Press Releases

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2016 Press Releases

2016 Sidewalk Sale & Exhibition Prize Winners Announecd

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Officials and sponsors of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts presented $17,000 in prizes for its 2016 Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, on Saturday July 16, at 9:00 a.m. during an award ceremony on the Arts Festival’s Allen Street stage.

Sidewalk Sale Coordinator Pam Lautsch emceed the brief and informal awards ceremony, assisted by Jeanne Gleason of Johnstown, the Chair of the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts.

Mixed Media artist David Montgomery of Pittsburgh received the Arete Best of Show Award. The award was presented by former Festival board president Linda Gall to Mr. Montgomery. The award is funded by an endowment at the Centre Foundation created by Ms. Gall and her husband Blake. The award carries a cash prize of $2,900.

The Fine Arts Award, worth $1,750, was given to jeweler Matthew Smith of Asheville, North Carolina.

The ninth John C. Mason Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design was presented to Olga Mihaylova of Pittsburgh. This award carries a cash prize of $825.

The Lautsch Family Award of Excellence, worth $825, was presented to painter Teresa Haag, Phoenixville, PA. Other exhibitors receiving Awards of Excellence were Sangjoon Park, Creskill, NJ (Ceramic) and Hannah Clark, Pittsburgh (Painting).

The following exhibitors received Awards of Distinction, worth $700: Janet Chico, Los Angeles, CA, (Fiber); Phill Singer, New Britain, PA (Painting); Glenn Woods/Keith Herbrand, Palm Harbor, FL (Ceramic); Samuel Yao, Ann Arbor, MI (Basketry).

Receiving Awards of Merit, worth $500 were:

The Duff Family Award: Jenna Vanden Brink, Pittsburgh, PA (Ceramic);
The Rapid Transit Sports Award of Merit: Thomas Dumke, Stone Bank, WI (Wood); The John McCarthy Award of Merit in Memory of Sharon McCarthy: Jennifer Couch, Akron, OH (Fiber); Connections Clothing Award of Merit: William Alburger, Barto, PA (Wood); Barash Media Award of Merit: Patricia Wilder, Victor, NY (Photography); Bob & Ginny Mountz Award of Merit: Niko Culevski , Mukilteo, WA (Fiber); McLanahan’s Downtown Market Award of Merit: Mick Whitcomb, Springfield, MO (Mixed Media 3D); Anne Layng Award of Merit: Wesley Glebe & Christine Bailey, State College, PA (Jewelry); White Roan & Associates Award of Merit: Nicolette Absil, Philadelphia, PA (Jewelry); The Shuey Family Award of Merit in memory of Naomi Shuey: Marie-Helene Grabman, Fort Mill, SC (Paper); RE/MAX Hicks/Hurvitz Award of Merit: Jessica Stoddart, Cookeville, TN (Mixed Media 2D).

The final Award of Merit was presented to Laura DeNardo, Baltimore, MD (Photography).

The Frost & Conn, Inc. Booth of Distinction Award ($250) was presented to Mea Rhee, Silver Spring, MD (Ceramic).

The jurors for this year’s event were Bethany Benson, Huntingdon, PA; Kathryn Blake, Huntingdon, PA; Eliot Dudik, Williamsburg, VA; Toby Atticus Fraley, Bridgeville, PA; Adrienne Grafton, Harmony, PA.

2016 Banner Competition Prize Winners Announecd

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The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts announced the award winners in its 2016 Banner Competition at its annual award ceremony on the Festival’s Allen Street stage on Saturday, July 16 at 9:00 a.m.

Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts Executive Director Rick Bryant made the presentations.

In the professional class, Marty Edmunds of Boalsburg took first place for her polyester fabric applique banner, A Harlequin Jester Emerges for Festival 50. Joanie Eyster of State College placed second for her acrylic paint work, Still Nifty at Fifty. Melissa Steingrabe of State College took third prize for her banner of canvas, piping, buttons, and paint, Lunar Bloom.

In the general class, the winning banner was Bright Ideas made by Caryl Strauss and the Monday Evening Art Therapy Group. Amy Moore’s Jester of Arts received second place. Donna Queeney of State College received an honorable mention for her banner, Celebrate!

In the youth class, first place was won by Melica Kemanian-Leites of State College for Fun at the Pond, an applique and fabric paint banner.

This year’s banner judges were Jennifer Karch and Laura Robinson of State College. The event was co-chaired by Maura McConnell of State College and Lisa Zander-Campbell of Centre Hall.

The Banner Competition is one of the signature events of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. The Festival displays many past and present banners annually over South Allen Street, adding color and movement to the festive atmosphere. Banners also hang during the year in the State College Municipal Building and at other locations. Both individuals and groups may submit entries.

Images 2016 Prize Winners Announecd

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The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts announced the prize winners in Images 2016, the Festival’s annual juried gallery exhibition of fine art. The award decisions were made by the show’s juror, G. Daniel Massad, a pastel artist and the artist-in-residence at Lebanon Valley College.

The Best in Show was awarded to Tina Hay of State College, PA for her photograph, Bhutanese Monk. The award is worth $400 and was sponsored by the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania.

“Seeing the work in person made me sharply aware of the rare opportunity the Arts Festival audience now has of seeing some of the best work by some of the best artists – artists deeply involved in their craft – living and working in Pennsylvania,” said Daniel Massad, this year’s juror. “I could easily have given out twenty Awards of Merit. This exhibition is rich with superb work, and the competition was keen.”

Forty-eight pieces were chosen by Massad from the 230 pieces submitted by 87 artists from across Pennsylvania.

The William D. Davis Award in Drawing was awarded to Mary Deutsch of State College, PA for her work, Odd Man Out. The Davis Award includes a $300 honorarium from the Sturtz-Davis Family in William’s memory.

The Central Pennsylvania Pastel Society sponsored a new award for Best Pastel to draw more attention to the pastel medium. The Best Pastel Award was presented to Susan Nicholas Gephart of Bellefonte for her pastel, Santa Fe Cloudscape, along with a $200 honorarium.

The following works were chosen as Award of Merit winners, each with a $150 honorarium. Two of these awards were sponsored, by Bath Fitters and Leech Tishman.

Master Gardener
Marty Edmunds, Boalsburg, PA

Exit Route
Michele Randall, State College, PA

Guardian
Cazia Bradley, Port Matilda, PA

Blocked
Gloria Plosky Scaltz, State College, PA

In addition to the prize decisions made by the juror, the Viewers’ Choice Award will be chosen by ballots cast by exhibition visitors. This year’s winner will receive a $200 honorarium sponsored by Joyce Robinson & Norman Spivey.

Images 2016 hangs in the Woskob Family Gallery of the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center and in the Betsy Rodgers Allen Gallery and Downsbrough Room of the Schlow Centre Region Library during the month of July.

An Awards Reception will be on Thursday, July 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Schlow Centre Region Library. The reception is hosted by the Schlow Library Foundation and sponsored by the Bellefonte Arts Museum for Centre County. The public is invited to attend.

Announcing the 50th Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts

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The 50th annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts™ will take place Wednesday, July 13 through Sunday, July 17 on the streets of downtown State College and the adjacent Penn State campus.

Founded by the State College Chamber of Commerce and Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture, the Festival attracts about 100,000 visitors each summer. The Festival features the nationally recognized Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, a juried gallery exhibition, Children and Youth Day, the Downtown State College Italian Street Painting Festival, educational opportunities, music, dance and theatrical performances in a variety of outdoor and indoor venues.

The 2016 Arts Festival commences with Children and Youth Day on Wednesday, July 13, which features programs and events designed especially for the young and young at heart. From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. the Children & Youth Sidewalk Sale, sponsored by Penn State Federal Credit Union, will be held on South Allen Street. More than 250 young Central Pennsylvania artists are expected to showcase their original works.

Other Children and Youth Day activities include free arts and crafts activities on the Old Main Lawn and in State College’s Sidney Friedman Park. Musical and dance performances tailored to the young will take place at various stages around town thanks to ten local student ensembles and performing arts schools. However, for some, the highlight of the day will come at 4:00 p.m. with the 2016 Centre Daily Times Children and Youth Day Grand Procession. Over 300 children (accompanied by some parents) will carry small, medium and large papier-mâché puppets, masks and drums. The procession will begin on the Old Main lawn and travel through downtown State College as it makes its way to Sidney Friedman Park.

