DALLAS, Pa. — Jonathan Pineno, assistant teaching professor of music and art and director of the Friedman Art Gallery at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, has announced a new exhibit in the Friedman Art Gallery, entitled “Artistic Gems of the Past.” Opening May 1, the exhibit will showcase artwork created by current and former Penn State Wilkes-Barre students, including several standout pieces created more than 25 years ago.
Current student artwork on display was made in two courses taught by Pineno. In the Art History 112: Renaissance through Modern Times course, students learned modern art and painting techniques. The class members discussed environmental art and used recycled materials to create art. Using recycled hubcaps, plastic bottle caps, recycled cardboard, paint and glue, class members prepared their own unique CAPS (Creative Art Project for Students).
Students in Integrative Arts 001: Perceiving the Arts, also taught by Pineno, incorporated techniques from paintings by well-known professional artist Bob Ross to create their own interpretations of Ross’ paintings while following the artist's instructions.
Other pieces featured in the exhibit were found on campus by the gallery’s curators. Some of the artwork is from the 1990s and was created in the Art 20: Introduction to Drawing and Art 40: Introduction to Printmaking and Mixed Media courses, though it cannot be attributed to the original student artists.
The campus community and the public are invited to visit the gallery weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to view the exhibit and — if they know previous students who took art classes at Penn State Wilkes-Barre — help identify who created the unattributed works.
“Artistic Gems from the Past” runs through Aug. 31.
The Friedman Art Gallery, a gift from Sidney and Pauline Friedman, regularly displays the works of students, local artists and private art collections. The gallery strives to promote, encourage and exhibit artwork by professional and amateur artists from Penn State Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding communities.