Press Releases

Officials and sponsors of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts presented over $17,000 in prizes for its 2018 Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, on Saturday July 14, 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 Rick Bryant, the Festival’s Executive Director.

Jewelers Danielle and Chris Merzatta of Mount Tabor, NJ received the Arete Best of Show Award. The award was presented by former Festival board president Linda Gall to the Merzattas. 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 $2,800.

The Fine Arts Award, worth $1,750, was given to photographer Marie-Helene Grabman of Fort Mill, SC.

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

Other exhibitors receiving Awards of Excellence were:
Karen Hibbs, New Haven, CT (Glass)
Honey Jaffe Memorial Award: Paveen “Beer” Chunhaswasdikul, Gadsen, AL (Ceramic)
Mitch Lyons Memorial Award: Thomas Dumke, Stone Bank, WI (Wood)

The following exhibitors received Awards of Distinction, worth $700:
Patricia Wilder, Victor NY (Photography)
Jake Johnson, Waynesboro, VA (Ceramic)
Duff Family Award of Distinction, Olga Mihaylova, Pittsburgh (Jewelry)
Pam Ruest and Jeff Jones Award of Distinction, Laura Wilder, Rochester, NY (Printmaking)

Receiving Awards of Merit, worth $550 were:
John McCarthy Award of Merit in Wearable Fiber in Memory of Sharon McCarthy, Galina Kostanda-Lambert, Ft. Myers, FL
Shuey Family Award of Merit in memory of Naomi Shuey, Tim Sullivan, Marietta, GA (Ceramic)
Bob & Ginny Mountz Award of Merit ,Teresa Haag, Phoenixville, PA (Painting)
Susan & Lewis Steinberg Award of Merit, David Benyosef, Somerville, MA (Glass)
Tom & Kristen Coombs Award of Merit,Petty Shepard & Mary Otieno, Kingsport, TN (Basketry)
Aaron T. Roan, DMD & Associates Award of Merit ,Aileen Lampman, Pittsburgh, PA (Jewelry)
Anne Layng Award of Merit, Greg Stones, Greenville, RI (Watercolor)
Rapid Transit Sports Award of Merit, Victoria Varga, Cumberland Foreside, ME (Jewelry)
Connections Clothing Award of Merit, Samantha Skelton, Pittsburgh, PA ( Jewelry)
Towne Centre One Award of Merit, Jenna Vanden Brink, Pittsburgh, PA (Ceramic)
Glenn Woods & Keith Herbrand, Palm Harbor, FL (Ceramic).
Chris Knox, Cummington, MA (Ceramic)

The Frost & Conn, Inc. Booth of Distinction Award was presented to Deborah Adelson (Jewelry), Booth A-66. This award is carries a $250 prize.

The jurors for this year’s event were Casey Droege, Pittsburgh, PA; Brian Ferrell, Jeannette, PA; Becky McDonah, Millersville, PA; Clayton Merrell, Pittsburgh, PA; and Yoko Sekino-Bové, Washington, PA

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts announced the award winners in its 2018 Banner Competition at its annual award ceremony on the Festival’s Allen Street stage on Saturday, July 14 at 9:00 a.m.

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

In the professional class, Joanie Eyster of State College took first place for her acrylic paint work, 1,000 Cranes Begins with 1. Marty Edmunds of Boalsburg took the second spot for her polyester fabric applique banner, The Jester Steps Out.

In the general class, Ginny Cooper of Ocean View, NJ made the winning banner, In and Out. Donna Queeney of State College received second place with Chaos Begins, and Teresa Jacobs of Lock Haven won third place with Poppies.

In the youth class, first place was won by Emeline and Lilahgrace Reese of State College for Friends in the Deep Blue Sea.

This year’s banner judges were Diane Bloom of Gatesburg, Laura Robinson and Liz Liadis of State College. The event is chaired by Lisa Zander-Campbell of Centre Hall.

The banner exhibition is sponsored by FirstEnergy Foundation.