The Pat Farrell Community Sing-Along will be on Wednesday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the State College Presbyterian Church. Young and old, those who can sing, and especially those who can’t carry a tune in a bucket, are invited to join Russell Bloom, Erik Clayton, and Leah Mueller as the community comes together to make some joyful noise. The event is free.

On Thursday, July 14 at 10:00 a.m. the award winning Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition will open. Sidewalk Sale hours are 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. The works of more than 300 exhibitors comprise one of the nation’s best juried fine art and craft shows. A panel of five jurors will award over $17,500 in prize money to winning exhibitors during a ceremony at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 16, at the Allen Street Stage.

The 2016 Downtown State College Italian Street Painting Festival honors the 16th century Italian tradition of using special chalks to paint on the street. Look for the Italian Street Painting Festival on the 100 block of Hiester Street in downtown State College. A variety of local visual artists will create 6-foot by 4-foot paintings. For a $5 fee, Young Artists Alley gives children the opportunity to create a 14”x 14” square street painting. Painting ends at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, and 4 p.m. on Sunday, weather permitting. Strolling performers will be on site on Friday, July 15, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Images 2016 is an exhibition of drawings, paintings, mixed media, photography, hand-pulled prints, watercolors, fiber, and paper. It will hang in Schlow Centre Region Library’s Betsey Rodgers Allen Gallery and Downsbrough Room and in the Woskob Family Gallery of the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center in July 2016. Both galleries are located on South Allen Street in downtown State College. Images 2016 is open to artists whose primary residence is in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The works in Images have been selected by juror Daniel Massad, the pastel artist and artist-in-residence at Lebanon Valley College.

The seventh annual BookFestPa will take place on Saturday, July 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Schlow Centre Region Library and the library’s BookFest tent in the library’s parking lot. The theme of this year’s bookfest is the comic. This year’s featured authors include Tim Hanley, Dave Ebersole, Alitha Martinez, and Regine Sawyer. There will be additional authors in the BookFest tent. For more information go to bookfestpa.org.

This year there are many special activities planned as we celebrate the 50th Festival. On Sunday, July 17 at 1:00 p.m. on the Old Main Plaza the Festival will host a celebratory Ice Cream Social, Sponsored by Brown & Associates, Inc. Join your friends and neighbors as we have cake—compliments of Wegman’s—and Berkey Creamery ice cream for 500 people. At 2:00 p.m. on the dot, we’ll take a group photo—just like at a birthday party. For a full list of special events visit arts-festival.com/50th-festival-festivities.

Penn State alum Alex Meixner’s performing career began at age 6 with his two sisters and father in an ethnic folk ensemble. From these early experiences through headline appearances at music festivals throughout the United States; concert performances with the London Symphony Orchestra, not to mention former Wheat Thins pitchwoman Sandy Duncan, and his own jazz and ethnic ensembles. Alex will be performing at the Festival Shell, Thursday, July 14 at 9:00 p.m.

Yves Lambert—the musician, not the aerospace engineer—was a founding member of La Bottine Souriante (“The Smiling Boot”) and played with the group, famous not only in Quebec, but internationally as well, for twenty-six years as one of the most influential figures in the Quebecer folk music revival, Lambert is known for his work as a songwriter. Lambert’s charisma and talent, coupled with Tommy Gauthier and Olivier Rondeau’s virtuosity and passion, make this trio a one-of-a-kind musical experience. The Yves Lambert Trio performs in Sidney Friedman Park on Friday, July 15 at 7:00 p.m.

This year, the Festival presents The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra as it accompanies The General, a 1926 American silent comedy film inspired by the real Civil War locomotive chase. It stars silent comedy icon Buster Keaton who co-directed the film with Clyde Bruckman. The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra is the world’s only year-round, professional ensemble re-creating “America’s Original Music” – the syncopated sounds of early musical theater, silent cinema, and vintage dance. Performances are at 4:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 16 at the State Theatre. A Festival button is required.

Since moving to New York City from Roseville, CA in 2003, Molly Ryan has become one of the most sought-after vocalists on the New York jazz scene. She has performed at such prestigious Manhattan venues as the Café Carlyle, The Town Hall, The Waldorf Astoria, and The Rainbow Room Molly has appeared at jazz festivals and events throughout the U.S. and abroad. Molly and her band will be performing at the Festival Shell on Saturday, July 16 at 3:00 p.m., and on the Allen Street Stage at 7:30 p.m. that evening.

While most performances are free, some require a festival button. Buttons cost $10.00 for adults and are free for children ages twelve and under. They are good for the entire festival, and grant admission on a space available basis to all indoor events. Buttons are available at each performance venue, at many locations on the Festival route, in downtown State College stores. The button is sponsored by the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County.

The Nittany Valley Running Club’s 41st annual Sue Crowe Memorial Arts Festival Races will take place Sunday, July 17, starting at 8:15 a.m. The event comes in 5K, 10K, and 10 mile distances. The Kids’ Fun Runs will start at 11 a.m. with distances of a quarter mile through a half mile for kids ages 12 and under. The Arts Festival Races are sponsored by Penn State Health. For registration and additional race information, please visit nvrun.com.

Leave parking and traffic worries to others by parking in the Jordan East parking lot, next to the Bryce Jordan Center and Beaver Stadium. For $5.00 a car, visitors may park and take a free bus operated by the Centre Area Transportation Authority. This bus will take you to a complimentary bus service that travels to the heart of the Festival and returns you at your convenience.

Additional funding is provided through a grant made by possible by the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and the Centre County Commissioners.

Please visit our frequently updated website at arts-festival.com for additional information and a full schedule of events.

2016 Festival Poster to Be Unveiled at CBICC Business After Hours

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Representatives from the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County (CBICC) will unveil the 2016 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts poster at a special Business After Hours on Thursday, June 2. The event will be held at the CBICC offices, 131 South Fraser St., State College, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event kicks off a host of special events celebrating this year’s 50th Festival.

This year’s poster, sponsored by the CBICC, was designed by Penn State distinguished professor emeritus Lanny Sommese. Sommese has designed every Festival poster since 1974, a remarkable record of achievement.

Big Spring Sprits and Otto’s will be among those providing drinks. Food will be provided by Harrison’s Wine Grill & Catering.

“The Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County is proud to join the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in celebrating its 50th year,” said Vern Squier, CCE, President and CEO of the CBICC. “In the years since the State College Chamber of Commerce – the CBICC’s predecessor – helped to establish the festival, it has grown to become a premier, nationally recognized celebration of art and music.

“Of course, nothing represents the spirit of the event more than the iconic Arts Festival poster. We look forward to unveiling this year’s poster and hosting a colorful exhibit of past posters that the entire community can enjoy over the next several weeks.

“The CBICC and its members congratulate the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and all who have contributed to its success over the past five decades for reaching this memorable milestone!”

“We’re delighted that the CBICC is on board as our poster sponsor this year”, said Rick Bryant, Executive Director of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. “The State College Chamber of Commerce was instrumental in founding the festival, and support from the business community has been crucial in helping us grow to where we are today.”

Guests may register for the event at cbicc.org. Walk-ins are welcome, but advanced registration is preferred. The cost for CBICC members is $5; non-members are $20.

Application Released for Festival's Annual Banner Compeition

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The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has issued the Call for Entries for its annual Banner Competition, one of the signature events of the Festival.

This year marks the 50th Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and this year’s banners should celebrate that milestone.

Banners must measure 72” long and 30” wide, cannot weigh more than 15 pounds, and must be able to be rolled up for storage purposes. Both individuals and groups may submit entries. Complete competition rules are online at www.arts-festival.com/banners

The chairs of the 2016 Banner Competition are Maura McConnell and Lisa Zander-Campbell. McConnell is a fiber artist living in State College. She has volunteered with the Festival and at First Night State College, leading children’s art and craft workshops. Zander-Campbell is a mixed media artist living in Penns Valley. She sells recycled glass and found object sculptures at arts festivals regionally and volunteers in the Festival’s Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition.

