.

During the awards presentation, 19 students received certificates in recognition of their artwork, along with gifts of sketch pads and pencils. MCCC’s art faculty served as judges of the show, which included 160 entries from area high schools.

The following students received Awards of Excellence:

Methacton High School: Isabel Cabrena, “Nature,” acrylic; Emily Cortellessa, “Dionysus,” chalk pastel; and Sarah Koshy, “Chirophobia,” charcoal.

Owen J. Roberts High School:  Zachary Foreman, “Broken,” charcoal; and Nicole MacMullin, “Kacey,” charcoal.

Perkiomen Valley High School:  Isabel Guzman, “Long Term,” oil/water soluble; and Samuel Yu, “Kawaii,” ball point pen.

Plymouth Whitemarsh High School: Jackie Lorenzon, “Cubist Face,” digital photo; and Gianna Perrone, “Frosty Falls,” digital photo.

Spring-Ford High School:  Abigail Grinstead, “Gadgets/Utensils,” charcoal; and Sabrina Pistona, “Gadget/Bicycle,” colored pencil on charcoal paper.

The Hill School:  Toby Johnson, “Chief,” digital art; Aron Gyoo Lee, “Panda Heaven,” pastel; Marina Mendez, “Leopard,” digital arts; and Cathy Wang, “Grandma,” photography.

Upper Merion Area High School: MJ Aggabao, “7-Up,” colored pencil; Nicole Dunleavy, “Sprinkles,” photography; Yaseen Elarbi, “Droplets,” photography; and Abby Volpe, “Distaste,” charcoal.

The exhibition opened Feb. 17 and will continue through March 4. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Closed weekends.

The next exhibit, the 11^th Annual Art Students’ Exhibition and Competition, opens on April 6 and runs through April 29 and features the artwork of MCCC students. The community is invited to the opening reception and award ceremony on Wednesday, April 13, 5-7 p.m. For more information about the exhibition, contact Gallery Director Holly Cairns at 215-619-7349 or hcairns@mc3.edu.

Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DestinationArts for information about upcoming performances and art exhibitions.

Montgomery County Community College To Host Third Annual Tri-County High School Art Exhibition‏

Photograph caption: “Long Term,” oil on canvas by Isabel DeGuzman of Perkiomen Valley High School.

Pottstown, PA —High school students from Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties will display their best artwork at Montgomery County Community College’s Third Annual Tri-County High School Art Exhibition and Competition in the College’s Fine Arts Gallery, North Hall, 16 High Street, Pottstown.

The exhibition opens Wednesday, Feb. 17, and will continue through Friday, March 4. The artists’ reception also will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 17, from 5-7 p.m. with the awards ceremony at 6 p.m. Both the exhibit and reception are free and open to the community.

This annual event enables up-and-coming student artists to exhibit their work in a professional art gallery and share their talents with the community. This year’s artwork will feature a wide-variety of subjects created in various mediums. MCCC art faculty members will be reviewing the artwork and will be available to answer any questions about the College’s art programs.

Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Closed weekends. For more information about the exhibition, contact Gallery Director Holly Cairns at 215-619-7349 or hcairns@mc3.edu.

Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DestinationArts for information about upcoming performances and art exhibitions.

Help support the arts and art education programs at Montgomery County Community College by becoming a Friend of the Galleries.  Donations are tax deductible. For more information, contact the College’s Foundation at 215-641-6530.

Montgomery County Community College To Host Chester County Art Association’s Invitational ‘Members Show’

Yellow Roof by Sherry McVickar

Floral by Monique Kendikian-Sarlessian

Black Cows by Heather Davis

Red by Favi Dubo

Pottstown, PA— Montgomery County Community College is pleased to host Chester County Art Association’s (CCAA) Invitational “Members Show” at its Fine Arts Gallery, North Hall, 16 High Street, Pottstown from Wednesday, Sept. 16, through Friday, Oct. 16.

A “Meet the Artists” reception is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 5-7 p.m. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the community and are sponsored by Alice Legge Penza.

This exhibit features an array of artwork in a variety of media of more than 20 participating members, including:  Annette Alessi, Favi Dubo, Heather Davis, Karen Delaney, Jim Fitzgerald, Marcia Gasser, Joseph Hoover, Hugo Hsu, Rhoda Kahler, Monique Kendikian-Sarlessian, Emily Manko, Jeremy McGirl, George McMonigle, Sherry McVickar, Kathy Miller, Roe Murray, Wendy Scheirer, Don Shoffner, John Suplee, Eileen Tolan and Denise Vitollo. McVickar is the curator of the exhibit.