Juror Laura Robinson commented, “It’s more difficult to choose winners every year—the quality of the work keeps improving. This year’s banners are quite accomplished in terms of design and construction. “

The Banner Competition is one of the signature events of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Both individuals and groups may submit entries. The Festival hangs this year’s banners and those from its collection over South Allen Street, adding color and movement to the festive atmosphere.

This year, in addition to the banners hanging over South Allen Street, the Festival hung banners in the State College Municipal Building and in the HUB/Robeson Center on Penn State’s campus.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts announced $1,900 in awards for Images 2018, the Festival’s annual juried exhibition of fine art.  The award decisions were made by the show’s juror, Erin M. Coe, Director of the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State.

The Best in Show was awarded to Marisa Eichman of Pine Grove Mills, PA for her oil painting, The Hunt For The Red Doe. 

“For Images 2018, I applied the same standards to jurying this show as I have to other exhibitions I’ve adjudicated in the past”, said juror Erin Coe.

“My criteria include a combination of the following: works that demonstrate dexterity with the medium employed; excellence in design and composition; and the subject of the artwork, which I carefully consider—what does it represent and how is it conveyed? Here, I am looking for something more elusive and subjective: what inspired the work of art and how does the artist express the wellspring of an idea? Whether this is achieved through color, line, shading, light, texture, or a combination of these, I am concerned with how the artist expressed the subject or the idea behind the work. The awards were given to those works that exemplified these traits and exceeded my expectations.”

Thirty-six pieces were chosen by Coe from the 264 pieces submitted from across Pennsylvania. 

The William D. Davis Award was awarded to Todd Krout of Lemont, PA for his watercolor, Urban Sprawl.  The Davis Award is sponsored by the Sturtz-Davis Family in William’s memory. 

The Central Pennsylvania Pastel Society sponsored an award for Best Pastel to draw more attention to the pastel medium.  The Best Pastel Award was presented to Kathleen Muffie-Witt for her pastel, Ladies in a Row. 

The following works were chosen as Award of Merit winners. 

Can Never Be, Abbey Rosko, New Tripoli, PA

Kora-ju 23, Will Wadlington, Warriors Mark, PA

Boxing, Gloria Plosky Scaltz, Howard, PA

Unchartered, Michele Randall, State College, PA

The Awards of Merit were sponsored by State College Framing Company & Gallery; The Queen, A Victorian Bed & Breakfast; and Garbrick Shadle Insurance Agency. 

The Schlow Library Foundation also sponsored an Honorable Mention.  That award was given to Susan Parsonage of State College for her work Beyond.

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 prize is sponsored by Joyce Robinson & Norman Spivey.

Images 2018 will hang in the Betsy Rodgers Allen Gallery and Downsbrough Room of the Schlow Centre Region Library during the month of July.

The Awards Reception hosted by the Schlow Library Foundation was held during the five-day Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts on Thursday, July 12. 

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts is joining forces with a group of enterprising Penn State students in a pilot project to live stream one of its outdoor concerts this year.

At the suggestion of Bob Beaury, the Director of the Entrepreneurship Program in the College of Engineering, the Festival has teamed up with student-led startup that is developing portable live streaming technology. This technology will allow internet users across the world to experience the energy of a concert on the Allen Street Stage.

The startup is CastPak, a venture led by Andrew Przyjemski, a Schreyer Honors College senior from Reading. He is joined on the CastPak team by two other Penn State students, Keri Nicolich and Xavier Glavin.

Przyjemski notes, “CastPak provides all of the necessary equipment to set up a reliable and professional live stream with all of the hardware conveniently packaged within a backpack. This allows the CastPak to go where you go without the need for access to power outlets or Ethernet ports. We have designed CastPak to give users the functionality of professional broadcasting equipment with an easy to use interface that allows anyone to setup a stream in minutes.”

