ABINGTON, Pa. — Works created by two Penn State Abington art faculty are debuting in exhibitions in Philadelphia this fall, one at the Philadelphia International Airport and the other at the National Liberty Museum in Old City.
"Resistance/Persistence (It Takes Us to Make You)", by Dawn Kramlich, lecturer in art and art history, was selected for the yearlong "Jawn 6: It’s A Philly Thing" exhibit, part of a nationally recognized, award-winning art initiative in the Philadelphia airport terminals. She developed the piece initially measuring 18 inches by 53 inches on panel, and then the exhibition managers used a high-tech scanner to enlarge it to 7 and a half feet by 22 feet.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for thousands and thousands of people to view my work, which they might not otherwise see,” Kramlich said.
Her art practice is centered on the poetry-painting connection, but also in the ways in which everyone's relationship with words has shifted with the internet.
“What happens when we translate ourselves through a screen and then add meme culture to the mix? I feel the need to dig into it and how culture has shifted over the last two decades. My generation is the only generation to grow up with and without the internet, so it’s imperative for those who have that experience to share it,” she said.
Kramlich, who never worked in visual art until she was an undergraduate, brings a unique mindset into the classroom at Abington.
“I’m a logophile, and my love for words helps me guide non-art majors in ways not everyone considers. My left brain connects with engineering majors, for example, and helps me bridge gaps that otherwise might exist. I make connections using ekphrasis so I can say something in different ways and connect with more and different learners. I think differently and consistently about what text and images signify, and it assists my ability to explain things to students,” she said.