UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- A reception for the artists who collaborated on “The Unspoken” exhibit, is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18 in the Art Gallery at Penn State New Kensington. The reception and exhibit are free to the public.

"The Unspoken," which features artwork created by the pairing of eight artists using different mediums, is on display until Sept. 26. The exhibit features 45 works of Kyle Ethan Fischer, Joshua Hogan, Kuzana Ogg, Jennipher Satterly, Nicole Schneider, Romi Sloboda, Brenda Stumpf and Shawn Watrous, instructor in art at the New Kensington campus.

According to Nicole Capozzi, owner and director of BoxHeart Gallery in Pittsburgh and curator of the exhibit, the artists are communicating visually with “stories, not statistics” and “people, not programs.” The humanity aspect of the show dovetails with Penn State’s mission of service to the community.

“This human focus reflects the culture that Penn State New Kensington manifests within its community,” Capozzi said. “We are excited to present a coherent concept of artwork with a look and feel that reflects the embracing personality, the innovative spirit, and the mission of the campus."

The pieces on display are collaborative efforts by two artists. Artwork started by one artist was finished by another. Individually, the artists told their stories through a variety of visual styles, experiences and expressions. As a pair, the artists’ stories evolved and were open to new interpretations. The artists created hybrid pieces that give audiences a new way of looking at familiar objects.

The first artist defined the media, which is the material used for the piece and technique used by the artist, and constructed an original piece that showcased the artist’s creative processes. The second artist took control of the artwork–in-progress and continued the visual dialogue by implementing local experiences that added new meaning to the piece. The finished product is a different version of the same story.

“Each work of art expresses the artists’ subject in the context of their values, culture and events specific to their lives,” Capozzi said. “The resulting artwork is a stunning and fascinating display of form, color, texture and composition, processed as another form of language with its own vocabulary, grammar and syntax.”

The artists previously exhibited “The Unspoken” at Capozzi’s BoxHeart Gallery in April and May. The campus art gallery is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 5 p.m. on weekends.

“We relish the opportunity to present a visual message of modernity, simplicity and sophistication while focusing on the artists and the stories they tell,” Capozzi said.

For more information, call Tina Sluss at 724-34-6056.

For photos of the exhibit, visit psnk.smugmug.com/.