Gallery Reception: VAST students Grace Brown and Richard Mitchell

Penn State Altoona will host a gallery reception for Visual Art Studies (VAST) students Grace Brown and Richard Mitchell from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, in the Titelman Study of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts. Brown's exhibit "What Once Was" will be displayed in the Sheetz Gallery, and Mitchell's "Blood is Thicker Than Water" will be displayed in the McLanahan Gallery from April 16 through 24.

The galleries are open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public. For further information, call the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts at 814-949-5452.

"What Once Was" by Grace Brown

Grace Brown is a visual artist who primarily works in multimedia. She combines oil pastels, watercolor, gouache and charcoal to create her own visual language. Her artwork is rooted in elements of her personal life, nature and the interconnectedness of things around her. She intends to graduate from Penn State Altoona in May with a BA in visual art studies. She was the recipient of the Zoller Art Award in 2023 and the Fine Art Award in 2025. She has been featured in the “Hard Freight” literary arts magazine and several group art exhibitions. She was raised in Altoona and plans to remain local while continuing to pursue a career in the arts.

Brown’s work is rooted in nostalgia and the longing for moments shaped by her childhood memories, relationships and familiar places. She reflects on personal experiences of change, capturing the emotional space between comfort and loss. She states, “My work welcomes viewers to reflect on the universal sense of longing for the past, and to connect my memories with their own.”

"Blood is Thicker Than Water" by Richard Mitchell

Richard Mitchell is a visual artist, athlete and entrepreneur. He intends to graduate in May with a BA in visual art studies. After graduating, he plans to continue to merge his interest in artmaking and entrepreneurship to grow his creative business.

Mitchell’s body of work is rooted in family, memory and the emotions that shape who he has become. Through personal memories, he portrays moments from his life in a dream-like state, where images feel familiar yet distant, much like memories themselves. He states, “While these works come from my own memories, they are more than just personal stories. They are a gate to my inner world, shaped by the family and experiences that continue to influence who I am.”