THE BEST THING IN LIFE IS FREE ART - A Regional Open Call To Artists, Submissions Due Sunday August 10th between noon and 5pm

August of 2008 will mark the One Year Anniversary of Paper Kite Studio, Press, and Gallery at its current location on Main Street in Kingston. To celebrate, we’re making public and explicit our promise to bring arts to the community, and, making good on that promise by re-inventing the whole notion of how an Art Gallery works.

First, we are asking ANY area artists who are interested in being considered for a solo or group show during the 11 months after August to submit their portfolio, representative work, slides, or CD of images for consideration along with ONE display-ready piece. The display-ready pieces will be hung during the month of August, and will be available to anyone who wants it for FREE. Selections for solo or group shows for the next exhibition cycle will be made by the end of August. All future shows will be by artists who support our philosophy of giving back to the community by donating a piece of art to August Anniversary Shows.

Second, we are asking ALL area artists (or owners of art) to consider donating a display-ready piece of art to be given away at this event, even if you have no interest in being considered for a solo or group show at this time. Any and all artists who would like to share in this opportunity to give back to the community are invited to bring one to
three pieces of work to the Gallery on Sunday August 10th between noon and 5pm. All work will be hung during the month of August, and will be available to anyone who wants it for FREE.

For details on how to donate art, how to have your work considered for a future show, or others ways you can help support our initiative to give back to the community, please contact one of us:
Jennifer Hill-Kaucher, wordpainting@comcast.net,
Dan Waber, dwaber@logolalia.com
David Hage, Gallery Coordinator, info@davidhage.com
443 Main Street Kingston, PA 18704, USA, 570-328-8658, wordpainting.com

Once Again the North Branch Art Trail will offer a special bus trip between Scranton and Wyalusing. Hop on the bus Saturday morning, Oct 11 for a delightful and relaxed trip up US Route 6 to visit several of the studios with dinner at the Hotel Wyalusing and the street fair in Wyalusing as the final destination. Reservations are required. The Bus will depart
from the Everhart Museum at 8:00 a.m. sharp on Oct 11. For info and
reservations, call Judy Youshock at570-842-4133 or Kim Glemboski
570-241-6807.
Web: www.canterburyts.com
Email: kim@canterburyts.com

The American Watercolor Society is seeking entries for the 142nd Annual International Exhibition, Mar 31-April 26, 2009. Slide entries only, postmarked Nov. 15. For a prospectus, send a SASE to Richard Brzozowski at American Watercolor Society, 13 Fox Road, Plainville, CT 06062-1808, or download from www.AmericanWatercolorSociety.org.

Allied Artists of America seeks entries for its 95th Annual National Exhibition, Nov 13-Dec 2, 2008, at the National Arts Club, NYC. Media include watermedia, pastel, oil, graphic media and sculpture. For a prospectus, send a SASE to Rhoda Yanow, 19 Springtown Rd., White House Station, NJ 08889 or visit the web site at www.alliedartistsofamerica.org. Deadline: Sept 15.

The Barrett Art Center in Poughkeepsie, New York, is seeking entries for ‘New Directions ‘08′, its 24th Annual National Juried Contemporary Art Exhibition. The exhibit runs from Oct 25 to Nov 22, 2008. The juror is Asher E. Miller, Dept of 19th Century Modern and Contemporary Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Categories include painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography and mixed media. Entry deadline: Friday, Sept 12. Send SASE for prospectus to: Barrett Art Center, 55 Noxen St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12501 or see website at www.barrettartcenter.org.

The Cultural Council of Luzerne County is pleased to announce our Third Annual Juried Exhibition. The tradition of the CCLC Annual Exhibition began when the Cultural Council mounted a VIP exhibition in honor of the Governor’s Awards for the Arts which was held in Wilkes-Barre for the first time in June of 2006.

The theme of this year’s competition promotes the power of artistic expression to enhance awareness and stewardship of the Susquehanna River Watershed. Work does not have to depict the river.