The 2016 banner judges will be announced at a later date.

The judges will award prizes in three categories, professional, general, and youth, on the basis of creativity, originality, craftsmanship, durability, and design. The top prize in the professional class is $200; in the general class, $150, and in the youth class, $100.

Banners will be accepted at the office of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, 403 South Allen Street, Suite 205A, until 5:00 p.m., June 24, 2016. Banners may be shipped or delivered by hand. Submitted banners become the property of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.

For more information about the 2016 Banner Competition, please contact the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts at (814) 237-3682 or by email at office@arts-festival.com

Application Released for Images 2016 Exhibition

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The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has issued the Call for Entries for its juried gallery exhibition, Images 2016. Images 2016 will hang in the Woskob Family Gallery of the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center and in the Betsy Rodgers Allen Gallery and Downsbrough Room of the School Centre Region Library during the month of July.

Work eligible for exhibition in the show includes drawings, paintings, mixed media, photography, hand-pulled prints, watercolors, fiber, and paper.

The juror for Images 2016 is Daniel Massad. He is a pastel artist and the artist-in-residence at Lebanon Valley College in Annville. Massad’s work can be found in collections across the country including, the National Museum of American Art, Washington; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Images 2016 is open to artists whose primary residence is in Pennsylvania. Digital images of original work produced within the last three years may be submitted. Both adults and enrolled students from ages 16 through 26 may apply to the exhibition.

Artists will be eligible for at least $1,500 in prizes awarded by the juror. There will be awards for best pastel and best drawing.

The application may be found online at www.arts-festival.com/images-juried-exhibition

The fiftieth Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be from July 13 through July 17 on the streets of State College and on the adjacent campus of Penn State. Children and Youth Day is July 13, and the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition opens on July 14 and continues through July 17.

The Festival receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Application Released for 2016 Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale

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The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has issued the Call for Entries for its Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale, a signature event of the Children’s Day Activities of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.

The 2016 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be from July 13 through July 17 on the streets of State College and on the adjacent campus of Penn State. The Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale will be held on South Allen Street, on Children and Youth Day, Wednesday, July 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale is a fun way for children to sell original artwork that they have made and perhaps earn some money in the process.

Children from ages 8 to 18 who live in, or who have relatives in Centre, Blair, Clearfield, Clinton, Huntingdon, Mifflin or Union are eligible to participate in the Children’s Sidewalk Sale. The Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale is subject to very simple rules. For example, each artist must make his or her own work. Items made from kits are not permitted.

There is a $20.00 entry fee. The application postmark deadline is June 24, 2016. Applications postmarked after that date will not be considered. Applications may be delivered to the Festival offices at 403 South Allen Street, Suite 205A, State College until 5:00 PM on Friday, June 24, 2016.

Applications may now be downloaded at arts-festival.com/children-and-youth

The Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale is sponsored by the Penn State Federal Credit Union, www.pennstatefederal.com.

2015 Press Releases

Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts Elects New Officers and Directors

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The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts elected new officers and members of the board of directors at its annual meeting on October 20, 2015. The new officers are: Steve Watson, board president; Amy Caputo, vice-president; Bob Hicks, treasurer, and Sue Haug, secretary.

Steve Watson is a university planner with Penn State’s Division of Campus Planning and Design in the Office of Physical Plant. Amy Caputo is currently director of strategic communications for the Penn State Alumni Association. Bob Hicks is the chief financial officer of Videon Central, Inc. Sue Haug is the director of Penn State’s School of Music.

The following individuals were elected to three year terms on the Board: Moses Davis, the Director of the Multicultural Resource Center at Penn State; Jonathan Friedman, Director of Development, Friedman Real Estate Group; and Kathleen Raupach, an instructor in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management at Penn State.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts was founded in 1967 by the State College Chamber of Commerce and Penn State University’s College of Arts and Architecture. It now encompasses five days of visual and performing arts programming. Approximately 125,000 people visit the Festival each summer, and the “Arts Fest” is considered to be a quintessential part of the Penn State student and alumni experience.

In 2015, the Arts Festival was ranked by Sunshine Artist magazine in the number one spot on its list of the one hundred best outdoor fine art and fine craft fairs in the United States. In addition to producing the summer festival, the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts also produces First Night State College, an alcohol-free, family-oriented New Year’s festival.

2016 First Night State College will take place from December 31, 2015. The 50th Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be from July 13 through July 17, 2016. Children’s Day will be July 13 and the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition will open on Wednesday, July 15 and continue through Sunday, July 17.

Sidewalk Sale & Exhibition Ranks Atop Prestigious Sunshine Artist 200 Best Shows List

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The Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts once again ranked first on the list of 100 Best Fine Art and Design Shows in America published by Sunshine Artist magazine. The twenty-third annual poll, published in the September 2015 issue of Sunshine Artist, is based on sales totals reported by exhibitors at the 2014 festival. Sunshine Artist is America’s premier art show and festival guide.

This is the second time the Sidewalk Sale has reached the list’s top spot. It reached the top spot in 2013, though fell to third place last year. The event hasn’t been ranked lower than fifth since 2009.

Shows rounding out the top five were: One of a Kind Show & Sale, Chicago; Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver; La Quinta Arts Festival, La Quinta, CA; and the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, Winter Park, FL.

“We’re delighted by this news, but not surprised given our remarkable staff, our array of talented artists, and our dedicated festival-goers. This ranking inspires us to continue to put on the best arts festival possible, particularly as we prepare for our 50th festival in July 2016,” noted Joyce Robinson, the board president of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.

Festival Director Rick Bryant added, “The Festival is a great destination for both browsers and collectors. In addition to great shopping, people come to hear a wide variety of great music, see friends, and enjoy both town and campus. Any Penn Stater will tell you that the Festival is a quintessential part of the Penn State experience.”

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, known to artists across the country as “the Penn State show” was founded in 1967 by Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture and what was then known as the State College Chamber of Commerce. The Festival has grown to encompass Children and Youth Day, a juried gallery exhibition, a banner competition, the Downtown State College Italian Street Painting Festival, and a wide variety of performances on outdoor and indoor stages. Approximately 125,000 people visit the Festival each year. The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts also produces First Night State College.

The fiftieth Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be held from July 13-17, 2016, in downtown State College and on the Penn State campus. Children and Youth Day will be Wednesday, July 13, and the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition will be held from Thursday, July 14 through Sunday, July 17.

Additional funding is provided through a grant made by possible by the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and the Centre County Commissioners.

Prize Winners for Images 2015 Announced

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The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts announced the prize winners in Images 2015, the Festival’s annual indoor exhibition of fine art. The award decisions were made by the show’s juror, Scott Diamond, curator for Visual Arts Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art.

The Best in the Show Award was awarded to Maura Koehler Keeney of Latrobe, PA for her painting, Prolific Promises. The award is worth $400.

“This year’s Images exhibition really stood out, thanks to the variety of the chosen pieces, and the new location of the show,” said Rick Bryant, Executive Director of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.

“What strikes me the most is that there is a lot of good work here. I just wish I had more prizes to award,” said Scott Diamond, this year’s Images juror.

The William D. Davis Award in Drawing was awarded to Pasquale Cortese of State College, PA for his work, Untitled 14-1. The Davis Award includes a $300 honorarium.

The following works were chosen as Award of Merit winners, each with a $150 honorarium:

After the Rain
Russell Williams, Philadelphia, PA

Surveillance 2
Stephen March, Spring Grove, PA

Chamber Pot
Mary Lou Pepe, Boalsburg, PA

Madame Mallory
Karen Deutsch, State College, PA

In addition to the prize decisions made by the juror, the the Viewers’ Choice Award, was chosen by ballots cast by exhibition visitors. This year’s winner was the photograph Mesa Arch at Sunrise by Dave Hammaker of East Freedom, PA.

Images 2015 hung in Schlow Centre Region Library and in the Woskob Family Gallery of the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center during the month of July.