“The CCAA Members Invitational show at Montgomery County Community College includes a curated selection of CCAA artists. Within the show, visitors will witness tremendous artistic talent and focus, while viewing a range of materials and subject matter. The Chester County Art Association is proud to have these artists represent our organization, and we thank the Montgomery County Community College for this wonderful opportunity in their unique and beautiful venue,” said Karen Delaney, executive director of the CCAA.

CCAA’s roots extend back to 1931 when it was founded by several prominent artists and community leaders, including illustrators William Palmer Lear and N.C. Wyeth, and art critic Christian Brinton, according to CCAA’s website. The group met weekly in private homes to sketch and plan exhibits, and for several years, they held their exhibits at West Chester University.

In the early 1950s, area resident Mary E. Page Allinson donated an acre of land in West Chester, where CCAA’s present art center was built in 1953. With donations from resident WW “Chick” Laird and bequests from Stewart Huston and Alison Farmer Wescott, CCAA added four acres, a second gallery and several studios by 1974.

Since its founding, CCAA’s mission “is to be a source of inspiration, creativity, and community by connecting artists, students, patrons and the wider community to and through art.”  CCAA hosts several art-focused community programs, including summer day camps, classes for adults and children and scholarships for deserving youth, and it has a satellite location known as the Exton Square Studio. For more information about CCAA, visit http://www.chestercountyarts.org/.

MCCC’s gallery hours are Mon.-Thurs., 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. and Fri. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For more information about the exhibit or the gallery, contact MCCC Galleries Director Holly Cairns at 215-619-7349 or hcairns@mc3.edu.

For the more information about upcoming exhibits and activities, like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DestinationArts, and visit our website at http://mc3.edu/arts/fine-arts.

Help support the arts and art education programs at Montgomery County Community College by becoming a Friend of the Galleries. Donations are tax deductible. For more information, contact the College Foundation at 215-641-6530.

MCCC To Host 10th Annual Art Students’ Exhibition And Competition

“Still Life With Grapes,” oil painting by Eva Hozinez

Pottstown, Pa.— Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) will be highlighting the talent of its art students at its Tenth Annual Art Students’ Exhibition and Competition, which opens Wednesday, April 1, and continues through Friday, April 24, at the Fine Arts Gallery, North Hall, 16 High Street, Pottstown.

Approximately 50 students will be displaying their artwork in a variety of media, including drawings, paintings, three-dimensional pieces and mixed media. The artists’ reception will be held Wednesday, April 1, from 5-7 p.m. with the awards ceremony at 6 p.m.The exhibition and reception are free of charge and open to the public.

The Fine Arts Gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Closed weekends.

MCCC’s Fine Art Program serves art majors and non-majors by teaching the necessary skills, knowledge and insights needed to succeed as an artist. The curriculum provides the foundation studies and studio expertise that parallels the first two years of study at a four-year college and enables students to develop their skills and produce a portfolio in the visual arts to obtain employment after earning an associate’s degree. Students may concentrate their studies in subjects including Animation, Ceramics, Drawing, Graphic Design, Illustration, Painting, Photography, Printmaking or Sculpture. For more information about the Fine Arts Program, visit www.mc3.edu.

For more information about the exhibition, contact MCCC Gallery Director Holly Cairns at 215-619-7349 or hcairns@mc3.edu.

Follow the arts at MCCC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DestinationArts for information about upcoming performances and art exhibitions.

MCCC TO HOST TRICOUNTY HIGH SCHOOL ART EXHIBITION

Pottstown, Pa.—High school students from Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties will showcase their artwork at Montgomery County Community College’s second annual TriCounty High School Art Exhibition and Competition at its Fine Arts Gallery, North Hall, 16 High Street, Pottstown.

The exhibition opens Wednesday, Jan. 28, and will continue through Friday, Feb. 27. The artists’ reception will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 28, from 5-7 p.m. with the awards presentation at 6 p.m. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the community.

Students will display their best artwork featuring a variety of subject matters and styles created in an array of media. This annual event enables up-and-coming student artists to exhibit their work in a professional art gallery and share their talents with the community. MCCC art faculty members will be reviewing the artwork and will be available to answer any questions about the College’s art programs.

Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Closed weekends. For more information about the exhibition, contact Gallery Director Holly Cairns at 215-619-7349 or hcairns@mc3.edu.

Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/DestinationArts for information about upcoming performances and art exhibitions.

MCCC To Host ‘Color Blast’ Exhibit In Pottstown

“Winged Victory,” 2014, oil on linen, by Valley of Peace Burke.

Photo caption: “Dancing the Night Away,” acrylic, by Lois Schlachter.

Photo caption: “Dancing the Flamenco,” by Patricia Wilson-Schmid.