Artist must be a resident of PA, NY or MD. Original work must have been created within the past three (3) years. A maximum of three pieces may be submitted and there is a $20 entry fee for each piece of work.

Work will be accepted in three categories:
Painting:
Oil, acrylic, watercolors, or mixed media, painted on
a two-dimensional surface.
Photography:
Black & white or color (digital or film) photography.
Works on Paper:
Prints, drawings, pastels or mixed media on paper.

Juror: ROB EVANS
Rob Evans, artist and curator of the Visions of the Susquehanna exhibition and a Wyoming Valley native, has work displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery, among many others. His work is also represented in many private collections. www.robevansart.net

The exhibition will be presented at the Luzerne County Courthouse, which celebrates its centennial in 2009. There will be a gala opening reception on October 10th, and the exhibition will run through November 7th. Submissions must be postmarked no later than August 20th.

A total of $1,100 in awards will be presented in each of the three categories, as well as Best of Show.

Complete instructions and a form which must be submitted by all participating artists are available in the Call for Artists (PDF 548k). The Call for Artists may also be obtained by calling the Cultural Council at 570-408-4439. Please leave your name and complete address.

For additional information, email cclcarts@gmail.com

The 15th Annual North Branch Art Trail is set for the Columbus Day weekend
of October 10,11, and 12. The North Branch Art Trail is a weekend of
spectacular art, where the public is invited to visit the galleries, studios
and museums between Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and then on up Route 6, or
following the Susquehanna River to Wyalusing and other areas in Bradford
County and the northern tier. The weekend coincides with the peak of fall
foliage and the trail is along one of America’s most beautiful sections of
highway- US Route 6 and the North Branch of the Susquehanna River with
amazing views and panoramas. The weekend also coincides with the opening of
Northeast Regional Exhibit at four locations in Scranton. The Art Trail
weekend offers visitors a chance to see the very best art of the northeast
and see the artists’ studios where the art work is created. The weekend
includes the North Branch Arts and Music Festival in Wyalusing, which is a
street fair where jazz, gypsy swing, blues, blue grass, folk, and pop rock,
with dancing, singing, poetry, painting, theatre and dance instruction are
all offered free of charge. There is also a Triathlon on Saturday morning
in Wyalusing- great to watch or take part in.

BUS TRIP TOO- This year there will again be a chartered bus bringing a full
load of art enthusiasts to a select number of the venues. The bus will leave
from Scranton on Saturday morning and wind its way up US 6, stopping at a
few of the venues, with the final destination being the street fair in
Wyalusing and dinner at the Hotel. Details are being worked out- stay tuned.
Please call Judy Youshock (at 570-842-4133 or judithyoushock@comcast.net) to reserve your seat, as spots are limited.

For a free brochure with a map call the Greater Wyalusing Chamber of
Commerce at 570-746-4922 or wchamber@epix.net or www.wyalusing.net.

The STAR Gallery at the Steamtown Mall invites the public to the 5th Artist Market and Music Festival on July 19th, 11 am til 6 pm. Local artists will display and sell their art and local musicians will keep everyone entertained.
For the first time at the mall, a group of Argentinian Tango Dancers will perform for 2 hours. The group is called ‘Argentine Tango’.
Sligo Creek Band, a regular at our market, will play bluegrass music.
Local musicians in the Steamtown Rhythm Band will continue to entertain everyone with their music.

Tables to sell art are $25. If anyone is interested in selling art, call the Gallery at 969-2537

The 9th Annual Mudball Festival hosted by John Bromberg will take place on Saturday, August 23rd, and Sunday, August 24th, from noon until dusk each day. There will be two days of puppets and music.

The Festival will be held on the festival grounds at PMS Farms, 639 South Preston Road, Lakewood, PA, 20 miles north of Honesdale.

Camping is available. All activities are free. For further information, contact John Bromberg at 448-2033.

