For our earlier exhibits, click on each year:

2016 and 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

The show ran Monday, November 24th, 2025, through Friday, January 2nd, 2026, with the reception and start of sales on Friday, December 5th

We gave away hundreds of panels again -- a total of 551 of them: 8-inch squares, 7-by-9 rectangles, and 9-inch equilateral triangles. Artists could paint on these panels, draw on them, glue a photograph on, knit around them -- ANYTHING. And we had a record number of pieces (534 of them) by a record number of artists (251 of them) and a record number of artists displaying here for the first time (156 of them, of all ages!). These artists live in nine central-Pennsylvania counties plus the Bronx and Manhattan in New York City.

We began sales on Friday, December 5th, during Downtown Bloomsburg's "Coming Home For Christmas". That Friday morning, we started handing out numbers, and at 6 p.m. the person with number 1 got to choose ONE piece; if she wanted a second piece, she had to take another number and go to the back of the line. Same with number 2, number 3, etc. Once the rush ended, we opened it up to as many pieces as each customer wanted, but until then we kept it fair and fun. And when anyone paid for their piece(s), they could 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.) Again this year , every piece sold for $30, with the artist receiving $24 (although any artist wishing to donate more or all of the proceeds to The Exchange may certainly do so).

Susquehanna Greenway Partnership

photo contest winners

Pennsylvania boasts thousands of city parks and over 300,000 acres of state parks throughout the Commonwealth. Some serve as gathering places for sports, public events, weddings, and birthday parties. Others provide space for hiking, camping, fishing, boating, or relaxation. And some of our parks are reserved for conservation and education. The Exchange would like to know: What do parks and recreation mean to you?

The "Parks and Recreation" exhibition at the Exchange Gallery has 118 pieces by 41 artists from eight central- and eastern Pennsylvania counties, fifteen of them showing work here for the very first time! The show runs September 8th, through Friday, October 17th, with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on October's First Friday, the 3rd. For more information about First Fridays, visit DowntownBloomsburg.org/first-fridays.

2025 EXHIBITS

“Parks and Recreation”

Pennsylvania boasts thousands of city parks and over 300,000 acres of state parks throughout the Commonwealth. Some serve as gathering places for sports, public events, weddings, and birthday parties. Others provide space for hiking, camping, fishing, boating, or relaxation. And some of our parks are reserved for conservation and education. The Exchange would like to know: What do parks and recreation mean to you?

The "Parks and Recreation" exhibition at the Exchange Gallery has 118 pieces by 41 artists from eight central- and eastern Pennsylvania counties, fifteen of them showing work here for the very first time! The show runs September 8th, through Friday, October 17th, with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on October's First Friday, the 3rd. For more information about First Fridays, visit DowntownBloomsburg.org/first-fridays.

“Efforts At Imitation”

“Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery – it’s the sincerest form of learning.” – G. B. Shaw

“Amateurs borrow, professionals steal.” – John Lennon (who apparently stole it from T. S. Eliot, who said “Amateur poets borrow; mature poets steal.”)

For this exhibition, the Exchange gallery encouraged artwork that mimics the look of famous works of art or otherwise mimics the style of another artist. One could make an earnest attempt to recreate a masterpiece, or a parody of one, or put a new spin on an old classic, or any other interpretation. "Efforts At Imitation" has 114 pieces by 47 artists, eight of them exhibiting at The Exchange for the first time; they live in seven central-Pennsylvania counties and one lived on Long Island, N.Y. (for his story, click here).

The show runs Monday, July 28th, through Friday, September 5th, with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on August's First Friday, the 1st. For more information about First Fridays, visit DowntownBloomsburg.org/first-fridays.

“Made by Fire”

Potentially warming, potentially destructive, and also offering potential for creation, fire is a necessary element in certain processes of artmaking. From casting and forging metal to ceramics to glass art, the heat of fire is recorded in the resulting objects. The Exchange Gallery asked artists to submit their fire-made and fire-inspired art in the hottest show of the year.

"Made By Fire" has 78 pieces by 36 artists from seven central-Pennsylvania counties plus the state of New Mexico (a first for us!), and four of those artists have work here for the very first time. The show runs Monday, June 16th, through Friday, July 25th, with a reception on Friday, July 11th (with no First Friday on the July 4th holiday, we'll try it a week late!)

