State Museum of Pennsylvania Announces Finalists for Annual Art of the State Exhibition, Awards Set for June 16

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Finalists have been announced for the "Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2012," an exhibition showcasing the talent, creativity and diversity of Pennsylvania's established and emerging artists.

It opens to the public on Sunday, June 17, at The State Museum of Pennsylvania.

The 45th annual exhibit runs through Sept. 9 and includes 129 works of art by 115 artists from 30 counties. This year's exhibit received 1,836 entries from 680 artists.

First-, second- and third-place honors are awarded in painting, photography, sculpture, craft and works on paper. Cash awards for each category are $500 for first place, $300 for second and $200 for third. In addition, the William D. Davis Memorial Award for Drawing, the Rose Roy Memorial Award and The State Museum of Pennsylvania Purchase Award are selected.

Prizes will be awarded at a special Artists' Reception to be held Saturday, June 16 at The State Museum. The winners will be announced via Twitter @PHMC at 7 p.m., immediately following the awards ceremony.

The exhibit is co-sponsored by The State Museum and The Greater Harrisburg Arts Council, which present more than $7,000 in cash awards to the winners.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg, is one of 25 historic sites and museums administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History®. The State Museum offers expansive collections interpreting Pennsylvania's fascinating heritage. With exhibits examining the dawn of geologic time, the Native American experience, the colonial and revolutionary eras, a pivotal Civil War battleground, and the Commonwealth's vast industrial age, The State Museum demonstrates that Pennsylvania's story is America's story.

Museum hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for children and senior citizens.

Media contact: Howard Pollman 717-705-8639

Editor's Note: The artists selected to exhibit at the 2012 Art of the State competition are listed by county:

Adams       
Jessica Paholsky

Allegheny 
Kirby Kreiger
Patrick Lee
Czsuzsi Matolcsy
Wesley Smith

Bedford
George Radeschi

Berks         
Franklin Fretz

Blair           
Dave Hammaker

Bucks        
Paula Everitt
John Mathews
Mark Pettegrow
Robert Small

Cambria    
Kathleen Kase-Burk

Centre       
Diane Paroda
Stephen Tuttle
Mary Vollero

Chester     
Barbara Grant
William Hill
Mary Kane

Cumberland                 
Kim Banister
Geoff Crego
Howard Eberle
Deborah Feller
Daniel Finch
Guy Freeman
Erica Gersic
John Hassler
Robert Hirschhorn
R. Andrew Hoff
Patricia Lambert Marshall
Julie Ober
Catherine Prescott
Heather Shelley
Donald Uvick
Bob Willis
Erma Martin Yost

Dauphin    
Joel Anderson
Jeff Bye
Joanne Finkle
Ted Walke

Delaware  
Toni Kersey
Jason Rowles
Peter Smyth
Dganit Zauberman

Erie            
Jamie Borowicz
Karen Ernst
Sarah Everett
Tom Hubert

Fayette
David DiPietro

Lackawanna
William Maile
Michelle Montes
Harold Zabady

Lancaster  
Denny Bond
Carol Galligan
P B Hewitt
Richard Kent
Shalya Marsh
Jana Millstone
Amedeo Salamoni
Mimi Shapiro
Ellen Slupe
Annie Strickler
Janette Toth

Lawrence
Rabecca Signoriello

Lebanon
Eva Stina Bender
Ralph Hlavacek                        

Lehigh                
Barry Assed
Gini Illick
Nathan Marzen

Luzerne     
Ed Jones
Brien Keller

Lycoming  
Stephen Ruch

Montgomery       
David Moyer
G. Heinze Moyer
Laszlo Bagi
Jorj Bauer
Jupi Das
Karen Freedman
Linda Dubin Garfield
Lorraine Glessner
Mike Hale
Patricia Shaw Lima
Justin Snow
Bill Strouse
Anthony Tammoro

Northampton     
Andrea Rincon
Bruce Ward

Perry         
Erin Sparler

Philadelphia       
Jena Campbell
Peter Cunicelli
Robin Frey
Paul Hamanaka
Linda Johnson
Emilie Keim
Nancy Middlebrook
Mimi Oritsky
Carolyn Pyform
Laura Ramos
Robert Solomon
Sabina Tichindeleanu
Jason Ward
Russell Williams

Schuykill   
Audrey Bordonaro

Union
Elizabeth James Fickes

Washington
Peter West

Westmoreland   
Ronald Nigro

York           
Jim Crowley
Jonathan Frazier
Michele Gototweski
Robert Hartson
Richard Chandler Hoff
Penelope Hornock
Stephen March
Jo Margolis
Carol Oldenburg

SOURCE Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission