2023 EXHIBITS
"Cash & Carry X" has more than 530 pieces by close to 250 artists. The artists, almost 250 of them, come from eight central-Pennsylvania counties and range from preschool children up to 70somethings. They painted, drew, photographed, cut, glued, built, and otherwise enhanced the 1/2-inch thick MDF panels that we gave away.
The large pieces in the show -- 8-inch squares, 7-by-9-inch rectangles, and 9-inch triangles -- each sell for $30, with the artist receiving $24; the small ones, in various sizes approximating 3-1/2 inches square to 4 inches by 6 (and including the ornaments that artists made out of recycled tin and aluminum cans), will each sell for $10, with the artist receiving $8. (Any artist wishing to donate all of the proceeds to The Exchange may certainly do so.)
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Sales begin during Downtown Bloomsburg's "Coming Home For Christmas" event on Friday, December 1st. At 10 a.m. on that day, we start handing out numbers, and at 6 p.m. the person with number 1 gets to choose ONE piece; if she wants a second piece, she must take another number and go to the back of the line. Same with number 2, number 3, etc.
We keep it fair and fun until the rush ends, and then we open it up to as many pieces as each customer wants. And when you pay for your piece(s), you may take it/them home -- thus the "carry" party of the show's name. (We do take checks and cards, but we just like the way that "Cash & Carry" sounds.)
"Food For Thought"
Show runs Monday, October 16th, through Friday, November 17th
Reception 5-8 p.m. on Friday, November 3rd, alongside downtown Bloomsburg's First Friday
“Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.” – Voltaire
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As one of our basic life needs, food has been a popular subject matter throughout modern art and art history. Depictions of food can be found in Italian Renaissance paintings, on Roman mosaics, and inside the Egyptian pyramids. Food is the cornerstone of holidays, celebrations, and the Bloomsburg Fair! Everything from fruits and vegetables to delectable desserts, elegant cuisine to greasy diner platters – we love it all, and we want to see it all! The Exchange invited artists to submit artwork on the delicious theme of food.
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As always, we accepted all media in every size up to that of our front door, and we encouraged artists of all ages and levels of experience. We did ask them to not make art out of food unless they could GUARANTEE that it would not go bad and/or attract flies during the length of the show.
The show consists of more than 100 pieces by more than 45 artists from eight central-Pennsylvania counties plus Vienna, Austria. About 3/4ths of the show hangs at the Exchange Gallery, with the balance at Rohrbach's Farm, 240 Southern Drive, Catawissa.
The Exchange and Rohrbach's ask artists and show-goers to donate non-perishable food items during the duration of this exhibition. At the end of the show, we will bring your donations to the Bloomsburg Food Cupboard.
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​Image by Jack Simonds
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#XMarksTheArts #FoodForThought #YouArtWhatYouEat #YouAreWhatYouArt
The Susquehanna Women’s Imaging Society presents "Primary Colors"
Show runs Tuesday, September 5th, through Friday, October 13th
Reception 5-8 p.m. on Friday, October 6th, alongside downtown Bloomsburg's First Friday
“SWIS” was founded in 2001 as a floral photography group and has since evolved into a club that has explored all kinds of subjects including street photography, still life, portraiture, and everything in between. Comprised of women from across the Susquehanna Valley whose styles range from formal/traditional to more abstract/experimental, they enjoy learning from and encouraging each other. The club has had previous exhibitions at the former Magee Center, at Bloomsburg University, and at the Caldwell Consistory.
The show consists of 71 photographs; come and see how nine artists interpret "Primary Colors"!
To explain his impressions of the early industrial cities of Europe, Charles Baudelaire used the term “ennui”, the feeling of being alone on a crowded place. He saw these cities with their influx of people from the country as lonely and distant. Is that how you think of cities today, or as bustling cities of opportunity? Or do you see them as dangerous, or mysterious? The Exchange Gallery invited artists to share their thoughts on the city though art, with all media welcome. We received 49 pieces by 29 artists from seven central-Pennsylvania counties; nine of the artists had never shown here before.
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The show runs Monday, July 24th through Friday, September 1st, with a reception on Downtown Bloomsburg Inc.'s August First Friday, the 4th, 5-8 p.m.
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Image by Gina Dignazio
Mark is a native of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. A lifetime interest in art became the foundation for his education that enhanced his skills, his teaching, and his career as a professional artist. A graduate of Mount Carmel Area High School, he studied art at Mansfield University and then returned to his hometown to teach art at Mount Carmel High School. There he guided thousands of students in exploring their artistic interests. Through this mentoring role, he was exposed to a broad variety of media and forms of expression, becoming a more well-rounded artist himself.
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In his professional career, he worked in a wide range of drawing and painting media, and he also honed his skills in art restoration. During his years as a student, and throughout his professional career Mark has earned numerous awards for his work. His fine-art expression consists mainly of colorful landscapes of east-central and northern-tier Pennsylvania. Play of light, color, compositional movement, balance and beauty are essential to his art. Along with his easel work, he has completed a large number of commissioned works and art restorations for churches, private corporations, and individuals.
