I had the privilege of attending the reception and grand opening of the Public Art Bridgeville art exhibit at the Bridgeville Public Library last Friday. Entitled “Bridgeville Artists: Then and Now”, it celebrates the work of thirteen (current and deceased) artists from the Bridgeville area, working in a broad variety of media. The combination of excellent works of art, the magnificent Library venue, and the attendance of artists and organizers of the event made for a memorable evening.
I was particularly pleased at the recognition of Ben Rupnik’s talent as a graphic artist. The lounge area at the middle of the exhibit was dominated by eight of his Pittsburgh Press “Family Magazine” covers mounted on the large picture window, with four of his black-and-white drawings of local scenes on easels below them. I have fond memories of the “Family Magazine” and the outstanding artwork by Nat Youngblood’s staff displayed in it each weekend.
Another extremely impressive exhibit, in a completely different medium, was the one featuring “blacksmith” Bill Robertson. I was aware of him because his neighbor, Alfred Barzan, often mentioned him at our brunches; I had no idea how artistic his work is. His elegant utilitarian pieces – candlestick holders, circular trivets, etc. – are artistic themselves, but seem mundane compared to the decorated ones. This was illustrated by a story board documenting six stages of forging and decorating a wall-mounted hook beautifully crafted with faces and exotic patterns.
Sara Murray (deceased) spent her later years working on wood with wood-burning tools, tastefully supplemented by a discrete amount of paint. I was really impressed by an old-time view of the railroad station, Foster’s Store, and the Norwood Hotel. Her work is a fine example of the application of modern techniques to the preservation of historical scenes; we are fortunate these were available for this exhibit.
According to the biographical card with his work, James Morris is a retired high school art teacher who recently moved to Bridgeville. If he was as good a teacher as he is an artist, his students were fortunate having him as a mentor. My favorite of his three paintings was a delightful winter scene of the Ebenezer Bridge in Mingo Creek Park; of course, I love covered bridges and have sketched this bridge several times myself. I must admit I prefer his painting.
Another impressive painter is Becky Mayhew, a professional artist with a studio in Scott Township. Her talent was best illustrated by a magnificent 24” by 48” oil painting entitled “Misty Maine Morning”, dominated by a brilliant sunrise reflected along a lake shore. Nonetheless I preferred a much simpler “Winter Birches w/ Cardinal” and its classic reminder of mono-chromatic winter scenes punctuated by a tiny flash of contrasting color.
The place of honor for any exhibit in the Library is the space directly above the fireplace in the lounge. It was appropriately occupied by a large, dreamy landscape by Kristy Cherry that looked so “right” there that I began to wonder if it was permanently mounted there, rather than just part of the exhibit. I would like to be able to examine her technique close-up.
Shanin Hundt produces multi-media collages that are remarkably artistic. Her ability to effectively combine antique photographs, pages from old books, natural materials, and acrylic paint into her striking works of art is impressive. I didn’t have a favorite of her work; I was impressed with each of them equally.
Another medium of particular interest to me is glass. Janet Ray is a professional artist in working with stained glass, “warm” glass (artistic pieces processed in a kiln), and painting with “frit” (ground glass). My wife produced innovative pieces from stained glass at one phase of her creative hobby career; I know she would have enjoyed seeing this artist’s work.
The Bridgeville Area Historical Society loaned two pieces of Ken Schwartz’ collection of miniatures to the exhibit. All of his work is striking; he created molds for his figures from clay sculptures, cast wire-reinforced plaster figures from the molds, added detail with paper-mache, and meticulously hand painted the finished product. His collection warrants a visit to the History Center.
Aaron Mascaro’s three pieces were varied in style, but tastefully done. I liked a circular painting of a partridge in a pear tree, which had the feel of a leaded glass piece.
Marge Orlandini (deceased) had a long career painting in oil and teaching others to paint. One claim to fame was meeting TV artist/celebrity Bob Ross. A long-time supporter of the Bridgeville Area Historical Society, she donated many of her original paintings to the Society. I was particularlyimpressed with her still life paintings.
Toby Fraley, a sculptor, painter, and installation artist, submitted four interesting oil paintings on vintage asbestos floor tile; my favorite was a desert scene.
In addition to these twelve serious artists, a nonagenarian draughtsman showed four pen-and-ink sketches. Fortunately, these were displayed far enough from Ben Rupnik’s professional work that the casual viewer could not note the contrast in quality between them.
I went home impressed by the quality and variety of the works of art that were part of this exhibit. Once again, I am struck by the realization that the Bridgeville Library Building is a wonderful venue for events of this type. The architects who designed the building did a remarkable job of creating an extremely welcoming environment. The third piece of the puzzle is the impact of the people involved with Public Art Bridgeville. When I attempted to determine whom I should credit with being an effective curator, each person I asked humbly named someone else. My solution is to give credit to some combination of Bert Cherry, Kayla Lawrence, P J. Schneider, and Justine Cimarolli. It was an excellent reception for an excellent exhibit. I strongly recommend that anyone with even the slightest appreciation of art visit the Library before the exhibit closes on November 30.