“A photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows he’s being photographed, and what he does with this knowledge is as much a part of the photograph as what he’s wearing or how he looks. He’s implicated in what’s happening, and he has a certain real power over the result.”

~ Richard Avedon

The portraits in eyes of a stranger are the collaborative efforts between photographer and subject that Avedon is talking about. The photographer reacts to the subject through the lens of the camera; the subject reacts by presenting himself in a way that largely determines the outcome of the experience and the photograph.

“Rolfe Ross and I usually make our pictures quickly and without a lot of preparation,” says photographer Michael Poster. “We do not work in a studio, arrange lighting or dictate poses so the subject retains a substantial portion of control over the resulting image. It’s always surprising to me how generous and trusting strangers can be about offering themselves to the camera. Rolfe and I take that generosity and trust seriously; it inspires us to make honest pictures.”

eyes of a stranger
July 2 - September 2
Reception August 1, 6:00 - 9:00pm
Camerawork Gallery
Downstairs, in the Marquis Gallery
at the Laundry Building
515 Center Street, Scranton, PA 18503

The AFA Gallery will be exhibiting during the month of August drawings from its two drawing workshops, Sunday Night Drawing Social and the Tuesday Night Figure Drawing sessions. The exhibit is curated by Judi Keats, Assistant Professor on the art faculty at Keystone College.

The opening reception will take place on Friday, August 1st , from 6 to 8 PM as a part of the downtown Scranton’s First Friday event. The exhibit will run from August 1st until August 30th.

The AFA Gallery hosts two drawing workshops, the Sunday Night Drawing Social under the direction of Ted Michelowski, and the weekly Tuesday Night Figure Drawing sessions administered by Phil Marchese. The show promises to display a wide range of figure studies from croques to one-hour studies. A wide variety of styles are represented by the numerous artists in the two groups.

The genre of drawing is time-honored for its capture of mood, gesture and anatomy that living subjects and quick sketches impart. The show also features interesting variations that introduce elements of composition, color and a move toward surrealism.

For further information, contact the AFA Gallery at 570-969-1040 or visit its blogsite at http://afa.jgrabowski.com.

Electric Theatre Company (formerly known as The Northeast Theatre) is the Mayor’s pick this year to host a party celebrating the arts in Downtown Scranton. This is the party of the year, a midsummer masquerade. Black and white attire is required, but creative interpretation of black and white is encouraged… anything from formal wear to black jeans and t-shirt. Prizes will be given to the most creative takes on black and white and the party includes a fabulous buffet of food and beverage by Vida Tapas Bar, live music by Trio Barocco and Cuban Tres, clowns, buskers, acrobats, plus dance music by NEPA’s top deejay, Conor McGuigan, and more.
Each year, the Mayor and his wife Donna choose a not-for-profit arts group and host a party. This year, in part because The Northeast Theatre is changing its name, they chose Electric Theatre Company. And the folks at the Theatre have taken the Mayor’s choice as both as an occasion to honor him, and a challenge to themselves; they aim to make it the best party Scranton has seen in years. The name of the event is Sparks & Feathers! and it is described as A Midsummer Masquerade. Those attending are required to dress in black and white, but are thereby encouraged to interpret that dress code in whatever way their whim may take them, from donning formal wear to black jeans and t-shirts. (Prizes will be awarded to the most imaginative interpretations.)

When and Where -Electric Theatre, 326 Spruce Street 2nd Floor, Downtown Scranton
Saturday, July 19, 6 to 9 p.m.
Admission-Tickets in Advance are $50, Tickets at the Door are $60
ing at 5:30 p.m. Only students 25 years and under are eligible for rush tickets.
No one will be admitted who is not dressed in black and white
Buying Tickets
Tickets may be purchased by phone at 570-558-1515, or online at www.electrictheatre.org

Join us at our studio as Ted demonstrates woodturning and metal
spinning as part of the Wayne County Arts Alliance Open Studio Tour.
Ted’s studio is open Friday, July 25 through Sunday, July 27 11am -
6pm, with demos all day. Browse the gallery and enjoy a snack on the
deck. Saturday 6pm to 7:30 enjoy wine and cheese and conversation with
the artist on the deck. Call for directions: 570-937-4527, or go to
www.sokolowskistudios.com for more info.

