One of the pieces in the "Hidden Gems" exhibit at Penn State Wilkes-Barre this summer.
DALLAS, Pa. — This summer, visitors to campus can view a gallery of student art on display at Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s Friedman Art Gallery. The “Hidden Gems” exhibit, which opened May 5 and runs through Aug. 22, features artwork by students enrolled in prior Penn State Wilkes-Barre art courses.
The gallery is open to the public at no charge on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
While some of the pieces were created by students enrolled in art classes more than 25 years ago, others were designed during recent courses at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. Students in ARTH 112: Art & Music History courses, Renaissance through Modern Times, taught by Jonathan Pineno, lecturer of music and art and director of the Friedman Art Gallery, studied various modern art and painting techniques. The class members discussed environmental art and used recycled materials to create art. Using recycled plastic caps and hubcaps, recycled cardboard, paint and glue, class members prepared a unique CAPS (Creative Art Project for Students).
Students in the INART 001: Perceiving the Arts course, also taught by Pineno, studied various artwork and painting techniques. These students incorporated techniques from paintings by well-known professional artist Bob Ross and created their interpretations of paintings while following the painting instructions provided by the artist.
In 2019, Friedman Art Gallery curators discovered hundreds of paintings, drawings and photographs submitted as assignments for previous campus art classes dating back to the late 1990s. These artworks had been stored in various campus classroom closets. Some of the pieces in the “Hidden Gems” exhibit were created by former students of art professor William Chickillo’s ART 020: Introduction to Drawing and ART 040: Introduction to Printmaking and Mixed Media courses.
Since many artworks in the exhibit cannot be specifically attributed to the original artists, gallery leaders encourage previous students and the public to visit the exhibit to view the pieces and see if they can identify the artists.
The Friedman Art Gallery, a gift to Penn State Wilkes-Barre from Sidney and Pauline Friedman, regularly displays the work of students and local artists, as well as private art collections. The gallery strives to promote and encourage professional and amateur artists from the campus and surrounding communities, while giving visitors to the campus the opportunity to view fresh and innovative artwork in a wide range of media.
To learn more, contact Pineno at 570-675-9159 or [email protected].