The CastPak team will live stream the concert by Louise Page, on Friday, July 13 at 3:30pm. The Festival staff approached Page about the project since as a singer/songwriter she will be performing all original songs and so there would be no issues about broadcast rights. Page, a State College native now living in Memphis, readily agreed.

The stream will be available on the Festival’s website, at arts-festival.com/event/louise-page/

Rick Bryant, the Festival’s executive director noted, “I’m so glad that Bob Beaury brought this project to our attention. We’re always eager to work with Penn State students, especially when they could help us reach new audiences. While there will never be a substitute for experiencing a performance, streaming just might be the next best thing to being there.”

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.

The 52nd annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will take place Wednesday, July 11 through Sunday, July 15 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 approximately 125,000 visitors each summer. The Festival features the nationally recognized Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, a juried gallery exhibition, Children and Youth Day, Italian Street Painting, educational opportunities, music, dance and theatrical performances in a variety of outdoor and indoor venues.

The 2018 Arts Festival commences with Children and Youth Day on Wednesday, July 11, 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 Penn State’s Old Main Lawn and in State College’s Sidney Friedman Park. Musical and dance performances tailored to the young will take place on two stages thanks to local student ensembles and performing arts schools. However, for some, the highlight of the day will come at 4:00 p.m. with the 2018 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 11 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.

Russell Bloom is the director of music at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in State College; Clayton was appointed as director of choirs at State College Area High School in 2015; Mueller is a music teacher in the State College Area School District. This year’s sing along will open with a special performance by the Nittany Valley Children’s Choir, under the baton of Lou Ann Shafer. The event is free.

On Thursday, July 12, 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 14, at the Allen Street Stage.

The 2018 Italian Street Painting exhibition honors the 16th century Italian tradition of using special chalks to paint on the street. Look for the Italian Street Painting 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.

The public is invited to celebrate the 52nd Festival by purchasing tickets to the Festive Spirits benefit party, which will be held at The Towers, 403 South Allen Street, on Friday, July 13, at 5:00 p.m. Bellefonte’s Big Spring Spirits will provide locally sourced spirits, with hors d’oeuvres by Catering with Style. The Festive Spirits Party is made possible by the support of Kristen Coombs Financial Advisors, Fulton Bank, The Hartman Group, and Jodi and Al Pringle. Tickets to the party can be purchased by calling the Arts Festival office or by visiting arts-festival.com/festive-spirits-party.

The festival’s fine art exhibition, Images 2018, will hang in Schlow Centre Region Library’s Betsy Rodgers Allen Gallery, 211 S. Allen Street, during the month of July. Images 2018 is open to artists whose primary residence is in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The works in Images have been selected by juror Erin M. Coe, the Director of the Palmer Museum of Art.

The tenth annual BookFestPa will take place on Saturday, July 14 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m in the BookFest tent, located in the library’s parking lot. Caricature artist Seth Young will be on hand to draw your likeness and capture your personality on paper. This year more than twenty different authors will be meeting fans and signing books in the BookFest tent. For more information go to arts-festival.com/bookfest.

Named in honor of the many minor-league baseball teams that barnstorm the country, the AAA Blues Band continues that tradition, playing not for glory or wealth, but for the love of the game. Anchored by guitarist Andy Tolins’ mastery of the fretboard and deep vocals, Triple A has been slamming home runs with original and eclectic blues since 1991. The band will be joined on stage by special guest Wayne Werner. They will be performing Friday evening July 13 at 9:30 p.m. at the Allen Street Stage.