Smithville Mansion Annex Art Gallery in Eastampton, NJ invites photographers from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware to submit work for its annual juried photo exhibition. Open to traditional photographic prints or high quality digital prints from either film or digital capture, with any type camera or film. Submitted work must be framed, wired, and ready to hang; no clip frames or center hangers. Mats and glass must be clean and frames in good condition or they will not be accepted for exhibit. Juror: Stephen Perloff, founder and editor of The Photo Review, editor of The Photograph Collector, and editor of Focus Magazine. Entry fee $12 for up to three works. Jurying will be by actual works, which must be dropped off on July 7 between 11am and 5 pm; artists will be notified of juror’s decision by e-mail on Tuesday, July 15. For complete details and to download a prospectus visit www.burlcoarts.com/Opportunities.htm. Deadline July 07, 2008.

“Three-Way Street” a mixed-media exhibit by local artists Tobi Balin Grossman, Bob Heim and Brad Earl will take place at Marquis Art & Frame Second Floor Gallery, 122 South Main St, downtown Wilkes-Barre, from July 18th through August 30th. Featured works include oil, acrylic and pastel paintings and cartoons. An opening “Meet the Artists” reception will be held on July 18th from 5:30pm-8pm. Reception is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday – Saturday 10am-6pm. Call 823-0518 for more info.

To celebrate the grand opening of ArtHouse Lounge, located in Harrisburg, PA, artists 17 years of age and older residing in Pennsylvania, Maryland, or D.C are invited to submit work for a 2D art exhibition. 2D works in the following media will be considered: paintings in oil, acrylic, watercolor and gouache; drawings in pencil, pastels, pen & ink; printmaking & mixed media also considered. No giclee prints. Juror: Evan Summer, MFA, Yale University. One piece each from the top finalists will be displayed in the gallery up to & during Gallery Walk, August 10 - September 8, 2008; the top three artists will win awards. Size limitations: 40″ including frame. To apply, submit JPGs under 1MB each via online entry. Entry fee $25 for up to three; $5 for each additional image up to five total. For a prospectus, visit http://www.arthouselounge.com/events.asp.
Deadline June 15, 2008.

Call for entries for the 5th Annual Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition at the Main Line Art Center in Haverford, PA 19041
N O V E M B E R 7 - 2 6. Artists must submit application by July 28, 2008.
J U R O R - William Pym, Curator, writer and former director,
Fleisher/Ollman Gallery in Philadelphia. William Pym is a critic and curator
and former director of the Fleisher/Ollman Gallery in Philadelphia. Notable
recent curations include Fabulous Histories: Indigenous Anomalies in
American Art, a taut argument for the blurring of lines between outsider and
insider art assignation that showed at the Carpenter Center for Visual
Arts at Harvard University and was reinterpreted for Art Basel 36; 2000
Years of Sculpture, a sprawling survey at Fleisher/Ollman of 60 works from
Han Dynasty pottery to Nikki De Saint Phalle and Joseph Beuys; and the 5
annual installments of new discoveries in Philadelphia contemporary art.
William is a staff writer for artforum. com and has written over 100
catalogues, treatises, critiques, diary entries and reviews, most recently Ye
Are Many, They Are Few, the University

A W A R D - $1000 Betsy Meyer Memorial Award

F E E S - For Main Line Art Center members there is a $15 entry fee. Non-members - $25 entry fee. New members are welcome to join.

R E Q U I R E M E N T S - Open to artists living in PA, NY, DE, NJ, MD and
DC working in all media.

