Accepting the award on behalf of Arts at Hayfield are, from left: Gerry Wall, past president; Barbara Lemond, founding member; Jonathan Pineno, president; and Evelyn Bachelder-Pineno, acting vice president.
DALLAS, Pa. — Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Arts at Hayfield were recently honored by the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce with an award honoring their partnership.
The new Regional Collaboration Award, which celebrates those who are using collaboration for the betterment of the area, was presented to representatives of both the campus and Arts at Hayfield during the chamber’s annual dinner. The event was held on Nov. 16 at Mohegan Pennsylvania and attended by hundreds of business leaders from across northeastern Pennsylvania.
“We are honored to receive this inaugural award and grateful for the recognition it brings to the important relationship between Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Arts at Hayfield,” said Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer Lynda Goldstein. “As an educational institution that includes students pursuing degrees in arts-related fields, we feel it is important to support the arts however possible. This mutually beneficial relationship between our campus and Arts at Hayfield is a natural partnership that serves our campus as well as our community.”
Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Arts at Hayfield, a nonprofit organization, have a longstanding relationship that has benefited the citizens of northeastern Pennsylvania since the early 1980s. The group held its first meeting on campus in 1984, when Penn State Wilkes-Barre leadership welcomed the group and explained the staff and faculty’s interest in the expansion and development of cultural activities.
Since that time, Arts at Hayfield has offered numerous events on Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s campus. Nearly 40 years after its initial meeting there, Arts at Hayfield now holds two large festivals annually on Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s campus, welcoming thousands of visitors from the region and beyond to enjoy a celebration of the arts and local artists. At those festivals, artists have the opportunity to display and sell their products while they demonstrate their talents. Meanwhile, the campus provides a home for Arts at Hayfield’s events and planning meetings, in addition to other necessary resources.
“The partnership between Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Arts at Hayfield enhances the lives of numerous residents of the Wyoming Valley,” said Jonathan Pineno, president of Arts at Hayfield and lecturer in art and music. “A visit to the Summer Arts Festival or Homespun Holidays is a tradition for many families. We appreciate the longstanding partnership with Penn State Wilkes-Barre and look forward to many more years of collaborating for the benefit of our region.”
In addition to the festivals, Arts at Hayfield gives scholarships to Penn State Wilkes-Barre students with an interest in the arts. The organization also uses funds from its annual events to contribute to public media resources and arts organizations such as WVIA, the F.M. Kirby Center, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Chamber Music Society, the Back Mountain Memorial Library, and the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Friedman Art Gallery. Arts at Hayfield also sponsors the Celebration of the Arts, a reception for high school artists to display their work at Penn State Wilkes-Barre and attend a program at the campus.