Experience Buster Keaton’s 1928 silent film hit, Steamboat Bill, Jr., accompanied by a virtual theatre organ, an instrument developed by accompanist Ben Model. The virtual theatre organ uses an assemblage of keyboards and digital technologies to bring movies by Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton to twenty-first century theatres. Ben Model performs in The State Theatre on Friday, July 13 at 8:30 p.m. CPFA Performance Button Required

Classical guitarist Colin Davin has emerged as one of today’s most dynamic young artists. He has performed at venues across the world, including the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, the Fridge Fringe in Dubai, and venues throughout the United States. He has even appeared as a featured musical guest on the Late Show with David Letterman alongside legendary soprano Jessye Norman. Come to the State College Presbyterian Church on Thursday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m. to hear what sets him apart. CPFA Performance Button Required

State College native Joe Machi did not always plan to enter comedy. After graduating from Penn State, Joe became a customer service manager for a supermarket. It wasn’t until after a stint as a human resources assistant that he decided to try his hand at standup comedy. In 2010, he won first place in the ‘Emerging Comics’ contest at the New York Underground Comedy Festival and was also named a finalist at the New York Comedy Festival’s NY’s Funniest Person Competition. He’s done standup on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and finished 4th on Season 8 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Machi will perform on Saturday, July 14 at 10:00 p.m. in the State Theatre, 130 W. College Avenue. A ticket is required for this performance.

Louise Page is a singer/songwriter based in Memphis, TN. Her raw vocals, intricate lyrics, and piano prowess create a genre bending musical experience. She is joined by percussion, horns, and strings to lend a full, modern chamber orchestra sound to her alternative, jazz, pop, and classical original songs. Catch Louise Page on Friday, July 13 at 3:30 p.m. at the Allen Street Stage.

Pure Cane Sugar’s “assemblage of masterful melodies and haunting harmonies” have been captivating audiences since the band’s debut in 2007. Known for its fusion of acoustic, roots rock, blues and country, the readers of State College Magazine selected Pure Cane Sugar as the “Best Local Band” in 2015 and 2016. Pure Cane Sugar will perform at Festival Shell Stage on Saturday, July 14 at 7:00 p.m.

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 selected indoor events. Buttons are available at each performance venue, at many locations on the Festival route, in downtown State College stores.

The Nittany Valley Running Club’s 42nd annual Sue Crowe Memorial Arts Festival Races will take place Sunday, July 15, starting at 8:15 a.m. The event comes in 5K & 10K distances. The Kids’ Fun Runs will start at 10:00 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 (CATA). The bus will stop in the Festival zone at the corner of College and Hiester, with a second stop at the corner of College Avenue and South Allen Street.

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.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has released its 2018 collectible poster. The 24” by 36” poster features elements familiar to any festival goer; musical notes, a paintbrush, and the Festival jester. They are arranged over a background of yellows, oranges, and pinks. This year’s poster is notable since for the first time in history, the Festival jester is depicted as a woman.

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

-Downtown State College Improvement District
127 S. Fraser Street, State College

-State College Framing Company and Gallery
160 Rolling Ridge Drive, 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 2018 festival was designed by emeritus Professor of Graphic Design at Penn State, Lanny Sommese, in collaboration with his daughter, Saige, a 2018 graduate of Penn State’s graphic design program. For over 20 years, the elder Sommese has designed the colorful posters for the Arts Festival. 

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 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 2018 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be from July 11 through July 15 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 11 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 22, 2018. 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 22, 2016.

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

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 Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale is sponsored by the Penn State Federal Credit Union.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has issued the Call for Entries for its juried gallery exhibition, Images 2018. Images 2018 will hang in in the Betsy Rodgers Allen Gallery and Downsbrough Room of the Schlow 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 works in Images 2018 will be selected by juror Erin M. Coe.

Ms. Coe is the new Director of Penn State’s Palmer Museum of Art where she started on September 11. She is the former Director of The Hyde Collection, an accredited art museum and historic house in Glens Falls, New York. As Director of The Hyde, Erin focused on her vision of improving the Museum’s accessibility, community engagement, and visitor experience.

Images 2018 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. The application deadline is
May 4, 2018.

Artists will be eligible for at least $1,500 in prizes awarded by Ms. Coe. There will be awards for best pastel, best drawing, and best student submission.

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

The fifty-second Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be from July 11 through July 15 on the streets of State College and on the adjacent campus of Penn State. Children and Youth Day is July 11, and the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition opens on July 12 and continues through July 15.