For further information, go to www.mainlineart.org

Lizza Studios in Tunkhannock is presenting ‘Enduring Traditions in Realism’, an exhibit of the works of Thomas Wise and Brian Keeler. The exhibit opens on Sunday, June 29th, with a reception for the artists from 2 PM to 5 PM, and will continue through September 13th.
Shared pasts and a common path have led former teacher Thomas Wise and student Brian Keeler to a place of genuine respect and admiration for each other’s visions and artistic accomplishments. The landscape, still-life and figurative works featured in this exhibit are a tribute to their 25 year association and their enduring belief that the depth of our experience finds vehicle for expression in the traditions of realism.
The exhibit was curated by Betsy Greene and Laura Craig. Lizza Studios is located at 155 Bridge St., Tunkhannock, PA 18657

Artists and Educators,
Please accept this letter of introduction from a new and thriving
convergence of schools and individuals active in the visual and
performing arts. The Harris Conservatory for the Arts is a community
of some of the finest educators and artists currently working in
Northeast Pennsylvania. It is becoming known as the area’s “one stop
shop” for the arts.
Walking the halls of the 20,000 square foot facility brings to mind
images of the popular movie “Fame” based on the school for performing
arts in New York City. Stretching dancers grace the bright and
spacious dance studios, professional paintings create a gallery along
the hallway, a piano plays a classical melody, athletic tumblers do
breathtaking acrobatics and the tone of an operatic solo fills the
air.
This unique collaboration of professional schools and artists have now
created a vibrant and flourishing community with literally an excess
of a thousand guests weekly. We are now searching for new members to
join a family. Tenants can rent space in the building on an hourly,
monthly or yearly basis and can meet any artists budget. Rental fees
include just about EVERYTHING, and with the guaranteed traffic of
artistically interested students and their families, this conservatory
provides a truly exceptional opportunity for growth and development of
new and existing programs.
The conservatory is centrally located in Luzerne just off the Cross
Valley Expressway and Wyoming Avenue. Among the building’s many
features is its 1,800 sq ft rehearsal area. For those groups who may
require even more space, the gymnasium allows enough room to suit just
about every need. A new parking lot has recently been constructed to
meet the demands of the every growing weekly visitors to the
conservatory.
The main tenant of the facility is the Joan Harris Centre. This
nationally recognized school of dance has a 25-year history of
educating budding dancers in its family friendly atmosphere. Many of
the Joan Harris Dancers have gone on to dance with professional dance
companies performing at the Lincoln Centre, on Broadway, and across
the east coast. Their enrollment of nearly 700 students come from all
across the Northeastern Pennsylvania and range in age from 3 through
adult.
Many other noteworthy groups such as the nationally recognized
Northeast Mustang All-Star Cheerleaders, Christine Leandri School of
Music, Miss Kimberly’s Studio of Vocal Arts, Kindermusik of Wyoming
Valley, a theatrical school Back Stage Pass, and various other artists
join the dancers. Wyoming Valley Art League has adorned the walls with
paintings created by their members.
There are many openings for schools and individuals to join our
family. Perfectly suited for the center is string musicians and
schools, martial arts instructors, and physical fitness trainers in
aerobics, Pilates, yoga. We are interested as well in building up the
visual arts offerings at the conservatory with painters, potters,
sculptors and other mediums. The conservatory is open to all sorts of
new concepts since our mission is to be as diverse as the arts
themselves. We believe that through cross-pollination of ideas and
ideals we can create something magnificent.
The Harris Conservatory for the Arts is open to visual and performing
artists interested in becoming a part of this unique community. The
conservatory is located at 545 Charles St. in Luzerne. For more
information please call 570-718-0673 or feel free to stop by any
weekday between 2:00 and 9:00 PM and Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 3:00
PM. Also, feel free to call my cell phone 262-3874.
We are looking forward to meeting you!
Sincerely yours,
Nancy Kingsbury
Director of Development
Harris Conservatory for the Arts

COME join us on the Shikellamy State Park Overlook of the confluence of the North and West branches of the Susquehanna River at Sunbury, PA. Yes, it’s a special place. A special place for our settler forefathers and Native Americans, a place of gathering, a place of Ceremony, a place of watch.