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Find out more at MarkSassani.com.
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Show runs June 12th through July 21st, with a reception on Sunday, July 16th, 2-5 p.m.
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We received drawings, renderings, and photos of projects from around the world, and we displayed them at three venues: the Community Giving Foundation in Berwick; The Art Grind in Danville; and the Exchange Gallery in Bloomsburg (photos below).
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We also engaged community members at charrettes in each town -- in Bloomsburg, outdoors on Main Street in two of the empty spaces that we encouraged participants to think about. They shared their ideas on plan and perspective drawings that we reproduced; they used markers, colored pencils, crayons, rubber stamps, and drafting templates, and we hung their work alongside that of the professional designers.
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Exhibition schedule:
The Exchange Gallery, 24 East Main Street, Bloomsburg
May 8 – June 9, 2023
Gallery reception, Friday, May 12th
Community charrette downtown, Saturday, May 13th, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Art Grind, 339 Mill Street, Danville
May 11 – June 3, 2023
Reception and community charrette, Friday, June 3rd, 6-8 p.m.
Community Giving Foundation, 725 West Front St., Berwick
May 4 – June 8, 2023
Reception and community charrette, Thursday, May 4th, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
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WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER A PRESENTATION ON THIS PROJECT THAT WE HOPE INSPIRES OTHER COMMUNITIES TO HOLD SIMILAR CHARRETTES AND EXHIBITIONS; FIND THE COMPLETE PDF HERE. On Monday, October 30th, Cindi Hron, who conceived IN-FILL-PA, and Oren B. Helbok, The Exchange's executive director, presented about the project for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts' "Lunch & Learn" series; you can watch the video of that Zoom here. And of course if you have any questions about what we did, and/or why, we welcome you to get in touch.
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IN-FILL PA received significant grant support from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts through the Creative Catalyst program and from the Community Giving Foundation.
"Going Green"
Green is the color of new beginnings, Springtime, and Earth Day. We associate it with luck, prosperity, and hope. We also associate it with greed, jealousy, and illness. Additionally, green can mean eco-friendly or energy efficient. The Exchange invited artists to submit work featuring the color and/or the concept of “green” -- all artists of all ages and levels of experience encouraged and all media accepted, 2D and 3D, with only one rule: The art had to fit through the front door.
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More than 40 artists from seven central-Pennsylvania counties responded, bringing in almost 90 pieces; media range from painting and photography to pit-fired ceramics and mixed media including mouse skeletons. We'll have photos of all of the work here soon.
The show runs Monday, April 3rd, through Friday, May 5th
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Image above by Neil Dignazio
Susquehanna Greenway Partnership photo contest winners
Every year, the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership holds a photo contest -- "Show us your Susquehanna!" -- celebrating the river towns and other treasured scenes along the North Branch, West Branch, and main stem of Pennsylvania's longest river. The 26 images winning images form the 10th and 11th contests depict the many aspects of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania in all seasons, up close and from afar; categories in the 10th contest, which took in work from April to June of 2021, and the 11th contest, which took in work from April to June of 2022, included Landscapes, River Towns, Susquehanna Adventures, and Wildlife.
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For information about entering the 12th annual contest, with a deadline of June 30th, click here.
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The Gallery exhibition runs March 6th through 31st.
"Six Characters in Search of an Artist"
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What if the subject of the art told the artist what to create?
Where's the line between artist and art? Or is there a line?
What's "real" and what's "illusion"?
The Exchange invited artists to create and submit artwork exploring these questions. We received 50 pieces by 27 artists from seven central-Pennsylvania counties.
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The exhibit theme is inspired by the play “Six Characters In Search Of An Author” by Luigi Pirandello, appearing in a new adaptation in a co-production by the Bloomsburg University Players and the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble at the Alvina Krause Theatre, 221 Center Street in Bloomsburg, opening Thursday, February 23rd, and running through Sunday, March 12. For more information, visit BTE.org.
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Image above by the play's director, Bloomsburg University Theater professor (and Exchange board member) David A. Miller.
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The Gallery exhibition runs February 6th through March 3rd.
"Dreams"
The visual arts make a wonderful medium for capturing the memories of dreams, which we often find elusive and hard to describe. Several art movements have used dreams as a source of inspiration, including Symbolism, Romanticism, Surrealism, and some styles of Contemporary Art. The Exchange asked for artwork on the subject of dreams -- daydreams, aspirational dreams, nightmares, or other visions -- with all media accepted, and as always from ALL artists of all ages and levels of experience. We received 93 pieces by 50 artists from eight central-Pennsylvania counties.
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In association with the show, we will host another of our Storytelling events at the Gallery, on Tuesday, January 31st; please get in touch if you would like to tell one!
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Image above by Jack Simonds.
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The show runs January 9th through February 3rd.