Pottstown, PA— Montgomery County Community College continues its 2014-2015 fine arts season with the exhibit “Color Blast,” which opens on Monday, Nov. 3, at the Fine Arts Gallery, North Hall, 16 High Street, Pottstown. A “Meet the Artists” reception is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 12, from 5-7 p.m. Both the exhibit, which continues through Dec. 12, and the reception are free and open to the community.

“Color Blast” features the vibrant artwork of three artists, who are brought together through this exhibit and their shared enthusiasm for color:  Valley of Peace Burke of Long Island, New York; Lois Schlachter of Spring Mount, Pennsylvania; and Patricia Wilson-Schmid of Lederach, Pennsylvania.

While color unites the exhibit, each artist has her own distinct style and personality, as reflected in the art.

Working as both an artist and a registered cardiac surgery intensive care nurse, Valley of Peace Burke reinterprets the visual elements of the medical world into an artistic expression that explores the interwoven relationship between body and spirit. She believes and portrays the body and mind as “sacred and whole.”

“Color is healing. It carries life and beauty into the world. I have spent most of my life near the sea and am influenced by the elements of nature. These elements are also internal, as the human body is a microcosm of the earth,” she says.

This multi-faceted artist has studied oil painting under Judy Dupic in France and has traveled and painted throughout England, Ireland, Italy, Mongolia and Spain. In addition to her nursing degree, she also is a master of oriental medicine and acupuncture physician. Her great-grandfather, Joseph A. Burke, was composer well-known to the Philadelphia area during the 1920s-40s, and his songs were recorded by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bing Crosby, among others. Valley is pleased to be exhibiting in the Philadelphia area where much of her family resides.

As an abstract artist, Lois Schlachter is in love “with the line, handsome vibrant color and a comfortable composition” and describes her work as simply “fun.” Working directly from her hand to the canvas, she lets her imagination direct her as playful and colorful images emerge.

“I feel that acrylic paint gives me the brilliant and intense color that I love,” she says. “I use color to navigate the viewer’s eye across the canvas providing an avenue to discover one fun spot after another.”

Schlachter is a graduate of The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and The University of the Arts, formerly Philadelphia College of Art.  She will be exhibiting approximately 40 acrylic works on canvas in a variety of sizes, all of which were created in the past 15 years.

For artist Patricia Wilson-Schmid, her style spans the range from representational to abstract, based upon her feelings when she views and interprets her subjects. Like her co-exhibitors, color profoundly impacts her work.

“As I paint from my emotions, the act of painting is who I am,” she says in her artist’s statement. “It is a line, a color, a shape, or an effect of light that inspires me. My spirit than directs me through the painting. Time embellishes my approach. In the end the paintings and I have traveled through much effort and feeling. Color is the vehicle by which I express my feelings. It is a part of who I am.”

Wilson-Schmid enjoys working in oil, watercolor, acrylic and pastels and has been painting since 1962. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Penn State University and has taken post-graduate courses at Temple University, Lehigh University, Penn State University, Samuel S. Fleisher Art Institute and Montgomery County Community College. She has exhibited her work at various galleries and shows throughout the tri-state area, as well as in juried international online exhibitions hosted by Upstream People Gallery.

The show is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Mon.-Thurs., 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. and Fri. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For more information about the exhibit or the gallery, contact MCCC Galleries Director Holly Cairns at 215-619-7349 or hcairns@mc3.edu.

For the more information about upcoming exhibits and activities, like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DestinationArts, and visit our website at http://www.mc3.edu/arts/fine-arts.

Help support the arts and art education programs at Montgomery County Community College by becoming a Friend of the Galleries. Donations are tax deductible. For more information, contact the College Foundation at 215-641-6535.

‘Visions’ Exhibition To Open May 12 At Montgomery County Community College’s Fine Arts Gallery In Pottstown

Jim Hendricks: Stone sculpture by Jim Hendricks, Pottstown.

Phil Smith: Metal sculpture by Phil Smith, Norristown.

Julie Longacre: “Rows into Winter” by Julie Longacre, Barto.

Sonya Moyer: Photography by Sonya Moyer, Earl Township.

Pottstown, Pa.—The “Visions” Art Exhibition featuring the works of four artists— Phil Smith of Schwenksville, Jim Hendricks of Pottstown, Julie Longacre of Barto, and Sonya Moyer of Earl Township—opens Monday, May 12, at Montgomery County Community College’s Fine Arts Gallery, North Hall, 16 High Street, Pottstown, and runs through Friday, June 6. A “Meet the Artists” reception will be held on Sunday, June 1, 1-3 p.m. Both the exhibition and reception are free and open to the public, and Longacre’s Dairy will serve homemade-style ice cream at the reception.

“Entitled ‘Visions’ this exhibition reflects how each of us, with our own separate working styles and mediums, has been united by the common idea of strong personal visual expressions,” says Phil Smith.