REMEMBER; Mother Earth is single minded, purposeful,
proactive, results orientated. Her focus and objectives change with
each Season. Summer is Her time to grow Her crops, Her work of the
year. Summer too is our easy time to work our purpose, our projects,
our personal undertakings for this good year. Summer is our time to
create value in our lives, to grow our Souls, so that the Creator
might choose to invest the Life Force in us for yet another year. Come
join Mother Earth in working our common fields of consciousness in
this good Summer Season.

FAR BELOW US; Great Sister Water, the big veins of the
Susquehannas join together, washing away our fatigue, our heartache,
our fears; and bringing us sustenance, compassion, renewal. Long ago
the Susquehanna was our vehicle of trade and travel. Today She gifts
us with recreation and memories. Remember your River Song. Remember,
listen to the River singing, listen to the River singing.

IN CEREMONY; Earth Spirits of Place help us remember our
Heritage, the Heritage of Earth, the River, our Peoples, and your
personal Heritage too. Father Fire, the Sacrament of the Summer
Season,helps us recognize the shallowness of “living in the now”. The Green
Corn People and the Old Ones of the South help us reconnect with
Heritage and regain our Power to grow our lives, our Souls, to live
totally in this wonderful, marvelous, this good Summer Season. Come,
sit by the Fire; sit by the Fire by the River, it’s been so long, so
very long, come, remember.

NOTE that the work is neither religious nor Pagan in any
way. It’s timeless, essential Spirit stuff, and common to all.
Remember, without Spirit, you’re road kill.

TIME AND DATE: Saturday, June 21, 2008, Ceremony at 4:00 pm sharp.

LOCATION: At the Shikellamy Overlook (named in honor of
the Iroquois Chief Shikellamy, a statesman and friend to both the
Colonists and Native Americans) on the Western shore of the
Susquehanna, just off of RT 15, going South from Northumberland, or
North from Shamokin Dam. BRING: Folding chairs,
cushions, Ceremony stuff, drinking fluids. Note that clique sticks
will be provided so that everyone will “have a drum”. No alcohol,
drugs, or pets. Come early and help set up the poles and ribbons.

SPONSORED BY: “Friends of Shikellamy State Park”.
www.FriendsofShikellamyStatePark.org. AND YES; it’s
a full day of MUSIC, POETRY, FOOD, COOL STUFF. For information,
schedule of events, directions, contact Mark Cox, Event Coordinator at
Tel: 570.274.6907 or Email Mark at sunburycox@verizon.net, and on the
web; www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/shikellamy.aspx

CONTACT: Joseph for program details and free information
about our work; Tel: 570.454.6491, or Email jburinsky@psu.edu

This is an invitation from the director of C.A.U.S.E., Coalition of
Artists United for Social Engagement.
I took it upon me to create a new project centered around the cruel
issue of cluster bombs. In short: cluster bombs are bombs containing
hundreds of smaller bombs and once exploding the smaller bombs spread
the area and cause hundreds of victims of which 30 % are children.
This is not only during impact itself but also after, meaning that not
all explode immediately but often then when children play on
playgrounds; fields and farmlands causing severe disability or death.
An absolutely unacceptable situation!

At present there are a number of international conferences aiming at
putting a complete ban on the production and use of cluster bombs. The
final conference will take place on December 2nd and 3rd in Oslo,
Norway, and to support an NGO especially centered around creating
awareness and acting as a pressure group I decided to create a new art
project titled “They bomb children, don’t they?”.

