Winners Announced for "Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2016" Exhibition

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 27, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The State Museum of Pennsylvania today announced the winners of "Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2016," an annual juried exhibition showcasing the talent, creativity and diversity of the state's established and emerging artists.

Awards were given in painting, photography, sculpture, craft and work on paper.

The William D. Davis Memorial Award for Drawing and The State Museum of Pennsylvania Purchase Award were also selected. The winners were chosen from 123 works selected from more than 1,700 submissions.

This year's first-prize winners are from Blair, Indiana, Lancaster and Lehigh counties. Special awards went to artists from Westmoreland and York counties.

The 49^th annual exhibit runs through September 11 and includes 123 works by 117 artists from 34 counties.

The exhibit is co-sponsored by The State Museum and Jump Street. Together the organizations present more than $6,500 in cash awards to winners. WITF is a media sponsor.

Jump Street is a Harrisburg-based non-profit organization dedicated to developing educational and economic opportunities with the arts for all age groups.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg, is one of 24 historic sites and museums administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History®. The State Museum offers expansive collections interpreting Pennsylvania's fascinating heritage.

With exhibits examining the dawn of geologic time, the Native American experience, the colonial and revolutionary era, a pivotal Civil War battleground, and the commonwealth's vast industrial age, The State Museum demonstrates that Pennsylvania's story is America's story.

Visit The State Museum online at www.statemuseumpa.org.

Media Contact: Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639

The following prizes were awarded at the 2016 "Art of the State" Artists' Reception on Sunday, June 26. Cash awards for each category are first prize, $500; second prize, $300; third, $200, and honorable mention, $100. A full gallery of Art of the State images is available at www.flickr.com/photos/patrailsofhistory.

Craft
First Prize:  Kevin Turner, Indiana - Solenopsis Cluster Form
Second Prize: Ellen Silberlicht, Honesdale - Why Not?
Third Prize: Alicia Nock, Swarthmore - Sagebrush
Honorable Mention: Kristie Miler McMahon, Clarks Summit - Rattler

Painting
First Prize: Denny Bond, East Petersburg - 92
Second Prize: Bryan Fellenbaum, Columbia - In Search of Land's End
Third Prize: Glenn Harren, New Hope - Delaware Snow
Honorable Mention: Brenton Good, Camp Hill - Precedent

Photography
First Prize: Richard Begbie, Allentown - Resist Series–Over the Line
Second Prize: Melanie Franz, Chester Springs - Keeping Watch
Third Prize: Joan Radcilffe Rosiak, Green Lane - Angles
Honorable Mention: Candy Delaney, Hummelstown - Prayer

Sculpture
First Prize: Peter Frantz, Tyrone - Venus du Bukavu and the Kivus Madonna
Second Prize: Jim Mikkelsen, Warriors Mark - Endless
Third Prize: Joni Oye-Benintende, Stroudsburg - Ancient Scribe
Honorable Mention: Gale Jamieson, New Park - Hollow Elm 1

Work on Paper
First Prize: Gene Shaw, Lancaster - Song of the Saw to Post Modern
Second Prize: Patricia Shaw Lima, Jenkintown - Jazz Riff
Third Prize: Robert Hartson, Hanover - A Closed Door
Honorable Mention: Kathleen Kase Burk, Ebensburg - Sticks & Stones

William D. Davis Memorial Award for Drawing
Carol Oldenburg, York - Harvest Moon

The State Museum of Pennsylvania Purchase Award
Patricia Kennedy-Zafred, Murrysville - Descent into Darkness: The Boys of the Mines

SOURCE Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission