Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission

The State Museum of Pennsylvania Announces Finalists for 58th Annual “Art of the State” Exhibition

Harrisburg, PA – The State Museum of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce the finalists for the prestigious Art of the State 2025, showcasing the exceptional talent of artists from across the Commonwealth. This year's exhibition offers a captivating glimpse into the Commonwealth’s rich artistic heritage, featuring a diverse range of works from 96 artists across more than 30 counties, including paintings, photography/digital media, crafts, sculptures, and works on paper.

Finalists were selected from an impressive 2,344 entries submitted by 696 artists. A distinguished panel of expert selection jurors meticulously reviewed and scored all submitted artworks. The highest-rated works in each category were selected for inclusion in the exhibition. From these finalists, an esteemed awards juror will choose the first, second, and third place winners.

This year’s selection jurors are:

Brenton Good   

Professor of Art

Messiah University  

www.brentongood.com     

Shin-hee Chin 

Professor of Art and Design

Tabor College  

https://shinheechin.com/     

Lauren Whearty 

Artist and Co-Director

Ortega y Gasset Projects  

www.laurenwhearty.com

This year’s awards juror is:

Denise Ryner

Andrea B. Laporte Curator

Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania

https://icaphila.org/staff-members/denise-ryner/  

Cash awards totaling $5,300 will be bestowed to winners. In each of the five categories, a first prize of $500, a second prize of $300, and a third prize of $200 will be presented. Additionally, the Art Docents’ Choice Award will be honored with $300.

Award winners will be announced on the State Museum's Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) pages. An exhibition catalogue in PDF format, along with announcements about related programming, will be available on the Art of the State 2025 webpage following the opening on June 8.

The public is invited to view the finalists’ creations at The State Museum of Pennsylvania, beginning Sunday, June 8. Admission will be free on opening day. The exhibition will be on display through September 14, 2025, coinciding with Harrisburg’s Gallery Walk, offering another opportunity to engage with the arts.

The 58th annual Art of the State is presented by The State Museum of Pennsylvania in partnership with the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation. The Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation (PHF) is the nonprofit partner of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC), dedicated to preserving and sharing the Commonwealth’s rich history. Through generous donations, PHF supports PHMC in caring for 23 historic sites and museums, an extensive collection of artifacts, and invaluable archival materials.  

Artists selected to exhibit at Art of the State 2025 are listed by county:

Adams

Carol Foerster

Charlie Marley

Eric Plump

Jóh Ricci

 

Allegheny

Kenneth Batista

Petra Fallaux

Dai Morgan

Marilyn Narey

Lauren Scavo-Fulk

 

Berks

Amy Forsyth

Rachel Heberling

Carl Kaucher

Jay Ressler

Steve Scheuring

 

Blair

Katrina Lawecki

 

Bucks

Bill Donnelly

Michael Frank

Brynn Hurlstone

 

Cambria

Peter Calderwood

Brandon Hirt

 

Centre

Lisa Cirincione

Jennifer Kelly

Alex Ramos

Jason Smoyer

Stephen Tuttle

 

Chester

Hank Buffington

Morris Cook

Jill Haas

Anne Mitchell Reid

Gabrielle Vitollo

 

Columbia

Linda Doucette

 

Crawford

William Brady, Jr.

Ashley Cloud

 

Cumberland

Steve Bootay

Rich Harrison

Michael Hower

Kiki Mullen

Steven Pearson

Quay San

Spike Spilker

Jon Weary

Jordan Zabady

 

Dauphin

Kevin Macomber

 

Delaware

Polly Bech

Toni Kersey

Lauren Pakradooni

Libbie Soffer

 

Erie

Passle Helminski

 

Franklin

Anne Finucane

 

Lancaster

Amy Edwards

Jerome Hershey

Dave Kube

Barry Steely

Josiah Stoltzfus

 

Lebanon

Randy Leibowitz Dean

 

Lehigh

Richard Begbie

Douglas Wiltraut

 

Lycoming

David Moyer

David Rich

 

Montgomery

Robert Arnosky

Cynthia Goodman Brantley

Fred Danziger

Bob Hakun

Elizabeth Hamilton

Laura Madeleine

Paula Mandel

Margaret Washington

 

Northampton

Marissa McHugh

 

Philadelphia

Phillip Adams

Bren Ahearn

Doug Brown

Morgan Dummitt

Timothy Gierschick II

Ellen Hutchinson

Rachel Kedinger

Andrea Krupp

Mary Elizabeth Kulesa

Bradley N. Litwin

Anh Ly

Som-Mai Nguyen

Taylor Pilote

Emily Stroud

John Howell White

 

Schuylkill

Valerie Perez-Prosick

Robert Stickloon

 

Snyder

Ann Piper

 

Somerset

Margaret Black

 

Susquehanna

Riley Bossick

 

Union

Tony Ragusea

 

Wayne

Glenn Lieberman

 

Westmoreland

Justin Coffee

 

York

Peter Danko

Judeth Pekala Hawkins

Freg Haag

Jo Margolis

 

The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission is the official history agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Learn more by visiting PHMC online or following us on FacebookXInstagram or LinkedIn.

 

 

PHMC Media Contact Details

Jay Losiewicz

717-705-8639
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Media