The State Museum of Pennsylvania Announces Finalists for Annual "Art of the State" Exhibition, Awards Set for June 26

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 1, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Finalists have been announced for "Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2016," an exhibition showcasing the talent, creativity and diversity of Pennsylvania's established and emerging artists.

The 49th annual exhibit opens to the public on Sunday, June 26 at The State Museum of Pennsylvania with an awards ceremony at 1:00 PM and an opening reception immediately following. Admission to The State Museum will be free that day.

The exhibit runs through September 11 and includes 123 works of art by 117 artists from 34 counties. This year's exhibit attracted 1,778 entries from 775 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 presented.  The work selected for the purchase prize is bought by the State Museum and becomes part of the museum's permanent Fine Art collection.

Jurors for the exhibition include:

Painting and Work on Paper:
Kevin Wixted 
Professor of Drawing Painting 
Alfred University - School of Art & Design 
Alfred, New York  

Photography:
Marc Duke 
Fine Art Photographer 
Leesburg, Florida

Three-Dimensional Craft and Sculpture:
Beth Ann Gerstein 
Executive Director 
American Museum of Ceramic Art 
Pomona, California 

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 24 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, 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., and Sunday, noon to 5 P.M. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for senior citizens (ages 65 and up), and $4 for children (ages 1-11).

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 2016 "Art of the State" competition are listed by county:

Allegheny
Robert Bowden
Diane Grguras
Thomas Norulak
Jack Puglisi
Ceres Rangos
Silvija Singh   

Beaver
Elizabeth Asche Douglas

Berks             
Candace Kaucher
Sharon Merkel
Jay Ressler
Diane Turner

Blair               
Allen Capriotti
Dave Hammaker
Peter Frantz

Bucks            
Linda Fanning-Lefevre
Kirby Fredendall
Glenn Harren
Amedeo Salamoni
Mindy Trost

Cambria                    
Kathleen Kase Burk

Centre           
Karen A. Deutsch
Bill Seay
Evan West

Chester                     
Gregory Blue
Melanie Franz
Jocelyn Kolb-DeWitt
Jennifer Nilsen

Crawford                   
Malcolm Christhilf
Chuck Johnson

Cumberland              
Mark Allison
Matthew Bennett
Linda Benzon
Nicole Dube
Nellie Fulton
Brenton Good
Kathleen Lubold
Sean Matthews
James McNally
Michael Munchel
Eve Smith
Donald Uvick
Harold Zabady

Dauphin                    
Andrew Bale
Ted Book
Joe Cicak
Karen Commings
Candy Delaney
Jason Lyons
David Swartz
Deborah Williams

Delaware                   
Jennifer Baker
Laura Ducceschi
Melissa Husted-Sherman
Alicia Nock
Sienna Proetto

Erie                
Todd Steffy

Greene
James Winigar                       

Huntingdon
Jim Mikkelsen

Indiana
Kevin Turner

Lackawanna
Kristie Miller McMahon
Joseph Opshinsky
Rolfe Ross

Lancaster                  
Denny Bond
Bryan Fellenbaum
Jerome Hershey
Matthew Jones
Jennifer MacNeill
Gene Shaw
Dorothy Thayne

Lebanon                    
Lou Schellenberg

Lehigh                       
Richard Begbie
Luther Henninger
Ryan Jones

Luzerne
Curtis Salonick
Skip Sensbach

Monroe
James Gwynne
Joni Oye-Benintende

Montgomery             
Carol Albrecht
Robert Arnosky
Laszlo Bagi
Donna Douglass
Linda Dubin Garfield
Lisa Knight
Diane Lachman
Nancy Miller
Joan Radcliff Rosiak
Richard Ranck
Deborah Riccardi
Erin Sparler
Patricia Shaw Lima
Lois Schlachter
Joseph Sweeney

Northumberland                  
Brian Menkis

Perry
Anson Seeno

Philadelphia              
Constance Culpepper
Jerry Di Falco
Timothy Gierschick II
Mimi Oritsky
Donna Quinn

Schuylkill                  
Valerie Perez-Prosick
Robert Stickloon

Susquehanna
Mark Chuck

Union             
Rosalyn Richards

Warren
Thomas Paquette

Washington
Susan Sparks

Wayne           
Paul Plumadore
Ellen Silberlicht

Westmoreland
Patricia Kennedy-Zafred

York               
Frank Morgan
Marion Stephenson
Richard Chandler Hoff
Robert Hartson
Kathy T. Hettinga
Charles Hubbard
Gale Jamieson
Carol Oldenburg
Pam Wenger

SOURCE Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission