The West Campus Art Gallery at Montgomery County Community College, 16 High Street in Pottstown, is pleased exhibit the Schuylkill River Heritage Area’s (SRHA) "Scenes of the Schuylkill." The exhibit will be on display Oct. 23, with special gallery hours on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in conjunction with the Schuylkill River Festival. The exhibit is free of charge and is open to the public. For information, contact Gallery Director Holly Cairns.
"Scenes of the Schuylkill" features 62 original works depicting scenes from the five-county Heritage Area (Schuylkill, Berks, Montgomery, Chester and Philadelphia). This is the fourth year that the SRHA has sponsored the exhibit in an effort to draw attention to the beauty of the Heritage Area and to stimulate an interest in and awareness of the talents of regional artists. The works all communicate the distinctive nature of the region, and are of various mediums, including paintings, drawings and photographs. Pottsgrove Manor, Hopewell National Historic Site, Daniel Boone Homestead and the Manayunk Canal are among the many places depicted by the artists.
The juror for this year’s show is well-known artist Julie Longacre, of Bally, who describes being "impressed by the variety of mediums represented in the exhibit, as well as the sense of imagination evident in many of the works." Longacre selected three winning entries, and also presented her own award to a fourth artist for a notable work. Artist Bob Hakun, of Royersford, took first place for his oil entitled "The Return of the Shad," a detailed, whimsical painting of a suitcase-toting fish beneath the waters of the Schuylkill. Second place went to Lori Quinque-Quinn, of Perkiomenville, for her watercolor, "Dedication Day of the Perkiomen Trail," and third place went to artist LA Mestishen, of Pottsville, for her pastel "Raccoon Rock." Earning a special award from Longacre was photographer Kevin Bennett, of Philadelphia, for his "Early Morning on the River."
All works are available for sale, and a portion of the proceeds benefits the SRHA. SRHA is a non-profit organization that uses conservation, education, recreation, tourism, and cultural and historic preservation as tools for community revitalization and economic development. For more information, visit SRHA's website.