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 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. The Festival has hung banners over South Allen Street since the first Festival in 1967, adding color and movement to the festive atmosphere.

Both individuals and groups may submit entries, which will hang between 15 and 20 feet over the street. The design must be visible from both sides of the banner (identical or different). All components of the banner design and construction must be securely attached, or the banner will not be displayed. Banners with religious, partisan, or commercial messages will not be accepted. The Festival encourages banners that Banners commemorate community organizations.

The members of the banner jury will be announced at a later date. The jurors will award prizes in three categories: professional, general, and youth.

Banners entered in the competition must be delivered to the office of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts by 5:00 p.m., June 22, 2018. Banner Competition winners will be announced Saturday, July 14, 2018 at the Sidewalk Sale Awards Ceremony, at 9:00 a.m. on the Allen Street Stage.

More information may be found online at www.arts-festival.com/banners.

The fifty-second Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be from July 11 through July 15 on the streets of State College and on the adjacent campus of Penn State. Children and Youth Day is July 11, and the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition opens on July 12 and continues through July 15.

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 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has issued the Call for Entries for The Art of Protest, a juried exhibition presented in conjunction with Schlow Centre Region Library and the one book, one community program, Centre County Reads. The exhibition, which will hang in the library’s Betsy Rodgers Allen Gallery during March 2018, is open to artists living in Centre County.

This year’s Centre County Reads selection, The Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist, was written by State College native Sunil Yapa. The bestselling novel is set amid the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle.

Work entered in the exhibition should attempt to persuade the viewer to take action in favor of a particular cause, such as peace, the environment, civil rights, freedom of speech or religion.

The deadline to apply is January 26, 2018. Complete rules are listed in the call for entries, available here: https://arts-festival.com/the-art-of-protest

The show’s juror will be Martha Carothers, Professor of Art & Design at the University of Delaware where she teaches visual communications and book arts.

“Artists are typically readers, so this project makes a lot of sense for us,” noted the Festival’s executive director, Rick Bryant. “Like the written word, a visual image can provide a visceral way to communicate dissatisfaction with the status quo.”

Maria Burchill, head of adult services at Schlow Centre Region Library commented, “Centre County Reads always includes a writing contest, but a juried art exhibition is something new. We’re excited to partner with the Festival on a juried exhibition for Centre County artists. We want to highlight a creative aspect of civil disobedience that is powerful and, when done well, sparks thoughtful conversations.”

Officials and sponsors of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts presented $17,000 in prizes for its 2017 Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, on Saturday July 15, 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 Steve Watson, Board President of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.

Jeweler Wayne Werner of Havre de Grace, MD received the Arete Best of Show Award. The award was presented by former Festival board president Linda Gall to Mr. Werner. 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 photographer Patricia Wilder of Victor, NY.

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

Other exhibitors receiving Awards of Excellence were:
Phill Singer, New Britain, PA (Painting)
Joe Engel, Staunton, VA (Mixed Media 2D)
James Hoggard, Freedonia, NY (Photography)

The following exhibitors received Awards of Distinction, worth $700:
Samantha Skelton, Pittsburgh, PA (Jewelry)
Shawn Thomas, Belton, TX (Leather)
John Furches, Elkin, NC (Printmaking)
Brad Smith, Worcester, PA (Wood)

Receiving Awards of Merit, worth $500 were:
Gina Kostanda-Lambert, Ft. Myers, FL , John McCarthy Award of Merit in Wearable Fiber in Memory of Sharon McCarthy
Eli Helman, Easthampton, MA (Drawing), Barash Media Award of Merit
Kate Harrold, Nashville, TN (Photography), Shuey Family Award of Merit in memory of Naomi Shuey
Marie-Helene Grabman, Fort Mill, SC (Paper), Bob & Ginny Mountz Award of Merit
Samuel Yao, Ann Arbor, MI (Basketry), McLanahan’s Market Award of Merit
Wes Glebe and Christine Bailey, State College, PA (Jewelry), Duff Family Award of Merit
Christy Knox, Cummington, MA (Ceramic), Aaron T. Roan, DMD & Associates Award of Merit
Mea Rhee, Silver Spring, MD (Ceramic), Anne Layng Award of Merit
Olga Mihaylova, Pittsburgh, PA (Jewelry), Rapid Transit Sports Award of Merit
Jera Lodge, Philadelphia, PA (Jewelry), Connections Clothing Award of Merit
Allan Fausnaught, Landenberg, PA (Musical Instruments), Towne Centre One Award of Merit
Chris Cumbie, Mobile, AL (Mixed Media).