Prize Winners Announced in 49th Sidewalk Sale & Exhibition

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The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts officials and sponsors presented $17,000 in prizes for its 2015 Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, on Saturday July 11, at 9:00 a.m. during an award ceremony on the Art Festival’s Allen Street stage. Sidewalk Sale Coordinator Pam Lautsch emceed the brief and informal awards ceremony, assisted by Jeanne Gleason of Johnstown, the Chair of the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts.

Photographer Patricia Wilder of Victor, NY received the Arete Best of Show Award. The award was presented by former Festival board president Linda Gall to Ms. Wilder. The award is funded by an endowment at the Centre Foundation created by Ms. Gall and her husband Blake. The award carries a cash prize of $2,900.

The Fine Arts Award, worth $1,750, was given to ceramic artist Luis Enrique Guiterrez of Zebulon, North Carolina.

The ninth John C. Mason Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design was presented to Nicolette Absil of Philadelphia, PA. This award carries a cash prize of $825.

The Lautsch Family Award of Excellence, worth $825, was presented to painter Patrick Seufert, Fairless Hills, PA.

Other exhibitors receiving Awards of Excellence were:
Sanjoon Park, Creskill, NJ (Ceramic)
Tomas Savrda, Kent, CT (Mixed Media 3D)

The following exhibitors received Awards of Distinction, worth $700:
William Alburger, Barto, PA (Wood)
Thomas Dumke, Stone Bank, WI (Wood)
Nancy Green, Watkinsville, GA (Ceramic)
Mary Jackson, Charleston, SC (Basketry)

The following exhibitors received Awards of Merit, worth $500:

The Duff Family Award: Olga Mihaylova, Pittsburgh, PA (Jewelry); The Rapid Transit Sports Award of Merit: Mea Rhee, Silver Spring, MD (Ceramic); The John McCarthy Award of Merit in Memory of Sharon McCarthy: Teresa Crowninshield, Easthampton, MA (Fiber); Connections Clothing Award of Merit: E. Douglas Wunder, Kutztown, PA (Jewelry); Barash Media Award of Merit: James Whitbeck, Montague, MA (Painting); Bob & Ginny Mountz Award of Merit: Marie-Helene Grabman, Alexandria, VA (Paper); Brown and Associates Award of Merit: Robert Flowers, Summerfield, NC (Watercolor); McLanahan’s Downtown Market Award of Merit: Teresa Haag, Phoenixville, PA (Painting); Anne Layng Award of Merit: David Montgomery, Pittsburgh, PA (Mixed Media 3D); White Roan & Associates Award of Merit: Michael Mikula, Cleveland, OH (Glass).

Other Awards of Merit were presented to:
Wes Glebe and Christine Bailey, State College, PA (Jewelry) and Jim Spillane, Edinburg, VA (Photography).

The Frost & Conn, Inc. Booth of Distinction Award ($250) was presented to Geraldo De-Souza of East Syracuse, NY (Fiber).

The jurors for this year’s event were Nancy Burch Brassington, Bellefonte, PA; Cappy Counard, Edinboro, PA; Pat Howard, Alexandria, VA; Jordan McDonald, Philadelphia, PA; Robert Villamagna, Wheeling, WV.

Prize Winners Announced in Annual Banner Competition

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The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts announced the award winners in its 2015 Banner Competition at its annual award ceremony on the Festival’s Allen Street stage on Saturday, July 11 at 9:00 a.m.

Banner Committee co-chair Maura McConnell was assisted in making the presentations by Joleen Hindman of FirstEnergy Corporation, the banner competition’s sponsor.

In the professional class, first place, with a cash award of $200, was won by Joanie Eyster of State College for her painted banner, Circus Mayhem. Melissa Steingrabe of State College placed second, with a cash award of $125, for her work, Blooming Elephant. Marty Edmunds of Boalsburg took third prize ($50) for her appliqué banner, Aiming for Festival Excellence.

In the general class, the winning banner was Musical Vision made by Diane Kenna Carter of State College. Ecospheres, made by Donna Queeney of State College, received the second place award. Nicolette Kampf of State College received an honorable mention for her banner, Fire & Ice. Cash awards in the general class are first place, $150; second place, $75; and honorable mention, $50.

In the youth class, first place ($100) was won by Melica Kemanian-Leites for Out of this World, while Luisina Kemanian-Leites received second place ($75) for Blooming Spring. Both young women are from State College.

This year’s banner judges were Amy Frank and Cari Gustafson of State College. The event is co-chaired by Maura McConnell of State College and Liza Zander-Campbell of Centre Hall.

The Banner Competition is one of the signature events of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. The Festival display many past and present banners annually over South Allen Street, adding color and movement to the festive atmosphere. Banners also hang during the year at Schlow Centre Region Library, the State College Municipal Building and other locations. Both individuals and groups may submit entries.

Additional funding is provided through a grant made by possible by the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and the Centre County Commissioners.

Festival Presents Fifth Annual Pat Farrell Community Sing Along

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The Fifth Annual Pat Farrell Community Sing Along will take place at the State College Presbyterian Church, 132 West Beaver Avenue, State College, on Wednesday, July 8 at 7:30pm. The event is free. All are welcome, regardless of musical abilities.

The event is directed by Douglas Miller, former Director of Choral Activities at Penn State and Music Director of the State College Choral Society Douglas Miller. Miller is accompanied by Essence of Joy director Tony Leach.

A special feature of this year’s sing will be a set of songs selected and led by Leach entitled We Gather, We Reflect, We Sing, a musical response to recent events in Charleston, SC and Baltimore, MD.

Songs performed at the sing along include familiar hymns and folk songs, Broadway numbers, and even Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.

The event is a reinvention of an old State College and Penn State tradition. For many years State College residents came together for a weekly “community sing” each week during the summer, under the direction of Frank Gullo, the director of Penn State’s Glee Club, and Hummel Fishburn, the director of Penn State’s Blue Band. The Festival brought the sing along back in 2011, in memory of Pat Farrell, a former Arts Festival board president and member of the State College Choral Society.

This year’s sing along is sponsored by Foxdale Village Retirement Community.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Additional funding is provided through a grant made by possible by the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and the Centre County Commissioners.

Announcing the 49th Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts

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The 49th annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts™ will take place Wednesday, July 8 through Sunday, July 12 on the streets of downtown State College and the adjacent Penn State campus.

Founded by the State College Chamber of Commerce and Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture, the Festival attracts about 125,000 visitors each summer. The Festival features the nationally recognized Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, a juried gallery exhibition, Children and Youth Day, the Downtown State College Italian Street Painting Festival, educational opportunities, music, dance and theatrical performances in a variety of outdoor and indoor venues.

The 2015 Arts Festival commences with Children and Youth Day on Wednesday, July 8, which features programs and events designed especially for the young and young at heart. From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. the Children & Youth Sidewalk Sale, sponsored by Penn State Federal Credit Union, will be held on South Allen Street. More than 250 young Central Pennsylvania artists are expected to showcase their original works.

The Pat Farrell Community Sing-Along will be on Wednesday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the State College Presbyterian Church. Young and old, those who can sing and those who can’t are invited to join former Director of Choral Activities at Penn State and Music Director of the State College Choral Society Douglas Miller and Essence of Joy Director Tony Leach to make some joyful noise. The event is free.

On Thursday, July 9 at 10:00 a.m. the award winning Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition will open. Sidewalk Sale hours are 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. The works of more than 300 exhibitors comprise one of the nation’s best juried fine art and craft shows. A panel of five jurors will award over $17,500 in prize money to winning exhibitors during a ceremony at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 11, at the Allen Street Stage.

Images 2015 is an exhibition of drawings, paintings, mixed media, photography, hand-pulled prints, watercolors, fiber, and paper. It will hang in Schlow Centre Region Library and in the Woskob Family Gallery of the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center in July 2015. The works in Images have been selected by juror Scott Dimond, Curator for Visual Arts Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto.

The 2015 Downtown State College Italian Street Painting Festival honors the 16th century Italian tradition of using special chalks to paint on the street. Look for the Italian Street Painting Festival on the 100 block of Hiester Street in downtown State College. A variety of local visual artists will create 6-foot by 4-foot paintings. For a $5 fee, Young Artists Alley gives children the opportunity to create a 14”x 14” square street painting.

