A Gentle Walk Among the Arts

Photography by Paparazzi Paul.

In celebration of the Independence Day Weekend, the town of Stroudsburg, PA held it's monthly First Saturday Art Walk on Saturday July 2^nd. Two of the municipality's galleries held Artists' Receptions that day. They were The Artspace Gallery located within The PoconoArts Community Cultural Center and The Origins Gallery. The caliber of the art shown at these venue were something to be seen.

The Artspace Gallery held its Artists' Reception for their Animal Kingdom Exhibition. Although very few people attended the event, the population of the gallery exploded as the animals depicted throughout the venue prowled around each viewer's imagination. The images were superbly rendered and a variety of aesthetic approaches were available to be joyfully explored by those who were present.

The exhibition was a juried one with prizes given out to those deemed to be the best among the best. The Juror who selected the winning pieces was Sally Jefferys. Ms. Jefferys is well known in the field of education in which she received special recognition for her endeavors. Yet, in spite of her accolades, no one envied Ms. Jefferys position as Juror as the quality of the work made it very difficult to choose between them. Still, chosen they were.

The artist who received the Third Place Award was Morgan Weissbach for the work titled, “Gheer,” the Second Place Award went to Terry Kloiber for the work titled, “The Hatchling,” and the First Place Award was given to Linda Stockman for the work titled, “Screech.” A number of Honorable Mentions were shared during the award ceremony. They were Joan Sayer for the work titled, “Back Yard Tree Frog,” Paula L. George for the work titled, “We Are the Sheep of His Pasture,” and Pam Mading for the work titled, “Owl and The Pussycat.” A hearty round of appreciative applause was sounded in order to congratulate the recipients.

The Animal Kingdom Exhibition housed within The Pocono Arts Cultural and Community Center's ArtSpace Gallery in Stroudsburg, PA will be on display until July 30^th. The next exhibit at the center will be their 2^nd Annual Photography Exhibition with the Artists' Reception scheduled for Saturday August 6^th. The exhibit will be on display until August 27^th. The exhibition is open to all photographers and the drop off date is August 1^st.

The PoconoArts Community Cultural Center in Stroudsburg, PA 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. You’ll be able to learn more about The PoconoArts Community Cultural Center and all it has to offer the creative community by exploring The PoconoArts Council Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/poconoartscouncil or their Website at www.poconoarts.org.

The second Gallery to hold an Artists' Reception was The Origins Gallery for their Functional Art II Exhibition. A large population of objects filled the venue serving as enticements to the imagination that ran rabid among the many art lovers who attended the event. The viewing of the work was enhanced by the music provided by Jeremiah Williams www.jeremiahwilliams.info on guitar who filled the senses with his impeccable delivery of the songs he sung. In addition to this, The Gamers Edge Comics and Games Store www.facebook.com/TheGamersEdgeStroudsburg?fref=ts had a large number of miniature figures available for a Paint ‘n Take which enabled artists of all skill levels to bring home a figurine associated with a role playing game they painted throughout the evening.

The evening at The Origins Gallery came to a close with their famous and much anticipated Art Raffle. Tickets that were purchased earlier were nervously held in excited hands while a series of digits were called out by Origins' Gallery Director, Jody Singer. The grace and skill of Mr. Michael Kessler was put into play as he showcased each item to an attentive gathering. Peals of joy and laughter rang out along with congratulatory sentiments as each coveted item was claimed. It was as the final prize was introduced to its owner did the company of friends begin their departure while Mr. Williams rendered some farewell songs.

The Functional Art II Exhibition presented in The Origins Gallery in Stroudsburg, PA will be on display until July 16^th. The next exhibit at the gallery will be their Abstract Expressionism Exhibition with the Artists' Reception scheduled for Saturday July 23^rd. The exhibition is open to all photographers and the drop off dates are July 20^th and 21^st.

The Origins Gallery is located on the lower level of The Gamers Edge Comics and Games Store which can be found at 580 Main St. in Stroudsburg, PA. The Origins Gallery is a contemporary arts gallery within the Pocono Art District having one of the highest and fastest sales records in the Stroudsburg area, provides a space to those who teach the arts to those who would like to learn from them, and continues to do everything with the local community in mind. You can learn more about The Origins Gallery and view images and videos of the event taken by members of their staff and others by exploring their Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/OriginsGalleryStroudsburg or their Website at www.originsgallery.org.

The 1^st Saturday Art Walk for July was a relaxed one which proved to be a welcome respite from all the sometimes overwhelming aspects of a holiday weekend. The next Art Walk is scheduled to take place on Saturday August 6^th with the series scheduled to conclude on Saturday September 3^rd. I hope to see you next time as I enjoy sharing the art and the conversations it inspires with you. In the meantime, you can view the photographs I took during the July Art Walk in the A Gentle Walk Among the Arts Gallery at www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155018309968761.1073741990.91146283760&type=3.

The first Saturday Art Walks are presented by The Pocono Arts District which is comprised of a small group of artists and art lovers who has a desire to enhance the local artistic community. You can learn more about The Pocono Arts District who are always searching for new ideas which you can share with them through their Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/ThePoconoArtsDistrict.