The Frost & Conn, Inc. Booth of Distinction Award was presented to the Penn State Student Booth. The booth displayed ceramic works made by graduate students in Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture. This award is carries a $250 prize.

The jurors for this year’s event were Patricia Bellan-Gillen, Burgettstown, PA; Jim Bové, Pittsburgh, PA; Naomi Cleary, Philadelphia, PA; Jay Gould, Baltimore, MD; Sue Reno, Columbia, PA.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts announced the award winners in its 2017 Banner Competition at its annual award ceremony on the Festival’s Allen Street stage on Saturday, July 15 at 9:00 a.m.

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

In the professional class, Joanie Eyster of State College took first place for her acrylic paint work, Jester Eclipse. Marty Edmunds of Boalsburg took the second spot for her polyester fabric applique banner, The Jester Sews his 2017 Banner. Melissa Steingrabe of State College took third prize for her banner Next Mile of Summer Breeze.

In the general class, Carrie Reede of State College made the winning banner, Festival of Flowers. Amy Moore’s Love Bus received second place, and Nicolette Kampf of Southampton earned an honorable mention for her banner, Nautical Nittany.

In the youth class, first place was won by Melica Kemanian-Leites of State College for Lollipop Land while Deana Washell’s 3rd grade class at Easterly Parkway Elementary School earned second prize for its banner, Easterly Parkway.

This year’s banner judges were Diane Bloom of Gatesburg and Laura Robinson of State College. The event is chaired by Lisa Zander-Campbell of Centre Hall.

The banner exhibition is sponsored by FirstEnergy Foundation and the banner awards are sponsored by the First National Bank.

Juror Laura Robinson commented, “I love judging the banners at the Festival. The creativity, design, and skill displayed is so wonderful to see. The banners are one of my favorite parts of the Festival. No one else has anything like them.”

The Banner Competition is one of the signature events of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Both individuals and groups may submit entries. The Festival hangs this year’s banners and those from its collection over South Allen Street, adding color and movement to the festive atmosphere.

This year, in addition to the banners hanging over South Allen Street, the Festival hung banners in the State College Municipal Building and in the HUB/Robeson Center on Penn State’s campus.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts announced the prize winners in Images 2017, the Festival’s annual juried gallery exhibition of fine art. The award decisions were made by the show’s juror, Kathryn E. Blake, Director of the Juniata College Museum of Art.

The Best in Show was awarded to Gloria Plosky-Scaltz of State College, PA for her mixed media piece, Begetter. The award is worth $400 and was sponsored by the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania.

“With such a wonderful array of styles and media, it’s challenging to attach superlatives to only a few pieces. Artworks can appeal for many different reasons and be just what we need at the time,” said Kathryn Blake, this year’s juror.

“The works I chose to single out combine technical skill in the medium with a unique perspective and a frankly difficult-to-define ‘something’ that kept bringing me back to look again and again. As a museum professional, I have to balance dispassionate assessment and personal preference all the time. I can’t deny that prior experience, perceived connections, and sheer joy play a part in what I gravitate to.”

Forty-two pieces were chosen by Blake from the 265 pieces submitted by 94 artists from across Pennsylvania.
The William D. Davis Award in Drawing was awarded to local high school student Drew Spielvogel of State College, PA for his charcoal drawing, Vapor. The Davis Award includes a $300 honorarium from the Sturtz-Davis Family in William’s memory.