The sixth annual BookFestPa will take place on Saturday, July 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Schlow Centre Region Library and the library’s BookFest tent in the library’s parking lot. The theme of this year’s bookfest is the comic. This year’s featured authors include Collin Colsher, Jay Hosler, and Joel Priddy. There will be an additional ten authors in the BookFest tent. For more information go to bookfestpa.org.

This year, the Festival presents music by artists of international, national, and regional stature on three outdoor stages and at four indoor venues. In addition, performers at two plazas on the Sidewalk Sale route make shopping a more melodic experience. A full list of performers, along with the dates and times of the performances can be found on the festival’s website.

The Nittany Valley Running Club’s 40th annual 10K 5K & 10 mile run will take place Sunday, July 12 at 8:15 a.m. The Kids’ Fun Run will start at 11 a.m., the races are runs of a quarter mile through a half mile for kids ages 12 and under.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts Has Released Its 2015 Collectible Poster

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The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has released its 2015 collectable poster.

The 24” by 36” inch poster features the festival’s jester floating Mary Poppins style against a blue sky. As he travels over a landscape of Central Pennsylvania mountains, the jester leaves a contrail of musical notes in his wake.

The poster is free and can be picked up at several local businesses, including:

-Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, 403 S. Allen Street, Suite 205A, State College

-Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800 E. Park Avenue, State College

-HUB-Robeson Center Desk, Penn State Campus

-Hintz Family Alumni Center, Penn State Campus

-Penn State Federal Credit Union, 1937 North Atherton Street, State College

-Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau, One West Market Street, Lewistown

The poster for the 2015 festival was designed by Lanny Sommese. He is Emeritus Professor of Graphic Design in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State, where he is also a Fellow of the Institute for Arts and Humanities. Sommese is an honorary member of The University and College Designers Association, and was selected as the Fellow of the AIGA Philadelphia Chapter in 2010.

For over 30 years, Sommese has designed the colorful posters for the Arts Festival, a feat unrivaled in the festival industry. The entire collection of Sommese’s festival posters is on display in Penn State’s HUB-Robeson Center.

This year’s poster was made possible by grant support from the Centre County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and Centre County Commissioners. The Festival receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Walking Tour of Downtown State College's Public Art Released

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The State College Art in Public Places Committee has published a guide to the public art in downtown State College. The brochure, Downtown State College Art Walk, covers the full range of public art in downtown including sculpture, outdoor murals, fresco, and even stained glass windows.

“Our public art is one of State College’s unappreciated assets” noted Christy Rambeau, the chair of the committee. “We’re taking the first steps to change that.”

Stops covered in the art walk range in age from the 1907 Centennial Fountain, in Sidney Friedman Park, to 2014 Downtown Eugene Brown, located in front of the Centre Area Transportation Authority office in Schlow Centre Region Library on Beaver Avenue. There are 25 different stops on the art walk.

An expanded version of the brochure is available online at StateCollegePublicArt.com. “Visitors can access the site from their mobile device and enjoy the work of art as they learn about its backstory”, noted Rambeau.

The brochure is available at the following locations in State College:

• Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800 East Park Avenue
• Schlow Centre Region Library, 211 South Allen Street
• Borough of State College Tax and Planning Offices, 243 South Allen Street
• Downtown State College Improvement District, 127 South Fraser Street

In addition to Rambeau, members of the State College Art in Public Places Committee include George Arnold, Executive Director, Downtown State College Improvement District; Zoe Boniface, community activist; Rick Bryant, Executive Director, Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts; Jonathan Friedman, Friedman Real Estate Group; Elizabeth Goreham, Mayor of State College; William Snyder III, artist and arts advocate.

Festival Prohibits Sale of Toy Weapons in Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale

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The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will no longer permit the sale of weapons in its Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale. This ban covers both toys and facsimiles of historic objects and includes, but is not limited to, the sale of rubber band guns, pop-guns, swords, shields, Nerf weapons, light sabers, bows and arrows and items that launch a projectile.

The Festival’s Board of Directors voted to make this change in its rules. Several issues were voiced in those conversations.

The large crowds on Children and Youth Day make it an inappropriate place to shoot any sort of projectile or try out a facsimile sword. Even though parents ask their children to wait to play with their purchases until they are at home, children are eager to try them out and regularly shoot or bop an unsuspecting target.

Weapons that are sold in the Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale are often a better example of manufacturing than they are of creative processes. Young artists, just like their adult peers, do not like to be next to someone selling something that has very little creative content. Parents discuss this with event staff regularly.

The Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale is one of the signature events in the summer Festival, attracting over 300 young Central Pennsylvania artists annually who sell their own work.

The deadline for the 2015 Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale will be June 19, 2015. Applications are online now at arts-festival.com/children-and-youth. The 2015 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will take place from July 9 through July 12; Children and Youth Day will be July 8, 2015.

2014 Press Releases

Festival Elects New Officers and Directors at 2014 Annual Meeting

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The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts elected new officers and members of the board of directors at its annual meeting on October 21, 2014.

The new officers are: Joyce Robinson, board president; Steve Watson, vice-president; Bob Hicks, treasurer, and Sue Haug, secretary.

Ms. Robinson is a curator at the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State, where she is also an affiliate associate professor of art history, teaching courses primarily in the fields of American and African American art. Steve Watson is a university planner with Penn State’s Division of Campus Planning and Design in the Office of Physical Plant; Bob Hicks is a retired corporate financial officer. Sue Haug is the director of Penn State’s School of Music.

The following individuals were elected to three year terms on the Board: Kristen Coombs, a Financial Advisor with Shute & Coombs Financial Advisors in State College and the owner of New Life Financial, LLC, a divorce planning firm; and Diana Malcolm, an Associate in Ministry at State College Presbyterian Church.

Approximately 100,000 people visit the Festival each summer, and visiting the “Arts Fest” is considered a key part of the Penn State student and alumni experience.

In 2014, the Arts Festival was ranked by Sunshine Artist magazine in the number three spot on its list of the one hundred best outdoor fine art and fine craft fairs in the United States. In addition to producing the summer festival, the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts also produces First Night State College, an alcohol-free, family-oriented New Year’s festival.

2015 First Night State College will take place from December 31, 2014. The 49th Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be from July 8 through July 12, 2015. Children’s Day will be July 8 and the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition will open on July 9 and continue through July 12.

Sculpture to be Introduced to the Community

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September 26, 2014 It’s not exactly a debutante ball, but State College’s latest public art project, Downtown Eugene Brown, will have his official coming out, Friday, October 3, from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm in conjunction with downtown State College’s First Friday celebration.

Downtown Eugene Brown is a sculpture of a senior citizen who wears headphones and reads a tablet computer while he stands patiently at the CATABUS stop next to Schlow Centre Region Library. He has a copy of Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations stuck in his jacket pocket.

Centre Area Transportation Authority officials, Schlow Centre Region Library staff and volunteers, and local dignitaries will be on hand to introduce the 6’ 5” bronze gent to the community, provide refreshments, and help the public take photos. Library and CATA staff members will also be handing out copies of Great Expectations to fifty attendees on a first come, first served basis.

The event is free to the public, and may be followed on the sculpture’s Twitter feed, @DTEugeneBrown.

A gift to the community from Rich and Sally Kalin of State College, the sculpture was commissioned by the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts (CPFA) on behalf of Schlow Centre Region Library and the Centre Area Transportation Authority. The CPFA managed a nationwide commissioning process which reviewed over 125 entries.

Downtown Eugene Brown was created by Gavin Gardner of Frederick, MD. Gardner studied at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, Old Lyme, CT and is currently a graduate student at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Schlow Centre Region Library has been a fixture at the corner of Allen Street and Beaver Avenue since 1965. The Library annually serves over 350,000 visitors, checks out over 700,000 items and offers educational programs to over 27,000 attendees.

The corner of Beaver Avenue and Allen Street also serves as a transportation hub for those traveling to and from downtown State College via the CATABUS system. With 27 routes and approximately 70 vehicles, CATA provides over 7.3 million rides annually, or approximately 35,000 rides daily.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts produces its namesake summer festival, in addition to First Night State College. 2015 First Night State College will take place on December 31, 2014 and the 2015 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will take place from July 9-12, with Children & Youth Day on July 8.

