The State Museum of Pennsylvania Announces Finalists for Annual "Art of the State" Exhibition, Awards Set for June 21

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Finalists have been announced for "Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2014," an exhibition showcasing the talent, creativity and diversity of Pennsylvania's established and emerging artists.

The 47th annual exhibit opens to the public on Sunday, June 22, at The State Museum of Pennsylvania. It runs through Sept. 14 and includes 122 works of art by 114 artists from 30 counties. This year's exhibit attracted 1,772 entries from 782 artists.

First, second and third-place honors are awarded in painting, photography, sculpture, craft and work 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 and The State Museum of Pennsylvania Purchase Award are selected.  The work selected for the purchase prize is bought by the State Museum and becomes part of the museum's permanent collection.

Prizes will be awarded at a special Artists' Reception to be held Saturday, June 21 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 Jump Street. Together the organizations present more than $6,500 in cash awards to the winners.

Jump Street is a Harrisburg-based non-profit organization dedicated to developing educational and economic opportunities with the arts for all age groups.

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.

For more information about the museum, visit www.statemuseumpa.org.

Media contact: Howard Pollman 717-705-8639

Editor's Note: Artists selected to exhibit at the 2014 "Art of the State" competition are listed by county:

Adams                
Carol Foerster
Joh Ricci

Allegheny            
Stacy Butera
Alan Byrne
Barbara Broff Goldman
Diane Grguras
Sandy Kessler Kaminski
Mike Korsak
Ceres Rangos

Berks                  
Sharon Merkel
Martha Ressler
Rebecca Rohrbach
Steve Scheuring

Blair           
Allen Capriotti

Bucks                  
Paula Everitt
David Hahn
Linda Hess Conklin
Wayne Hibschman
Amedeo Salamoni
Jas Szygiel
R. Michael Wommack

Cambria              
Kathleen Burk
Norman Ed

Centre                 
Pasquale Cortese
Matt Dallos
Cynthia Nixon
Jeanne Stevens-Sollman
Stephen Tuttle

Chester               
Neil Dreibelbis
Susan Schulz

Crawford             
Chuck Johnson

Cumberland                  
Linda Benzon
Steve Dolbin
Michael Munchel
Juliette Ober
Barbara Passeri-Warfel
Kim Stone
Theodore Van Pelt
Robert Willis
Leon Yost
Harold Zabady

Dauphin               
Joel Anderson
Evelyn Burton
Jim Caufield
Steve Perrault
Jeff Wiles

Delaware            
Booyoung Lee
Keith Sharp
Peter Smyth

Erie            
Karen Ernst
Passle Helminski
Tom Hubert

Fayette               
Bill Snyder

Franklin               
Jordan Grove
Philip Lindsey

Indiana               
Nathan Heuer

Lackawanna                 
Lori Ann Brunetti
Beverly Coleman
Mary Grace Yanashot

Lancaster            
Denny Bond
Scott Cantrell
Wendy Edsall-Kerwin
Paul Engleheart
Chuck Kaiser
Jennifer MacNeill
Dennis Maust
Harold Ross
Mimi Shapiro
Georgette L. Veeder

Lebanon              
Nancy Huerter

Lehigh                 
Barry Assed
Michael Brolly
James DePietro
Pouran Esrafily
Domenick Naccarato
Raymond Smicker

Lycoming            
Cathy Frey
Gretchen Moyer

Montgomery                 
Robert Arnosky
Terri Fridkin
Robert Hakun
Amy Kann
James Shott
John Singletary
Will Ursprung
Dganit Zauberman

Northampton                
Thomas Shillea

Philadelphia                  
Gregory Brellochs
Robert Darabos
Eleanor Day
Aaron Henry
Andrea Krupp
John Mitchell
Michael Pavol
Donna Quinn
Gerri Spilka

Schuylkill             
Valerie Perez
Lori Remmel
Robert Stickloon

Susquehanna               
John Meza

Union         
Gerardo Garduno

Washington                  
Susan Sparks

Westmoreland              
Patricia Kennedy-Zafred
Richard McWherter
Patricia Menick
Christopher Ruane

York           
Barbarba Banco
Glenn Blue
Todd Fry
Charles Hubbard
Stephen March
Catherine Prescott

SOURCE Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission