Meandering through artists' eyes: Laurel Arts new exhibit goes 3D

A discussion between artists at Laurel Arts of a woodworking exhibit morphed into the "Off The Wall" 3D concept.

"Why not walk under art, or around it, we shouldn't be limited to art on the walls because ... well, why not?" asked Alison Leer, gallery coordinator, Philip Dressler Center for the Arts.

Twenty-five artists entered 80 of their pieces for the exhibit at Laurel Arts housed at Philip Dressler Center for the Arts, 214 Harrison Ave., Somerset.

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"We wanted viewers to experience art differently," Leer said.

The exhibit opened a few weeks ago and the response by both the exhibitors and the visitors have been great."

"To my knowledge, this is the first time we have done a completely 3-dimensional show," Leer said. "There is just something about viewing a piece of artwork from all sides because each side or angle gives you a different perspective and feeling," she said.

All of the entries can be viewed on the art center's website, laurelarts.org/off-the-wall.

"However, it is so much more impressive in person. You really need to walk around many of the pieces to truly appreciate them," Leer said.

This exhibit is on display now through Thursday. Hours of operation are Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The exhibit is open to public and is free to attend.

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The artists participating in the exhibit come from Johnstown, Laughlintown, Indiana, Uniontown, Scottdale, Carnegie, Swissvale, Pittsburgh and several towns in Somerset County, as well as Romney, West Virginia. Many of their works in the exhibit sit on pedestals designed by Bob and Kathy Reed. The Berlin residents also donated the needed lumber for the pedestals, so visitors can walk around them and experience the fullness of the works, basically meandering through the artists' visions. Artist David Greene, of Rockwood, volunteered his time and built the pedestals, painted them and delivered them to the art center.

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Ironically, the title, "Off the Wall" 3D Exhibit, is visibly displayed on the wall facing the entrance into the first gallery. There are three galleries used in this exhibit. Titles of the pieces were often as creative as the pieces themselves. Wild Over Ripe Tomatoes, a clay, wire, paint and wood piece by Darlene Custer of Windber is an example, as is Migration, a twigs piece, by Mark McKenzie of Pittsburgh and Birdfeeder Bully, a flamework glass, copper and mixed media, by Joy Knepp of Somerset, to name a few.

This exhibit was juried which means an artist "judge" the pieces for acceptance and awards cash prizes for the pieces that most fit the description of the exhibit. The juror for this exhibit was, Jan Loney, a metal artist, living and working in Pittsburgh. Her work ranges from decorative to functional and quite often embodies both.

"In our Call for Entry we were looking for artists who worked in 3D in any medium (wood, stone, metal, plastic, glass, found objects, etc.) sculptural, welding, blacksmithing, carvings, castings, installations, reliefs, mixed media, 3D printing, collages, mosaics, jewelry, pottery and/or fibers. It can be whimsical, abstract or realistic," Leer said.

There were five winners, with one from Somerset County.

Winners were:

Best of Show: Norman Ed, of Johnstown, Walk, ash wood, plywood, paint, pedestal included.

1st Place: Peter Pasqua, Uniontown, Scenic Relief, mantle beam, poplar wood

2nd Place: David Greene, Rockwood, The Sadness of War, spalted Maple and acrylic

3rd Place: Dan Sorg, Scottdale, Perception, steel sculpture

Honorable Mention: Alan Lichtenfels, Johnstown, Phil, metal sculpture

From idea to reality

“If you are touched by the cruelty and sadness of war, you understand from where I am coming with this piece," Greene said his second placed winning piece, "Sadness of War." "I have been thinking of this theme for some time and with the anxiety and hatred that is so prevalent in the world today, I felt now was the time to express my thoughts through a sculpture.

"The wood used came from a downed sugar Maple tree that had been spalted with the fungus that deteriorates the fibers. The shell in the top of the piece came from an F-4 Phantom jet fighter in the Vietnam era and the blood was simulated with red acrylic paint," he said.

"With the cruelty of the red and the blue, I tried to give a quiet smoothness and flow to the wood."

Greene said he has always loved working with wood.

"A love the feel of the softness and the warmth that I get when I hold it. It gives me a sense of quietness which is needed these days,” he said.

Upcoming events

The 2nd annual Mental Health Awareness Showcase sponsored by Cornerstone Community Services. This juried exhibit is currently on display in the center's Green Room Gallery through the month of May. This year’s theme was Mental Health Matters: Tune In and was open to any student in grades six to 12 attending a Somerset County school. Thirty-seven entries were received from school districts, Berlin-Brothersvalley, Conemaugh Township, Shanksville-Stonycreek, North Star and Somerset.

Laurel Highlands Photo Friends, to run from May 16 through June 8. The exhibit is open to anyone with an interest in photography.

The 34th Annual Somerset County Artists Association Juried Show, June 20 to 27. It is multimedia, open to all artists, 18 years and older.

Linda Harrill Peck, recently retired curator, will have her first solo exhibit Aug. 8 through Sept. 7. She will be exhibiting a lifetime of her works in a variety of mediums including papercutting, oils, pastels and structure mediums.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Meandering through artists' eyes: Laurel Arts new exhibit goes 3D