The State Museum of Pennsylvania Announces Finalists for Annual “Art of the State” Exhibition, Awards Set for June 26

Harrisburg, PA – Finalists have been announced for “Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2016,” an exhibition showcasing the talent, creativity and diversity of Pennsylvania’s established and emerging artists.
 
The 49th annual exhibit opens to the public on Sunday, June 26 at The State Museum of Pennsylvania with an awards ceremony at 1:00 PM and an opening reception immediately following. Admission to The State Museum will be free that day.
 
The exhibit runs through September 11 and includes 123 works of art by 117 artists from 34 counties. This year’s exhibit attracted 1,778 entries from 775 artists.
 
First, second and third-place honors are awarded in painting, photography, sculpture, craft and work on paper. Cash awards for each category are $500 for first place, $300 for second and $200 for third.
 
In addition, the William D. Davis Memorial Award for Drawing and The State Museum of Pennsylvania Purchase Award are presented.  The work selected for the purchase prize is bought by the State Museum and becomes part of the museum’s permanent Fine Art collection.
 
Jurors for the exhibition include:
 
Painting and Work on Paper:
Kevin Wixted 
Professor of Drawing Painting
 
Alfred University - School of Art & Design
 
Alfred, New York 
 
 
Photography:
Marc Duke 
Fine Art Photographer
 
Leesburg, Florida
 
Three-Dimensional Craft and Sculpture:
Beth Ann Gerstein 
Executive Director
 
American Museum of Ceramic Art 
Pomona, California
 
 
The exhibit is co-sponsored by The State Museum and Jump Street. Together, the organizations present more than $6,500 in cash awards to the winners.
 
Jump Street is a Harrisburg-based non-profit organization dedicated to developing educational and economic opportunities with the arts for all age groups.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg, is one of 24 historic sites and museums administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History®. The State Museum offers expansive collections interpreting Pennsylvania’s fascinating heritage.
 
With exhibits examining the dawn of geologic time, the Native American experience, the colonial and revolutionary eras, a pivotal Civil War battleground, and the Commonwealth's vast industrial age, The State Museum demonstrates that Pennsylvania's story is America’s story.
 
Museum hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., and Sunday, noon to 5 P.M. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for senior citizens (ages 65 and up), and $4 for children (ages 1-11).
 
For more information about the museum, visit www.statemuseumpa.orgOpens In A New Window.
 
Media contact: Howard Pollman 717-705-8639
 
Editor’s Note: A gallery of the art work is available for online viewingOpens In A New WindowArtists selected to exhibit at the 2016 “Art of the State” competition are listed by county:
           
Allegheny
Robert Bowden
Diane Grguras
Thomas Norulak
Jack Puglisi
Ceres Rangos
Silvija Singh
 
Beaver
Elizabeth Asche Douglas
 
Berks            
Candace Kaucher
Sharon Merkel
Jay Ressler
Diane Turner
 
Blair              
Allen Capriotti
Dave Hammaker
Peter Frantz
 
Bucks                       
Linda Fanning-Lefevre
Kirby Fredendall
Glenn Harren
Amedeo Salamoni
Mindy Trost
 
Cambria                   
Kathleen Kase Burk
 
Centre                      
Karen A. Deutsch
Bill Seay
Evan West
 
Chester                    
Gregory Blue
Melanie Franz
Jocelyn Kolb-DeWitt
Jennifer Nilsen
 
Crawford                 
Malcolm Christhilf
Chuck Johnson
 
Cumberland            
Mark Allison
Matthew Bennett
Linda Benzon
Nicole Dube
Nellie Fulton
Brenton Good
Kathleen Lubold
Sean Matthews
James McNally
Michael Munchel
Eve Smith
Donald Uvick
Harold Zabady
 
Dauphin                   
Andrew Bale
Ted Book
Joe Cicak
Karen Commings
Candy Delaney
Jason Lyons
David Swartz
Deborah Williams
 
Delaware                 
Jennifer Baker
Laura Ducceschi
Melissa Husted-Sherman
Alicia Nock
Sienna Proetto
 
Erie                
Todd Steffy
 
Greene
James Winigar                    
 
Huntingdon
Jim Mikkelsen
 
Indiana
Kevin Turner
 
Lackawanna
Kristie Miller McMahon
Joseph Opshinsky
Rolfe Ross
 
Lancaster                
Denny Bond
Bryan Fellenbaum
Jerome Hershey
Matthew Jones
Jennifer MacNeill
Gene Shaw
Dorothy Thayne
 
Lebanon                  
Lou Schellenberg
 
Lehigh                      
Richard Begbie
Luther Henninger
Ryan Jones
 
Luzerne
Curtis Salonick
Skip Sensbach
 
Monroe
James Gwynne
Joni Oye-Benintende
 
Montgomery                       
Carol Albrecht
Robert Arnosky
Laszlo Bagi
Donna Douglass
Linda Dubin Garfield
Lisa Knight
Diane Lachman
Nancy Miller
Joan Radcliff Rosiak
Richard Ranck
Deborah Riccardi
Erin Sparler
Patricia Shaw Lima
Lois Schlachter
Joseph Sweeney
 
Northumberland                
Brian Menkis
 
Perry
Anson Seeno
 
Philadelphia            
Constance Culpepper
Jerry Di Falco
Timothy Gierschick II
Mimi Oritsky
Donna Quinn
 
Schuylkill                 
Valerie Perez-Prosick
Robert Stickloon
 
Susquehanna
Mark Chuck
 
Union            
Rosalyn Richards
 
Warren
Thomas Paquette
 
Washington
Susan Sparks
 
Wayne                      
Paul Plumadore
Ellen Silberlicht
 
Westmoreland
Patricia Kennedy-Zafred
           
York              
Frank Morgan
Marion Stephenson
Richard Chandler Hoff
Robert Hartson
Kathy T. Hettinga
Charles Hubbard
Gale Jamieson
Carol Oldenburg
Pam Wenger