Prize Winners Announced in 48th Sidewalk Sale & Exhibition

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July 12, 2014 The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts officials and sponsors presented over $17,000 in prizes for the 2014 Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, on Saturday July 12, at 9:00 a.m. during an award ceremony on the Arts Festival’s Allen Street stage.

The jurors for this year’s event were Garth Johnson, Philadelphia, PA; Martin Heavner, Ijamsville, MD; Janice Lessman-Moss, Kent, OH, Rebecca Thornburgh, Philadelphia, PA; and Jen Townsend, Pittsford, NY. Sidewalk Sale Coordinator Pam Lautsch emceed the brief and informal awards ceremony. She was assisted in presenting awards by Jeanne Gleason of Johnstown, the Vice Chair of the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, and President of the Festival’s Board of Directors, Joyce H. Robinson.

Glass artist Michael Mikula of Cleveland, OH was honored with the Arete Best of Show Award, worth $2,500. The award was presented by Linda Gall of Boalsburg, who has supported the prize with an endowment at the Centre Foundation.

The eighth John C. Mason Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design was presented to Aileen Lampman of Pittsburgh. This award carries a cash prize of $825.

The Fine Arts Award, worth $1750, was given to jeweler E. Douglas Wunder of Kutztown, PA.

The Lautsch Family Award of Excellence, worth $850, was presented to ceramic artist Andy Shaw, Baton Rouge, LA.

Other exhibitors receiving Awards of Excellence were:
Matthew Horner, Keen, NY; Sculpture
Pat Little, Philipsburg, PA; Photography
David Montgomery & Karen Kreiger, Pittsburgh, PA Mixed Media 3D

Please download the full press release for the complete list of Sidewalk Sale & Exhibition prize winners.

The 49th Annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be held July 8-12, 2015.

Prize Winners Announced in Annual Banner Competition

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July 12, 2014 The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has announced the award winners in its annual Banner Competition. Prizes are awarded in three classes: Professional, General, and Youth.

In the professional class, first place was won by Marty Edmunds of Boalsburg for her appliqué banner, Festival Wow! Second place was awarded to Joanie Eyster of State College for her painted work Soaring. Honorable Mention went to Kristin Ziegler of Centre Hall for Trunks and Tails.

In the general class, the winning banner was Universe of Galaxies made by Donna Queeney of State College. Second place was awarded to Dianne Kenna Carter of State College for Bandit Tribal Giraffe. Honorable mention went to the banner Beth Bimber of State College for her banner, Jellyfish.

In the youth class, first place was won by Anders Jurs of Jacksonville Beach, FL for Chirp’s Up while his brother Alastair Jurs took home second place for Owling at the Moon.

This year’s banner judges were Kristin Nasal and Staci Egan of State College and Liza Zander-Campbell of Centre Hall.

Prize Winners Announced in Seeing America: Centre County in Photographs Exhibition

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July 5, 2014. The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has announced the prize winners in Seeing America: Centre County in Photographs, its juried gallery exhibition.

The exhibition’s juror was Barbara Houghton, professor of art at Northern Kentucky University. She is a working and teaching photographer who has taught at the university level for forty years and who is known for her narrative fine art images.

“It’s really difficult to take a photo of familiar people, places, and things that’s out of the ordinary. The artists in the show did a great job” noted Houghton.

Houghton named Celebration of Color by Julia Ungar as Best of Show, with a cash award of $1,000. Five works received Awards of Merit, worth $300 each. They were Gamble Mill in Winter, by Robert Baumbach; Mailboxes by Drew Frank; Pig in Repose, by Isabel Guzman; Photographing the Garman Demolition by Mary Vollero; and Red Suits, by Will Yurman.

Seeing America: Centre County in Photographs will hang in the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania, 818 Pike Street, Lemont, PA, through July 13. Admission is free. Gallery hours vary by day; please consult the Festival’s web site for more details.

Seeing America: Centre County in Photographs was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Additional grant support comes from the Centre County Commissioners and Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors’ Bureau.

The 2014 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be from July 9 to July 13, 2014. Children and Youth Day will be July 9, and the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition will take place from Thursday July 10, though Sunday, July 13.

Announcing the 48th Annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts

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June 26, 2014. The 48th annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will take place Wednesday, July 9 through Sunday, July 13 on the streets of downtown State College and the adjacent Penn State campus.

The 2014 Arts Festival commences with Children and Youth Day on Wednesday, July 9, which features programs and events designed especially for the young and young at heart. From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. the Children & Youth Sidewalk Sale, sponsored by Penn State Federal Credit Union, will be held on South Allen Street. An estimated 175 young Central Pennsylvania artists are expected to showcase their original works.

On Thursday, July 10 at 10:00 a.m. the award winning Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition will open. Sidewalk Sale hours are 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. The works of more than 300 exhibitors comprise one of the nation’s best juried fine art and craft shows.

The Festival is eager to welcome back Ensemble Galilei, performing First Person: Seeing America. The ensemble will take the stage Saturday, July 12 at 2:30 p.m. at the State Theatre, with narration by Adrian LaTourelle and Kimiko Gelman. Ensemble Galilei has an encore performance later that evening at 8:00 p.m. With images from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the poetry and prose of some of America’s greatest writers, the group is excited to present this ambitious work. (CPFA button required).

The fifth annual BookFestPa will take place on Saturday, July 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Schlow Centre Region Library and the library’s BookFest tent. For more information go to bookfestpa.org.

The Nittany Valley Running Club’s 39th annual 10K 5K & 10 mile run will take place Sunday, July 13 at 8:15 a.m. For registration and additional race information, please visit nvrun.com.

For more complete details about the Festival, click here to download our full press release.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has Released its 2014 Collectible Poster

The 2014 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts poster, designed by Lanny Sommese

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May 9, 2014. The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has released its 2014 collectible poster. The 24” by 36” inch colorful poster features the Festival’s elements familiar to any festival goer. A jester, paintbrushes, musical instruments, ice cream cones and audience members are fashioned like puzzle pieces into a hot air balloon floating over an azure sky. The poster is free and can be picked up at several local businesses, including:

Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts (403 S. Allen Street, Suite 205A, State College)
Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau (800 E. Park Avenue, State College)
HUB-Robeson Center Desk (Penn State Campus)
Hintz Family Alumni Center (Penn State Campus)
Penn State Federal Credit Union (1937 North Atherton Street, State College)
Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau (One West Market Street, Lewistown)

The poster for the 2014 Festival was designed by Penn State Professor of Graphic Design Lanny Sommese. He is currently Distinguished Professor and Head of Graphic Design in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State, where he is also a Fellow of the Institute for Arts and Humanities. For over 20 years, Sommese has designed the colorful posters for the Arts Festival. The entire collection is on display in Penn State’s HUB-Robeson Center.

The Festival will take place from July 9 to July 13 in downtown State College and on the Penn State Campus. Children and Youth Day is July 9 and the Festival’s well-known Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition opens on July 10.

2013 Press Releases

Sidewalk Sale & Exhibition Ranks Atop Prestigious Sunshine Artist 200 Best Shows List

The Festival was named #1 on Sunshine Artist magazine’s list of top 100 fine art and craft shows

August 14, 2013. The Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts recently ranked first on the list of 100 Best Fine Art and Design Shows in America published by Sunshine Artist magazine. The twenty-first annual poll, published in the September 2013 issue of Sunshine Artist, is based on sales totals reported by exhibitors at the 2012 festival. Sunshine Artist is America’s premier art show and festival guide.

This is the first time the Sidewalk Sale has reached the list’s top spot, though it hasn’t been ranked lower than fifth since 2009. The Sidewalk Sale held second place in 2012.

Shows rounding out the top five were: One of a Kind Show & Sale, Chicago; La Quinta Arts Festival, La Quinta, CA; Art on the Square, Belleville, IL; and Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver, CO.

