UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Friends of the Palmer Museum of Art will host their annual Holiday Art and Ornament Sale fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 5, at the Palmer Museum of Art. Local artists will be offering ornaments and other works of art for sale throughout the museum’s galleries and lobby. The Friends, the museum’s membership organization, have worked together with these artists and several local businesses to create this event to raise funds to support more than 100 annual education programs and events at the museum, which are offered to all visitors, admission-free.
Caryl Strauss has been selected as this year’s featured artist and was commissioned to create the 2015 signature ornament, which was created by upcycling burned-out lightbulbs and painting each one by hand.
“I am not only recycling, but preserving a bit of our daily culture in these incandescent lightbulbs that will soon be vintage,” Strauss said. “This year’s original ornament design features a concentric circle pattern, done in a variety of color combinations, and each one has the Palmer Museum of Art’s logo hand drawn near the top.”
In addition to rescuing lightbulbs before becoming trash, she creates other unique works of art from items that once lived as windows, shutters, furniture, jeans, sweaters, bowls, tools and T-shirts.
"Rather than adding to landfills, I apply some elbow grease and creativity to make new one-of-a-kind pieces," she said.
Other artists participating in this year’s sale include Kimberly Brooks Filkins, Elli Groninger, Sue Harter, James Hayes, Laurie Jager, Kat Oliva, Deb Parsons, Michele Randall and the State College Weavers Guild. There will be a variety of art and ornaments for sale including the mediums glass, beads, clay, fiber and metal. The Friends Board of Directors have sponsored a tree again this year that will feature limited editions of commissioned ornaments from the past.
A Friends’ one-year gift membership also will be available to purchase. The individual level begins at $35 and provides benefits such as an invitation to the members-only Holiday Art and Ornament Preview Sale preview reception, as well as invitations to other members-only events throughout the year and a 10 percent discount at the museum store, excluding consignment items.
The Friends partnered with the following local businesses that have helped to shape this year’s event through sponsorships: The HoneyBaked Ham Co. and Café; Shute & Coombs Financial Advisors; the 2015–16 Friends of the Palmer Museum of Art Board of Directors; Drucker Diagnostics; Harrison’s Wine Grill & Catering; and Avant Garden.
The Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State is located on Curtin Road and admission is free. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays and some holidays. Reduced hours: Saturday, Nov. 21 through Sunday, Nov. 29, noon to 4 p.m.; and Tuesday, Jan. 5 through Sunday, Jan. 10, noon to 4 p.m. The museum is closed Thursday, Nov. 26; Friday, Nov. 27; and Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015, through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016.