The Central Pennsylvania Pastel Society sponsored an award for Best Pastel to draw more attention to the pastel medium. The Best Pastel Award was presented to Jeanne McKinney for her pastel, Long Lane Vista, along with a $200 honorarium.

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

The Carnegie and The Cathedral
Lisa Cirincione, State College, PA

Old Bedford Village
Heather Davis, East Fallowfield, PA

Denver Airport
Janice Heverly, Howard, PA

Driftwood Beach 1
Thomas Norulak, Pittsburgh, PA

This year the Schlow Library Foundation added a new award for the Best Student Submission. Enrolled students aged 16 – 26 were eligible for this award. Morgan Weissbach received this honor for her drawing, When Worlds Collide, along with a $100 prize.

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 2017 will hang in the Betsy Rodgers Allen Gallery and Downsbrough Room of the Schlow Centre Region Library during the month of July.

The 51st annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts™ will take place Wednesday, July 12 through Sunday, July 16 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 approximately 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 2017 Arts Festival commences with Children and Youth Day on Wednesday, July 12, 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 on two stages thanks to local student ensembles and performing arts schools. However, for some, the highlight of the day will come at 4:00 p.m. with the 2017 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 12 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 come together to make some joyful noise.

On Thursday, July 13, 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 15, at the Allen Street Stage.

The Festival presents entertainers of local, regional, and national reputation on three outdoor stages as well as at four indoor venues from Thursday, July 13 through Sunday, July 16. Entertainers of note include singer/songwriter David Myles, chambergrass standouts, Harpeth Rising; Penn State’s NU Musical Theatre festival; and old favorites, Hughes, Kidder, and Rounds. Details of these performances and more can be found at arts-festival.com/performances.

The 2017 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.

The festival’s fine art exhibition, Images 2017, will hang in Schlow Centre Region Library’s Betsy Rodgers Allen Gallery, 211 S. Allen Street, during the month of July. Images 2017 is open to artists whose primary residence is in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The works in Images have been selected by juror Kathryn Blake, the Director of the Juniata College Museum of Art.

The eighth annual BookFestPa will take place on Saturday, July 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m in the BookFest tent, located in the library’s parking lot. The theme of this year’s Bookfest is genre fiction. This year’s featured authors include Maureen Baggett, Robert Hack, Jim Rugg, and Jodi Moore. There will be additional authors in the BookFest tent. For more information go to bookfestpa.org.

The Nittany Valley Running Club’s 42nd annual Sue Crowe Memorial Arts Festival Races will take place Sunday, July 16, 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 (CATA). The bus will take you to the heart of the Festival zone.

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.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has released its 2017 collectable poster.

The 24” by 36” inch poster features the Festival’s Jester standing shoulder to shoulder in a stylized Central Pennsylvania landscape with the tower of Penn State’s Old Main in the background. A happy and radiant sunrise presides over the whole scene.

This year’s poster is made possible by the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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

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

-Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts
403 S. Allen Street, Suite 205A, 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 2017 Festival poster 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.

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.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts elected new officers and members of the board of directors at its annual meeting on October 18, 2016.

The new officers are: Steve Watson, board president; Amy Caputo, vice-president; Bob Hicks, treasurer, and Diana Malcom, secretary.

Steve Watson is the director of 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 pastor of the Upper Spruce Creek Presbyterian Church and the CEO of Persea Naturals LLC; Diana Malcom is the associate in ministry for college age ministry at State College Presbyterian Church.

The following individuals were elected to three year terms on the Board: Renata S. Engel, associate vice provost for Online Programs at Penn State; Jean Galliano, senior vice president, Fulton Bank; and Steve Sampsell, director of strategic communications for the College of Communications 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 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.

2017 First Night State College will take place from December 31, 2016. The 51st Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be from July 12 through July 16, 2017. Children’s Day will be July 12 and the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition will open on Wednesday, July 13 and continue through Sunday, July 17.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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 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.

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