“We’re thrilled learn that we ranked atop a list of some of the best festivals in the country, particularly when our exhibiting artists have nominated us. We appreciate this recognition and thank our hardworking volunteers and staff who make the festival the premier event it is,” said Katherine Allen, the board president of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. “We especially need to thank our loyal audience that makes this ranking possible” she added.

Festival Director Rick Bryant added, “We’re a great weekend destination for both browsers and collectors. Visitors have learned what locals have known for years: that the Festival is a great place to shop, to hear wonderful music, and see friends, and to have an all-around great time.”

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts was founded in 1967 by the State College Chamber of Commerce and Penn State University’s College of Arts and Architecture. The Festival has grown to encompass Children and Youth Day, a juried gallery exhibition, a banner competition, the Downtown State College Improvement District Italian Street Painting Festival, and a wide variety of performances on outdoor and indoor stages+. Approximately 100,000 people visit the Festival each year. The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts also produces First NightTM State College.

The 2014 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be held from July 9 to 13, 2014, in downtown State College and on the Penn State campus. Children and Youth Day will be Wednesday, July 9, and the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition will be held from Thursday, July 10 through Sunday, July 13.

Additional funding is provided through a grant made by possible by the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and the Centre County Commissioners.

Announcing the 47th annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts

July 5, 2013. The 47th annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts™ will take place Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14 on the streets of downtown State College and the adjacent Penn State campus.

The 2013 Arts Festival commences with Children and Youth Day on Wednesday, July 10, which features programs and events designed especially for the young and young at heart. From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. the Children & Youth Sidewalk Sale, sponsored by Penn State Federal Credit Union, will be held on South Allen Street. An estimated 150 young Central Pennsylvania artists are expected to showcase their original works.

Other Children and Youth Day activities include free arts and crafts workshops on the Old Main Lawn and in State College’s Sidney Friedman Park. Musical and dance performances tailored to the young will take place at various stages around town thanks to ten local student ensembles and performing arts schools. However, for some, the highlight of the day will come at 4:00 p.m. with the 2013 Children and Youth Day Grand Procession. Over 300 children (accompanied by some parents) will carry small, medium and large papier-mâché puppets, masks and drums. The procession will begin on the Old Main lawn and travel through downtown State College as it makes its way to Sidney Friedman Park.

The Pat Farrell Community Sing-Along will be on Wednesday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the State College Presbyterian Church. Young and old, those who can sing and those who can’t are invited to join former Director of Choral Activities at Penn State and Music Director of the State College Choral Society Douglas Miller and Essence of Joy Director Tony Leach as we all come together to make some joyful noise. The event is free.

On Thursday, July 11 at 10:00 a.m. the award winning Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition will open. Sidewalk Sale hours are 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. The works of more than 300 exhibitors comprise one of the nation’s best juried fine art and craft shows. A panel of five jurors will award over $17,000 in prize money to winning exhibitors during a ceremony at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 13, at the Allen Street Stage.

There are several new elements at the Festival this year, including an Artisanal Food Area and a 10 mile Festival Race.

This year, the Arts Festival allows you to take home a bit of Pennsylvania agriculture with selected Pennsylvania artisanal food products. Six Pennsylvania artisanal food producers will be selling their products on Allen Street in front of the State College Municipal Building. Hours of the artisanal food area will be the same as those for the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, 10:00 to 8:00 July 11-13, noon to 5:00, July 14. Participating food merchants include: Village Eatinghouse Marketplace & Café, Tait Farm Foods, Razz’s Shagbark Hickory Syrup. Naked Granola, and Red Hawk Premium Peppers.

An annual favorite, the CPFA Silent Auction will be returning this year as well. The 2013 Silent Auction will be located in a small building placed on the 100 block of South Allen Street. The Silent Auction opens on Thursday, July 11 at noon. It is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sunday hours are from noon to 5 p.m. It’s a great place to see a sampling of all the great fine art and craft in the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition. Proceeds of the Silent Auction help to defray the costs of the Festival.

Images 2013 hangs in the Robeson Gallery in the HUB-Robeson Center on the University Park campus of Penn State. The works in this fine art and fine craft exhibition were selected by juror Joyce Robinson. She is a curator at the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State where she is also an affiliate associate professor of art history. Images 2013 is open from June 5 through July 14.

The 2013 Downtown State College Italian Street Painting Festival honors the 16th century Italian tradition of using special chalks to paint on the street. Look for the Italian Street Painting Festival on the 100 block of Heister Street in downtown State College. Juried artists will create 6-foot by 4-foot paintings. For a $5 fee, Young Artists Avenue gives children the opportunity to create a 1-foot-square street painting. Artists work July 11 through the 14. The Italian Street Painting Festival is sponsored by Downtown State College.

The 4th annual BookFestPa will take place on Saturday, July 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Schlow Centre Region Library’s parking lot. This year’s featured authors include Charles Todd, Becky Aikman, Andrew Blum, Jodi Moore, and Annie Matsick. There will be more than 25 authors to meet in the BookFest tent. For more information go to bookfestpa.org.

The Festival presents sacred music this year by the Academy of Sacred Music. The Academy of Sacred Music Choral Institute is a workshop for singers and conductors. The 2013 Choral Institute performance focuses on the energetic and rhythmic Gloria by Antonio Vivaldi. The concert will also feature shorter sacred works suitable for church and community choirs. The Choral Institute Choir, under the direction of Robert Long, will be joined by soprano Julie Hanlon and a chamber ensemble. They will perform at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 13 in the State College Presbyterian Church. (CPFA button required.)

This year, the Festival is excited to present Naomi Seidman & Jonathan Dexter, performing Saturday, July 13 at 1:00 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 208 W. Foster Avenue. Naomi Seidman is an assistant professor of flute at Penn State and flutist with The Pennsylvania Quintet and the Rhapsoidos Trio. Cellist Jonathan Dexter has studied and performed internationally as well. He has been featured on a number of motion picture and television soundtracks. (CPFA button required).

Bookends will be back this year for a reunion of the State College music sensation from the 1980’s. Chris Mincer, Bet Williams and Susie Kocher are getting back together again to perform some of their favorite songs by Manhattan Transfer, The Grateful Dead, Fleetwood Mac, Simon and Garfunkel. Their mixed repertoire of original tunes and covers made them one of the most memorable bands of that era. They will perform at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 13 at the Allen Street Stage.

While most performances are free, some require a festival button. Buttons, which cost $10.00 for adults and are free for children under the age of twelve, are good for the entire festival. They grant admission on a space available basis to all indoor events. Buttons are available at each performance venue, at many locations on the Festival route, in downtown State College stores, and online at arts-festival.com.

Daily highlights include:

Wednesday, July 10 – Children & Youth Day

National Marionette Theatre Presents Peter and the Wolf 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (HUB-Robeson Center) (CPFA button required)
Grand Procession 4:00 p.m. (Old Main Lawn)
Children’s Workshops & Activities 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. (Old Main Lawn & Sidney Friedman Park)

Thursday, July 11

Bleeding Love 3:00 p.m. (Penn State Downtown Theatre) (CPFA button required)
No BS! Brass Band 9:00 p.m. (Festival Shell Stage)
Archie Blue 9:30 p.m. (Sidney Friedman Park Stage)

Friday, July 12

A Hair Out of Place 12:00 p.m. (Penn State Downtown Theatre) (CPFA button required)
Essence of Joy Alumni Choir 7:00 p.m. (S.C. Presbyterian Church) (CPFA button required)
Cassie & Maggie MacDonald 7:30 p.m. (State Theatre) (CPFA button required)
Bovine Social Club 8:00 p.m. (Festival Shell Stage)
Mac Arnold & Plate Full o’ Blues 10:00 p.m. (Festival Shell Stage)
JP Harris & the Tough Choices 10:00 p.m. (Allen Street Stage)
Bethesda 10:00 p.m. (Sidney Friedman Park Stage)

Saturday, July 13

Pure Cane Sugar 4:00 p.m. (Allen Street Stage)
The Four Bitchin’ Babes 8:00 p.m. (State Theatre) (CPFA button required)
The Sweetback Sisters 9:30 p.m. (Sidney Friedman Park Stage)
My Hero Zero 10:00 p.m. (Allen Street Stage)
Velveeta 10:00 p.m. (Festival Shell Stage)

Sunday, July 14

The Sue Crowe Memorial 38th Annual Arts Festival 5K 10K & 10 mile Road Race 8:30 a.m., registration 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. (Medlar Field at Lubrano Park)
Kids’ Fun Run 11:00 a.m., registration 9:30-10:30 a.m. (Meldar Field at Lubrano Park)
Earthtones 3:30 p.m. (Festival Shell Stage)

The Nittany Valley Running Club’s 38th annual 10K 5K & 10 mile run will take place Sunday, July 14 at 8:30 a.m. The Kids’ Fun Run will start at 11 a.m., the race is a quarter mile for kids 5-6 and a half mile for kids 9-10 and 11-12. For registration and additional race information, please visit nvrun.com.

