River and Biota
Sept. 2015 - Oct. 2015
River and Biota
curated by artist Naomi Teppich, focuses on bringing awareness to the beauty?and vulnerability?of our country?s rivers, particularly the northeast quadrant including the Delaware, the Hudson, and the Susquehanna rivers.
Aritsts in the community selected by Teppich have a special relationship with ?the river? and, through their artwork, react strongly to the bombardment of this beloved ecosystem and our environment in general. While not designed to be a political show, River and Biota allows the conscience of these artists to bring public awareness to this serious issue.
Eighteen artist, including painters, printmakers, and sculptors, were selected for this exhibit, which was first exhibited with the Catskill Art Society in Livingston Manor, NY.
Industrial Primitive: Bob Hakun
Bob Hakun's collection of sculpture and wall pieces can be described as "post - industrial dystopian" vignettes into unchartered surreal visions.That's a mouthful, yes, but there is something that is disturbing but also comforting in these sometimes familiar objects re-directed and reincarnated into another life form.
This exhibit highlights the found-object, anthropomorphic sculptures made from found and distressed objects.
?I collect old, discarded items: some natural like bones or wood; some man made-like wheels or wire. I look for old things that show the graphic effects of aging: the beauty and harshness of the breaking down over time of all things. I look for things that are burnt, broken, rusty, crushed, bent, and stained. These things have an implied history or narrative. The final art work will tell a story or convey a message, but the interpretation of that message is up to the viewer. I do want the art to have an emotional presence ? but refined aesthetics are secondary to the context."? Bob Hakun
A 1976 Graduate of Kutztown University with a BFA in painting. Hakun worked for a in the toy industry, designing Halloween costumes and masks, and designing graphics for silk-screen printing. For the past 20 years he has worked in the printing industry as a computer prepress specialist and a digital graphic designer.
For more information or to arrange group visits, please contact: Marilyn J. Fox, gallery director, phone: 610 396 6140 or email: [email protected]
Jan. 21, 2016, 5 p.m.
The Eye of the Collector: The Jewish Vision of Sigmund Balka
A collection of artwork from the Hebrew-Union College -Jewish Institute of Religion, New York City, was gifted by Sigmund R. Balka, New York, in the early 21st Century.
This compilation of over 200 works represents the creativity of Jewish artists, as well as the significance of the collector, whose inspired vision can preserve works of art, and, through gifts, can educate and bring to a new audience the power of art and its ability to underscore the human condition.
The Freyberger Gallery, Penn State Berks will be exhibiting a sampling of art that highlights the early 20thcentury migration of eastern European people, especially Jewish, from the old world to the new. These images explore the many motivations that caused people to leave Europe and the challenges, work, and pleasures that they created in the new world.