I therefore would like to invite you to participate and to visit a
specially made information digital document where you will find
extensive information about the issue itself, as well as how you can
participate and contribute. You can view this at
www.the-cause.org/clusterinfo.swf
Note: if it opens in your browser chance is it will look too small. To
view it full screen choose in your toolbar ‘view’ and ‘full screen’.

I look forward to hear from you and to your participation.

Sincerely,

Gino d’Artali
Director C.A.U.S.E.
www.the-cause.org
info@the-cause.org

The STAR Gallery at the Steamtown Mall invites artists and the public to join us for our 4th Artist Market & Music Festival on June 21st (11am to 6pm).
For any questions, the Gallery’s phone number is 969-2537.

Listed below the upcoming exhibits for the Northeast Photography club for the remainder of the year. For further information, please contact Mandy Welman,
Northeast Photography Club, 570.687.0545.

Dates: June 12 6-8pm runs until July 11
Location: Waste Management Office on Main Ave in Old Forge across from Brownie’s Pizza
Theme: Nature Photography
Opening Night will feature awards, door prizes and refreshments.

Dates: August 21 6-8pm runs until September 24
Location: Gallery 408, 408 Lackawanna Ave., Olyphant
Theme: Unseen Club Photography
Opening Night will feature awards and refreshments.

Dates: October 3 6-8pm runs until November 2
Location: AFA Gallery, Lackawanna Ave, Scranton
Theme: Unseen Club Photography
Opening Night will feature awards and refreshments.

Dates: November 7 6-8pm runs until December 5
Location: One Point Showroom, 101 Pittston Ave, Scranton
Theme: Unseen Club Photography
Opening Night will feature awards and refreshments.

The “Moscow Train Station”, a mural by Mark S. Ciocca, will be presented at the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum, McDade Park, on Sunday, July 13, at 2:00 pm. The event and museum admission is free for those attending. The mural is sponsored by the Scranton Area Foundation. For further information, contact the Museum at (570)963-4804.

‘Love of Color’, an exhibit of paintings by Lois Kearney and Alice Laputka, will take place at The AFA Gallery from July 3 until July 26. There will be an opening reception on Friday, July 4, from 6 to 8 PM. The opening reception will be part of downtown Scranton’s First Friday event, celebrating openings at a wide variety of art venues.
The exhibit will focus on the artists’ love of color in their works. Lois Kearney, a life-long Scranton resident, works primarily in oil and watercolor. In creating a painting, she paints on site several monochromatic sketches to establish light direction and composition. She then decides on a color palette and takes notes, photographs and videos as well. In the quiet of her studio she will then recreate the scene in her mind and on paper or canvas.
Lois received her BFA from Marywood College with further studies at Pa. Academy of Fine Arts and Studio Incamminati. She takes pleasure in painting local woodlands with particular interest in waterfalls. Her paintings are influenced by her travel, often conveying breathtaking landscapes. She has been commissioned for work in private collections in the U.S., Europe and China. She is a former Gallery Coordinator at The AFA Gallery.
Alice Laputka’s highly-composed, vividly-colored paintings uniquely express her response to the world around her. She plays with the colors and shapes that she observes in the landscape. She looks at her subject matter in terms of its abstract design - seeing shapes, line and color - even though the final result is still representational. Occasionally abstract paintings help to reinforce her abilities with composition and color and enables her to explore in directions that she might not otherwise have tried in her representational work.
Alice Laputka resides in Conyingham in Luzerne County. A native Pennsylvanian, Laputka earned a BFA in Graphic Design from the Philadelphia College of Art. She is a full member of the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, New York City; a signature member of Knickerbocker Artists; the Pastel Society of America; the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society; and the Philadelphia Water Color Society. Alice has had several solo shows in Pennsylvania and New York. Her work has been included in several books and magazines. She has written articles for the Pastelagram, an in-house publication of the Pastel Society of American and edited their 2006 and 2007 summer issues. She is also a member of the Maryland Pastel Society, the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association (MAPAPA), and Philadelphia Tri State Artists Equity.

