A Town Hall Altered by Art

The Pocono Arts Council held an Arts Town Hall Meeting at their Community Cultural Center in Stroudsburg, PA on Wednesday January 18th to examine and discuss the many issues effecting the creative community including funding for galleries, financial compensation for artists, and other economic concerns. The meeting also included a Gallery Talk led by John Kopp who is the curator of the Center’s current exhibition titled, “Altered State?” The talk explored some of the work presented in the exhibit along with the nature of photography in relation to the traditional film and modern digital techniques available today.

The meeting and gallery talk led to some lively discussions among those who attended. Members of several art related groups and organizations such as The Pocono Mountain Arts Council and the Pocono Community Theater enhanced the conversation by lending their unique perspectives to the topics. Their words were combined with other art lovers from the community who made the discussion even livelier. From my perspective, it was good to have an opportunity to learn from others as well as to share my thoughts on some of the issues addressed.

A few I found particularly of interest were discussions relating to what makes photography an art as compared to fancy picture taking. With all the technologies available to anyone who has a camera, it is a challenge for photographers who wish to display and sell their work to distinguish themselves from those who takes photos just for fun. It was suggested it is fairly easy to add element upon element to a photograph with the technology on hand, but the art may come from the ability to know when to stop. Otherwise, the essence of the image which inspired the artistic eye to capture it may be lost in the ornamentation.

After the meeting, I began to reflect more on this topic as I began  recognize when knowing when to stop could be a distinguishing creative approach to other artistic disciplines. When does a musical composition contain the notes and measures needed to express a mood before an overabundance turns it into a bombastity? When does a literary endeavor contain enough words to convey the concepts it explores before it overstates the point and becomes superfluous? These are difficult questions to answer and I may never discover that of the later question, but being aware of these questions and attempting to implement a balance could be in and of itself art. What do you think? You’ll find more photographs taken during Arts Town Hall Meeting, the Gallery Talk, and the “Altered State?” Artists’ Reception in The PoconoArts Community Cultural Center 2012 Gallery at www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150596801360421.441769.636000420&type=3.

The PoconoArts Community Cultural Center is part of The PoconoArts Council which is an organization designed to build the communities in which it serves artistically and culturally by providing leadership, service, and education. It does so by offering avenues for artists to display their work through the center and other galleries, educational opportunities for those who would like to explore and/or enhance their creative natures, and encouragement to those who seek to express and/or support the arts. The Center is currently featuring the visual works created by photographic artists from around the world in their “Altered State?” exhibition to be presented until February 26th in its ArtSpace and Studio Galleries. You’ll be able to read my article about the exhibit at www.facebook.com/notes/paul-adam-smeltz/artspace-in-an-altered-state/10150471693041232.

The next exhibit will be their Student Juried Exhibition which will hold its Artists’ Reception on Sunday March 11th and will continue exhibiting the work until March 25th. You’ll be able to learn more about The PoconoArts Council, The PoconoArts Community Cultural Center, and all they offer at www.poconoarts.org.