The winners of Penn State Abington’s Bertha Lear Art Exhibition, an annual student art show, were recently announced. The works in this exhibition represent a wide range of study, from students enrolled in general education courses, courses for non-art majors, and students majoring in art and integrative arts.
"It is very exciting to see such a broad range of disciplines represented in the exhibition," said Bonnie Levinthal, associate professor of visual and integrative arts and a judge for the highly competitive art show. "It is our largest exhibition to date and I believe, also our strongest."
According to Levinthal, the winners were chosen because their “work exhibits outstanding merit in their genre."
The coveted Bertha Lear Purchase Award for Best in Show went to Kaitlyn Grenier for her drypoint print titled, "Consumption." Grenier's art focus is in photography and environmental science. She is interested in creating work that reveals the effects of pollution on wildlife and the impact of the human race on the natural environment. Grenier received $250 for the top prize in the show.
The award for Best Media Arts and Design Work went to Spencer Linn for his digital print, "Forgotten." Linn, a sophomore Information Sciences and Technology (IST) major likes to photograph abandoned factories and warehouses filled with old technology and industrial decay to tell stories about this country's endeavors in industry. His prize was $100.
Catlin Elliott, a sculpture major at Abington, received the Bertha Lear award for Best Three-Dimensional Work. Elliott's art investigates childhood memory, from honest dialogue to surreal invented scenarios. Elliott received a $100 prize.
The award for Best Two-Dimensional Work was received by Brian Kane for his drypoint print titled, "Hamon." Kane is a senior integrative arts major with a focus in fine arts and museum studies. His work investigates the conceptual mechanics of the printing process. Kane also won $100.
To view these works of art and the many other entries in the show, visit the Bertha Lear Art Exhibition through April 25 at the Woodland Library on the Abington campus. The public is welcome to visit the exhibition during Library hours, from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The Library is closed on Saturday.
This art show is named for Bertha Lear, a talented artist who worked in oils, clay and marble sculptures. Robert A. Lear '67 and his wife, Marilyn, started the endowment to honor and memorialize Bertha Lear’s love of art and to promote art to the students of Penn State Abington. The endowment supports the annual student art exhibition.