‘Line Items’, an exhibition of photographs by Philip A. Dente, will be on view at the Melberger Arts Center Gallery at 123 Wyoming Ave, Scranton, from June 6 through August 1st. There will be an opening reception on First Friday, June 6, from 6 to 8:30 PM.

MAC hours are Monday - Friday from 10 AM to 8 PM. Weekend hours by appointment. Please call 570-239-2459 or 570-343-2300, ext. 0

A free grant workshop for folk and traditional artists will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 12, at the Electric City Trolley Station and Museum, 300 Cliff Street in Scranton on the campus of Steamtown National Historic Site.

The workshop is for artists practicing a living, traditional art in their community. Examples include embroidery or lace making, traditional dances, wood carving, herbal remedies, songs sung in church or temple — the kinds of arts that are passed on from one generation to the next and reflect the values of the community.

Lisa Rathje of the Institute for Cultural Partnerships will lead the workshop about the various grant programs for individual traditional artists that are offered by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. These include the 2009 Fellowships in Traditional Arts ($5,000) and 2009 Apprenticeships in Traditional Arts (up to $4,000). The application deadline for these grant programs is August 1, 2008.

Come learn about the grant process, ask questions about your ideas, and get hands-on help with your grant application. To make the most of this technical assistance workshop, download the application and bring your questions to the workshop. Guidelines and application forms will be available in early June at www.culturalpartnerships.org or www.pacouncilonthearts.org.

Folk and traditional arts are alive and well in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and this is a great opportunity for these artists. Please help us spread the word by passing this email along to friends, family members and co-workers.

The workshop is hosted by the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority and the Lackawanna County Office of Arts and Culture. To register, call the Electric City Trolley Station and Museum at (570) 963-6590.

Gallery Aferro in Newark, NJ invites artists working in any and all media to submit existing work, or propose new work, in response to the following: #1-Tabula Rasa: |ˈtäbyoŏlə ˈräsə; ˈräzə| an absence of preconceived ideas or predetermined goals; a clean slate. The human mind at birth, viewed as having no innate ideas. ORIGIN Latin, literally ’scraped tablet,’ denoting a tablet with the writing erased. #2- René Descartes, Aristotle, John Locke #3- Denying what is obvious. #4- Nothing is new, nothing is original. #5 Existentialism and the nothingness of existence, ennui. The exhibition is curated by Evonne M. Davis and will be on display September 6 - October 4, 2008, with full color catalog. For submission guidelines, visit www.aferro.org. Deadline July 15, 2008.

Maryland Federation of Art in Annapolis is accepting entries for its 8th Annual American Landscapes exhibition, which takes place September 5 - October 12, 2008. Juror: F. Lennox Campello. Open to all media depicting the American landscape. Entry fee: $25 for up to two images; additional four entries $5 each. Awards totalling $1,500 will be presented. For prospectus, send SASE to MFA Circle Gallery, Dept. RAL, 18 State Circle, Annapolis MD 21401; e-mail info@mdfedart.org with subject line American Landscapes Dept. AA; or download from www.mdfedart.org. Deadline June 30, 2008.

The fourth annual Scranton Jazz Festival will take place Friday, August 1st through Sunday, August 3rd at the historic Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel in downtown Scranton, PA.

The main stage will host thirteen international, national and regional groups and musicians. Downtown Scranton will come alive for three nights with music at numerous participating venues.

This year’s jazz, blues and world beat headlining artists include: Spyro Gyra, the New York Voices, jazz legend Phil Woods, Hendrick Meurkens, the Marko Marcinko Latin Jazz Quintet, Donny McCaslin, Sherrie Maricle & Five Play, J.D. Walter, the Chris Parker Group, bluesman Michael Powers, Jay Ashby, Enja recording artist, Bob Degen, originally from Scranton, and many more.

Information on tickets and artists is available at www.pajazzallliance.com. Radisson Hotel package information: 570-342-8300.

illustration by jime grabowski