From staff reports
Judges for the Oil Heritage Festival art show have been announced.
The judges are:
— Marcy Hall – adult division/non-photography
— Melinda Meyer – photography/all ages
The show starts Wednesday and runs through Sunday, July 28, on Oil City’s North Side at the National Transit Building, National Transit Annex and at 42 Seneca St.
The opening reception will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, and the show opens at noon Thursday through Sunday.
Judging will take place Thursday and Friday, and ribbons will be displayed and winners announced on the Saturday and Sunday show dates.
Stew Armstrong and Christine Manning are coordinating the art show.
Here is some background on the three judges:
Marcy Hall
Hall is an artist from Erie who has been selling art all over the world for 15 years as Rabbit Room Arts.
Her ongoing projects include extensive work with Abbey of the Arts in Ireland, creating 26 icon-style paintings for an Irish Saints/Dancing Monks series.
She has also worked with the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, illustrating a book and a pair of calendars in conjunction with Sister Joan Chittister, as well as working with the sisters on a poetry and mural project in Erie’s Perry Square.
She has collaborated with Erie County to paint a mural in the Erie County Courthouse, has done commission work for Erie County United Way, created a block print that served as a prize for the Erie Preservation Awards, and has illustrated a book about her mother’s childhood growing up in the Oil Region.
Most recently, she painted Gannon University’s Old Main near her neighborhood on Erie’s west side.
Maureen James
James is a native of the Pittsburgh area and a long-time Oil City resident.
Upon her retirement in 2007, she continued her own artistic education and branched into stained-glass work, which is her current passion.
She maintains a studio in Oil City at the National Transit Building and is an active member of the Transit Studio Artists’ Association. In addition, she is actively involved in the Oil City Main Street Program and is the chair of its design committee, with an emphasis on downtown facade revitalization.
James is also a member of various other committees and organizations in the interest of the improvement of the Oil City downtown and community at large.
Melinda Meyer
Meyer has worked with and served the heritage and arts communities of northwest Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years. She is experienced as an historian, educator, project consultant, grant writer and nonprofit administrator.
Meyer is a full-time program director for Erie Arts & Culture. She has worked for the organization since 2009 and, in her current role, administers the arts council’s grant and arts-in-education programs, oversees data collection for the sector in Erie County, and schedules and implements professional development activities and trainings for member artists and organizations.
Sponsors
Sponsors for the art show include Victorian City Art & Frame, Hileman & Woods, Klapec Auto Body, Marvic Tavern, Real Goods Company, state Rep. R. Lee James, Laughing Moon Sidhe and Nicholas Hess.
For more information about the show, visit www.artsoilcity.com, email sarmstrong@oilregion.org, or call (814) 677-3152, Ext. 104.
