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“Making It Better: Folk Arts in Pennsylvania Today” opens for its limited engagement at Millersville University’s Sykes Gallery on September 12 and runs through October 25. This new exhibition is designed to educate visitors about the vitality of living folk art traditions found in Pennsylvania today. It will feature learning opportunities for all ages and asks visitors to consider the question, “How do your artistic traditions make a difference?”
The exhibition features more than 30 master artists from every corner of the state, and represents a wide array of traditions: African dance, stone wall construction, Native American clay flutes, Pysanky eggs, contemporary blacksmith work, wood carving and Vietnamese funerary portraits. All are integrated into people’s lives and important enough to be shared and passed on.
This exhibit demonstrates that although many traditional arts are rooted in centuries-old practices, they are thriving and meeting the needs of communities today.
During the exhibit, a series of free lunchtime lectures and demonstrations will be offered Wednesdays at noon:
September 21 – Temujin Ekunfeo – Yoruba Beadwork and Storytelling
September 28 – Amy Skillman – Curator’s Talk
October 12 – Pose II – Graffiti
October 19 – Losang Samten – Tibetan Mandala Writing
All gallery events are free and open to the public.
“Making It Better: Folk Arts in Pennsylvania” was created by the Institute for Cultural Partnerships in collaboration with the Erie Art Museum, Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, Northern Tier Cultural Alliance, Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center, Community Partnerships Resource Conservation and Development Council and with assistance from the Philadelphia Folklore Project.
Sykes Gallery is located in Breidenstine Hall. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; and by appointment. Free tours of the exhibition may be scheduled by calling Ty Clever, gallery director, at 717-871-2186 or Tyler.Clever@millersville.edu.