"Tools of the Trade"

The poem “The Village Blacksmith” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow speaks of a blacksmith’s bellows and brawny arms. Hammer, pencil, frying pan, a needle and thread, words (spoken or written), hands, a soft calming touch – what do all these have in common? Any one of them may serve as a tool of someone’s trade. The tools we use in our lives’ work have endless possibilities. We asked artists to express in any medium their visions of tool of their trade or of anyone else’s trade.

"Tools of the Trade" has a total of 52 pieces by 26 artists from six central-Pennsylvania counties and the state of Rhode Island.

The show runs Monday, May 5th, through Friday, June 13th, with the reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on June's First Friday, the 6th. For more information about First Fridays, visit DowntownBloomsburg.org/first-fridays.

"American Dreams"

In a collaboration between The Exchange and WVIA, northeastern Pennsylvania's public radio and television station, as part of a series of programs that WVIA will facilitate on the subject of the arts and civic engagement, The Exchange asked artists these questions: What does it mean to be an American? What are the big ideas that we have built our nation on? Which of those ideas really work? Which of them do we still need to work on? How do we as artists drive these conversations and these efforts? In short, we want to see your artwork about the ideas that have shaped America, or could have, or should have, or will.

America is more than one idea; in fact, it is the sum of all of our ideas – thus the plural name of the show, “American Dreams”.

"American Dreams" has a total of 80 pieces by 40 artists from seven central-Pennsylvania counties and the state of Virginia; eight of these artists have work here for the first time -- welcome!

The show runs Monday, March 24th, through Friday, May 2nd, with the reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on April's First Friday, the 4th. For more information about First Fridays, visit DowntownBloomsburg.org/first-fridays.

To watch WVIA's Keystone Edition: Arts on the topic of American dreams, click here. The panel discussion led by WVIA's Erika Funke included Misericordia University's LaLaine Bangilan Little and Brian Carso and The Exchange's Oren B. Helbok.

To watch the video of Storytelling at The Exchange on the topic of American dreams, click here.

"Follow the Leader"

The Exchange invited art teachers from throughout our region to show off their own work as well as that by some of their most promising students. We received entries from Northwest Area High School (Luzerne County), Millville High School (Columbia County), the Hazleton Area Arts & Humanities Academy (Luzerne County), Columbia County Christian School, Central Columbia Middle School, and Bloomsburg Area High School (Columbia County).

"Follow the Leader" has a total of 51 pieces by 27 artists -- six teachers and 21 of their students; 22 of these artists have work here for the first time -- welcome!

The show runs Tuesday, February 18th, through Friday, March 21st, with the reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on March's First Friday, the 7th. For more information about First Fridays, visit DowntownBloomsburg.org/first-fridays.

"A Stroke of Luck"

The Exchange Gallery sought artwork created by chance, randomness, or improvisation. Some modern art styles such as automatism and abstract expressionism rely on spontaneity as a means to produce artwork. Perhaps an artist started out with a specific plan for a piece and ended up with something completely different than the original intention. We asked: Have you ever accidentally spilled water on your painting or unintentionally blurred a photograph only to find that you ended up liking the deviation more than the original plan?

And we gave these links for inspiration:

Letting Go: Making Art with the Element of Chance – moma.org/magazine/articles/393
How to Do the Classic Pulled String Art Project – youtube.com/watch?v=vuD3Xo1vK_Q
Blow Painting with Straws – youtube.com/watch?v=8o5zT1_aKf8

"A Stroke of Luck" had a total of 95 pieces by 29 artists who live in Columbia, Montour, Luzerne, Northumberland, and Snyder Counties (and one has moved to Israel); five of these artists have work here for the first time -- welcome!

The show ran Monday, January 6th, through Friday, February 14th, with the reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on February's First Friday, the 7th. For more information about First Fridays, visit DowntownBloomsburg.org/first-fridays.

For our earlier exhibits, click on each year:

2016 and 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

2025 EXHIBITS

24 East Main Street, Bloomsburg PA 17815 570-317-2596 Exchange@ExchangeArts.org