Leave parking and traffic worries to others by parking in the Jordan East parking lot, next to the Bryce Jordan Center and Beaver Stadium. For $5.00 car, visitors may park and take a free bus operated by the Centre Area Transportation Authority will take to you to complimentary bus service can take you to the heart of the Festival and return you at your convenience.

Bus service from the Bryce Jordan Center/Beaver Stadium will stop at the Downtown State College Italian Street Painting Festival, or in the heart of the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, or even at the Palmer Museum of Art.

Additional funding is provided through a grant made by possible by the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and the Centre County Commissioners.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has Released its 2013 Collectible Poster

The 2013 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts poster, designed by Lanny Sommese

May 29, 2013. The 24” by 36” inch colorful poster, which features the festival’s jester mascot intertwined with a treble clef, is free and can be picked up at several local businesses, including:

Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts (403 S. Allen Street, Suite 205A, State College)
Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau (800 E. Park Avenue, State College)
HUB-Robeson Center Desk (Penn State Campus)
Hintz Family Alumni Center (Penn State Campus)
Penn State Federal Credit Union (1937 North Atherton Street, State College)
Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau (One West Market Street, Lewistown)

The poster for the 2013 festival was designed by Penn State Professor of Graphic Design Lanny Sommese. He is currently Department Head and Professor of Graphic Design in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State, where he is also a Fellow of the Institute for Arts and Humanistic Studies. For over 20 years, Sommese has designed the colorful posters for the Arts Festival. The entire collection is on display in Penn State’s HUB-Robeson Center.

The festival will take place from July 10 to July 14 in downtown State College and on the Penn State Campus.

Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts Ranks #5 on Top 10 Summer Festivals 2013 List

The Festival is #5 on Liveability.com\’s Top Ten Summer Festivals 2013!

May 6, 2013. The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts placed at number five on the list of Top 10 Summer Festivals 2013 by Livability.com, a national website that ranks quality of life and travel amenities of America’s small and mid-sized cities. Other top festivals include Frontier Days, Cheyenne, WY; Portland Rose Festival, Portland, OR; The Virginia Highlands Festival, Abingdon, VA, and AthFest, Athens, GA. The full list can be found at Livability.com.

The best summer festivals not only encourage tourism, but also engage and inspire residents, note the editors of Livability. The community spirit drives the festival’s success and is often reflected in the festival’s character.

For the 2013 list, Livability.com editors looked for those summer festivals most connected to their host cities\’ identities in terms of theme, visitor experience, and community participation. Editors also considered each city’s other visitor attractions and amenities that could enhance the experience for festival audiences.

Livability.com is a comprehensive online resource on more than 500 of America\’s best places to live, visit, work, play and explore. The staff of Livability has spent more than 20 years finding the good stuff in small to mid-sized communities all across America.

“We’re delighted and humbled to receive this honor—there are some great festivals on the Livability list” noted Arts Festival Executive Director Rick Bryant. “It’s quite a testament to our community—our volunteers, artists, musicians, sponsors, and most importantly our audience.”

This year’s Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be from July 10 through 14. Children and Youth Day will be July 10, and the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition will open on July 11 and continue through July 14. In addition to the Sidewalk Sale, the festival features a juried regional gallery exhibition, a banner competition, and music, dance and theatrical performances on outdoor and indoor stages.

Additional funding is provided through a grant made by possible by the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and the Centre County Commissioners.

Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts Receives Borough’s Legacy Award

Front row, L to R, Joyce Robinson, Katherine Allen, Anne Layng, Pam Lautsch, Virginia Mountz
Back row, L to R, Duane Funk, Carol Baney, Bill Ryan, State College Borough Council President Ron Filippelli, Rick Bryant, Bob Mountz.

April 24, 2013. State College Borough Council President Ron Filippelli presented the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts with the Borough’s Legacy Award at the Borough’s ABC Appreciation Dinner last evening. The dinner, held at the State College Ramada Inn, recognizes volunteers who serve on the Borough’s Authorities, Boards, and Commissions.

Council’s presentation of the Legacy Award began in 1991. Since that time, more than thirty individuals or groups have received the award at the annual Appreciation Dinner.

The Legacy Award is given to an individual or group that has contributed significantly to improving the quality of community life for Borough residents.

Festival President Katherine Allen and Festival Executive Director Rick Bryant accepted the award on behalf of the Festival’s board, staff, and over 400 volunteers.

“We’re very honored to receive the Legacy Award. The Arts Festival and First Night community events would not be possible without the efforts of our terrific staff, our army of dedicated volunteers and the generosity of our sponsors. We are especially grateful for the sponsorship and support of the Borough of State College” remarked Arts Festival Board President Katherine Allen.

“This award is a testament to the hard work and creativity of the many people who make the Festival happen every summer” noted Festival Executive Director Rick Bryant.

The Festival’s Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition is currently ranked second on the list of 100 Best Fine Art and Design Shows in an annual poll, published in the September 2012 issue of Sunshine Artist, a trade magazine.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts was founded in 1967 by the State College Chamber of Commerce and Penn State University’s College of Arts and Architecture. The Festival has grown to encompass Children’s Day, a juried gallery exhibition, the Downtown State College Improvement District Italian Street Painting Festival, and a wide variety of performances on outdoor and indoor stages. Approximately 100,000 people visit the Festival each year. The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts also produces First Night State College.

The 2013 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be held in downtown State College and on the Penn State campus from July 10 through 14. Children and Youth Day will be Wednesday, July 10, and the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition will be held from Thursday, July 11 through Sunday, July 14.

Additional funding is provided through a grant made by possible by the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and the Centre County Commissioners.

2012 Press Release

Sidewalk Sale & Exhibition Ranks #2 in Prestigious Sunshine Artist 200 Best Shows List

The Festival was named #2 on Sunshine Artist magazine’s list of top 100 fine art and craft shows

August 10, 2012. The Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts recently ranked second on the list of 100 Best Fine Art and Design Shows in America, up from a ranking of third, which it held for the last two years. The twentieth annual poll, published in the September 2012 issue of Sunshine Artist, is based on sales totals reported by exhibitors at the 2011 Festival. Sunshine Artist magazine is America’s premier show and festival guide.

St. James Court Art Show, in Louisville, Kentucky, remains the top show in the country according to readers of the magazine. Other top ten shows are in Denver, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Naples, FL and Palm Springs, CA.

“We’re thrilled to be ranked among the best shows in the country, particularly when our exhibiting artists have nominated us. Our volunteers and supporters work very hard to make the festival the event it is,” said Rick Bryant, the Festival’s Executive Director. “This is the highest ranking we’ve ever earned, and we’re the highest ranking show that’s not located in, or very near, a large city. Both browsers and collectors know that the Arts Festival is a great place to come to shop for fine art and fine craft, hear some wonderful music, and have a great time.”

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts was founded in 1967 by the State College Chamber of Commerce and Penn State University’s College of Arts and Architecture. The Festival has grown to encompass Children’s Day, a juried gallery exhibition, the Downtown State College Improvement District Italian Street Painting Festival, and a wide variety of performances on outdoor and indoor stages. Approximately 100,000 people visit the Festival each year. The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts also produces First Night® State College.

The 2013 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be held from July 10 to 14, 2013, in downtown State College and on the Penn State campus. Children’s Day will be Wednesday, July 10, and the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition will be held from Thursday, July 11 through Sunday, July 14.

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