A wide variety of wonderful works that encompassed a myriad of themes and styles lined the walls of the primary area of The Pocono Arts Council’s gallery as they presented their annual Members’ Exhibition on Saturday, May 7th. Conversations abound with exciting utterances tempered with thoughtful reflections that many displayed pieces inspired. A quietness soon touched the sizable gathering as welcoming words were shared by The Pocono Arts Council’s Executive Director, Susan Randall, and the distribution of the prizes began.
Honorable Mentions were presented to Emily McAllister for her work in oils titled “Lamplight” and Sofia Aptosoglou for her work in acrylics titled “Life Interactions.” The 3rd Place Awards went to Caren Jo Shapiro for her work in oils titled “Rapist Reign Supreme,” Hector Soto for his work in acrylics titled “Hermotions,” Sean Turrell for his 3D Work titled “Your Expulsion is All Over You.” and Alicia Rennekam for her Digital Words titled “Fell Crow.”
The Second Place Awards went to Jason Williamson for his work in Oils titled “Geometric Flow,” Lauryn de Leeuw for her work in Acrylics titled “A Bird in the Hand,” Joyce Love for her work in Watercolor titled “Kitten in Blossoming Tree,” Iraina Caramelli for her work in Mixed Media titled, “Renewal,” Conrad Richebacher for his 3D Work titled, “You Are What You Eat,” Thomas Ando for his photographic work titled, “Shadow and Light,” Jack Swersie for his Digital Work titled, “Out of This World Art Show,” and Terry Kloiber for his Fine Craft piece titled, “Turkey Feathers.”
The 1st Place Awards went to Lenore Fiore-Mills for her Fine Craft piece titled “Very Cherry,” Alex Smith for his Digital Work titled “Celestial Scene,” Robert Espier for his Photographic word titled “Belmont Park Quartet #3,” Christie Lee for her Works on Paper piece titled, “Peace For Us, Earth,” Maddy Smith for her 3D Work titled, “User Friendly Human Disassembler 2000,” Laura Gonzalez for her Mixed Media piece titled, “Traditional Ukrainian Headdress, ”Alice Prall for her Watercolor work titled, “Lily White,” and Leslie McAllister for her Acrylic work titled, “Self-Portrait with Palette.” John McAllister received the 1st Place Award as well as the Best of Show Award for his piece in oils titled “Masquerade.” Judges for the event were Santa Bannon, Michelle Christopher, and Thomas Schillea. A great deal of well-deserved congratulatory applause and encouraging words were shared during the ceremony, making the day brighter for all who were present.
The Pocono Arts Council was founded in 1975 as the Monroe County Arts Council and is the oldest and most established local arts service organization in the Pocono region of northeastern Pennsylvania. It serves artists and arts organizations in all disciplines as well as the resident and tourist populations of the area. The Pocono Arts Council’s Community Arts Gallery is located at 727 Main Street in Stroudsburg, PA. The venue’s Myra Kyle Gallery I and Myra Kyle II Galleries are available to rent. The Artists’ Reception for the Annual Members’ Exhibition, along with the shows featuring the works of Jack Swersie in their The Myra Kyle Gallery I and Dora Pieren in their The Myra Kyle Gallery II, were part of the First Saturday Art Walk of 2022. The season occurs on the first Saturday of every month from April to October in galleries throughout the borough of Stroudsburg, PA. The exhibition will continue to be on display until May 31st.
Their next exhibition will be their Roots Exhibition, which will be on display at The Community Arts Main Gallery along with the work of Angela Wanyandeh/Kitu Kizuri Gallery in their The Myra Kyle Gallery I. The Artists’ Receptions will be held on Saturday, June 4th, and will continue to be on display until June 28th. The drop-off date for those who wish to be a part of the exhibition is May 31st from 1 to 5 pm. All artists who are members of the Pocono Arts Council are welcome to participate. You can learn more information about The Pocono Arts Council, how to participate in its exhibition, and how to purchase the work they display in their Community Arts Gallery by visiting their website at www.poconoarts.org.
The exhibition presented at The Pocono Arts Council’s Community Gallery on Saturday, May 7th, was part of the Stroudsburg First Saturday Art Walk Series. The event (as indicated) takes place on the first Saturday of every month from April to October between 4 pm and 9 pm. Additional galleries are added or deleted according to their availability, and street events are occasionally adjoined to the event. You can learn more about future Art Walks in Stroudsburg and other art-related events and opportunities by visiting The Forwardian Community Arts Calendar at www.facebook.com/forwardiancommunityartscalendar.
Paul Adam Smeltz is the Facilitator of The Forwardian Arts Society. A fellowship for people who love the arts. Www.forwardianarts.org
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