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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 the heart of the Festival.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.