As a metal sculptor, Smith likes to create sculptures as visual recordings of his life and how his life has been involved with these things. His sculptures incorporate weathered, used objects, such as old tools, machine parts and discarded metal objects. “The sculptures are nearly all the assembly of the brazed and welded metal parts coming together to express an idea based on my perception(s) of life,” he notes in his artist statement.

Smith, now retired, taught Fine Arts in the Norristown Area High School for 33.5 years, and his sculptures have appeared in numerous local galleries and exhibitions. He earned a bachelor’s degree and Master of Science degree in Education from Millersville University and a second master’s degree in education from Marywood College in Scranton.  Additionally, he has taken courses at Temple University/Tyler School of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, as well as other area arts centers, and has an associate’s degree in Art from Montgomery County Community College.

Stone/wood sculptor Jim Hendricks is a former student of Smith’s at Norristown Area High School in 1978-1980. The two sculptors have maintained their friendship throughout the years and are looking forward to exhibiting their work together at the gallery.

Hendricks has always been inspired by the human form and his work is influenced by a range of work from the German expressionists to Aztec and Mayan carving and from the American realists of the Works Progress Administration to the Medieval and Gothic carvers, according to his artist statement. “I believe that by exaggerating, enlarging, stretching and distorting the forms of the human figure, I can express powerful emotions and ideas to the viewer through the sculpture,” he says.

A native of Norristown, Hendricks graduated from the University of the Arts in 1984 and helped to fabricate sculptures for the Treehouse exhibit at the Philadelphia Zoo. He then worked as a studio assistant on government-commissioned monuments in Washington, D.C. He currently has a studio in Pottstown.

Like Smith and Hendricks, artists and sisters Julie Longacre and Sonya Moyer look forward to sharing gallery space at the Fine Arts Center, too.

Julia Longacre, a Berks County native, earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas.  She first exhibited her local landscape paintings in 1971 at the Boyertown Historical Society, launching her successful career in fine art. Throughout her career, Longacre has held numerous solo exhibitions locally, regionally and as far as Nova Scotia, Canada, and garnered many awards and accolades.

Proficient in any medium, from watercolor, oil or acrylic, Longacre is well-known for her landscapes and buildings of the rural countryside of southeastern Pennsylvania. Her love of painting and joy of writing has been an integral part of Berks County community for the last 40-plus years.

Artist/photographer Moyer lives in an 1838 restored stone farmhouse, where she enjoys capturing the bucolic landscape and “workings” of the farm through her camera lens. She credits her sister for encouraging her to exhibit her photographs and to truly “see” and appreciate the world around her.

“I try to capture the joy and wonder, the quietness and beauty of nature, a small frame of perfection in an imperfect world. So many times, these little scenes are just fleeting moments and are gone before you fully appreciate them. Sometimes it just takes my breath away, that I am lucky enough to see and experience these moments and I want to share it with others so that they, too, can see, feel, enjoy and reflect on them,” says Moyer.

The gallery is open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

For more information about the exhibition, contact Montgomery County Community College Galleries Director Holly Cairns at 215-619-7349 or hcairns@mc3.edu. 

For information and photographs of exhibitions and participating artists, friend us on Facebook/DestinationArts.

Tri-County High School Art Exhibit At MCCC West Campus In Pottstown

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

High school students from Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties will showcase their artwork at Montgomery County Community College’s first Tri-County High School Art Exhibition and Competition at its Fine Arts Gallery, North Hall, 16 High Street, Pottstown.

The exhibition opens Monday, Jan. 13, and will continue through Friday, Feb. 21. The artists’ reception will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 29, from 5-7 p.m. with the awards presentation at 6 p.m. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the community.

Students from approximately 20 public, parochial and private schools were invited to participate in the exhibition. The artwork features a variety of subjects and styles in an array of media. College art faculty members will be judging the artwork.

More details: http://calendar.mc3.edu/EventList.aspx?view=EventDetails&eventidn=1772&information_id=2563&type=&syndicate=syndicate

TCN Membership Meeting

TCN Membership Meeting

Tuesday, January 17, 8am-10am

Montgomery County Community College, West Campus

North Hall, 16 High Street, Pottstown

Additional parking available in the lot across the street along Manatawny Creek

Presented by the TCN Exelon Nuclear Workforce Development Program

For more information or to register call 610-705-3301, Ext. 2.

North Hall:  Ten years after opening its doors in Pottstown, the College’s West Campus expanded to a historical site commonly referred to as the “former Vaughan Knitting Mill” at 16 High Street. The facility, which was renovated to historically-correct standards under the National Parks Service, opened its doors to students on January 18, 2006.