The newly renovated Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County has gone to the dogs — at least for the next few weeks, anyway.
The museum, located in Bellefonte’s Linn House, is currently showing “The Artful Dog,” an exhibit of man’s best friend as captured in paintings, sculptures, photos and antiques. Patricia House, the museum’s executive director, said the exhibit is inspired by previous theme shows the museum has presented on fly fishing, streetscapes and country life.
“I like working in themes that include animals and so it followed that a show about the animal with the longest domestication with humans would be of particular interest,” she said. This artistic tribute to the ‘pooch’ is comprised of a vast array of works, including ancient Asian antiquities, paintings and prints, bronze and clay sculpture, commercial art, toys and folk art.”
Patrons can add their own pet photos to the exhibit for a $5 fee, which will be donated to Centre County PAWS, House said. Images donated will become property of the museum and will not be returned.
The museum has been closed since last year for renovations to its second floor, including a new community art gallery that will open July 1. The space will feature the work of a different local artist each month. Artists who want to display their work in the community gallery can apply at the museum or online at www.bellefontemuseum.org.
The last piece of the renovation project is the museum’s Children’s Creativity Center, which is scheduled to open Sept. 1.
“We are excited about renovating a loved historic home and using it to house an art museum,” House said. “Our community and area will benefit from this project. It is a place of inspiration and creativity ... a place to celebrate the human spirit through art.”
Other exhibits planned for this year include “Farmland Preservation Artists,” featuring paintings of local farms, in July and August; and “Intersections: Wilderness and Culture in East Africa,” a collection of photos with an accompanying narrative, in September and October.
Bellefonte Museum for Centre County exhibit schedule
• “The Artful Dog,” main gallery, through June 19
• Grand opening of Louise Bloom Sieg Gallery and “A Special Collection” sculpture exhibit, June
• Farmland Preservation Artists of Central Pennsylvania farm paintings, main gallery, July through August
• Grand opening of Community Art Gallery, with exhibit of works by Melissa Forkner, July 17
• Architecture and Design Gallery, featuring the story of Anna Wagner Keichline, August
• Local scenes by Mary Vollero, Community Art Gallery, August
• “Intersections: Wilderness and Culture in East Africa,” main gallery, September through November
• Grand opening of Children’s Creative Center, September
• Wildlife photography by Cecil Houser, Community Art Gallery, September
• Landscapes by Susan Nicholas Gephart, Community Art Gallery, October
• House paintings by Nancy Brassington, Community Art Gallery, November
• Fiber art by Judith Finkelstein, Community Art Gallery, December
• Annual Holiday Show and Sale, Main Gallery, December
Fore more information, visit www.bellefontemuseum.org.
