Penn State Altoona presents work by Blair County artists

Tuesday, May 1, 2012 - 1095 hits

ALTOONA — An exhibition of work by Blair County artists Barbara Hollander and Sandra Halpern will be featured in the galleries of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts June 21 - August 3, 2012. A reception will be held from 5 p.m. -7 p.m., Thursday, June 21 in the Titelman Study of the Center.

Hollander completed her BA degree at Monmouth University, NJ, and went on to earn her teaching certification in art education. She previously worked as the education coordinator for the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art (SAMA) and is currently the SAMA Altoona Site Coordinator. Receiving both personal and professional awards in 2011, Hollander is a recipient of the WISE Women of Blair County, and she represented SAMA for the Presidential Award-Allegheny Mountain Convention and Visitors Bureau and as an inductee to the Blair County Arts Hall of Fame. Her work has been exhibited locally, and can be found in several private collections in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania. Speaking on her artwork, Hollander states, “Art allows me the opportunity to create my own personal kaleidoscope of color, shape and texture within the parameters I choose. I view the whole of nature as my subject and am consistently baffled as to how to interpret G-d’s work. I want my art to proclaim the vibrancy with which I embrace life, which has deepened as I continue in this human journey.”

Halpern began painting with private studios as a teen. She holds a degree in art from Stephens College in Columbia, MO, and completed graduate study at The Art Institute of Atlanta in Georgia. Her early career in portrait photography was coupled with study in Memphis under the tutelage of master photographer Sonny Hataway. She launched a studio career in Dallas and relocated to central Pennsylvania in the 1990s. Her move to the area “awakened a new appreciation in her photography, reflecting the surrounding natural beauty and focusing on the world of botanicals.” In 2007, she exhibited her photography of the region at the SAMA in a group exhibition titled Four Lenses-Four Views: Gary Baranec, Sandra Halpern, Steve Root, and Bernard Schilling. Halpern recently stated, “The essential things in life are seen not with the eyes, but with the heart. Personally, as a professional photographer, I find myself continually asking the question - What is it that I strive to capture and convey through my photography? Beauty, warmth, color, joy, perspective - all in a particular moment in time!”

The galleries are open Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and before and during all performances. For further information, call the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts at 814-949-5452.