As Nancy Dalverny stood in the gallery at the Greensburg Art Center this week, she was blown away by the more than 115 exhibited works for the upcoming Art Neighbors Show, despite being an artist herself.
“It gives everyone a voice,” said Dalverny, 78, of Monroeville. “It’s breathtaking to see the wide variety of ways that art is portrayed.”
Dalverny’s painting of a firefighter and the work of 60 other artists will be on display at the center, 230 Todd School Road in Hempfield, starting Saturday at 10 a.m., with an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. After that, the gallery will be open free of charge Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free parking is available in the center’s lot.
Juror Nicole Lampl, a curator at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, will present 11 awards totaling $2,500 in prize money. A People’s Choice award will be presented at the end of the show.
Paintings, sculptures, collages and drawings line the shelves and walls of the center. It took more than three hours to set up the display, which fills both the gallery space and a classroom in the building.
‘Bring art to enhance the community’
Eight years later, the show maintains its original goal of bringing together the work of creators from the Greensburg and Latrobe art centers, an idea conceived by Peg Panasiti of Latrobe.
Panasiti has been a member of both centers for years. Over time, she noticed some friction.
“I felt like they were in competition, so I said what we need is a neighborhood show,” she said.
Almost a decade later, she said “there is no more competition.”
Pat Majcher, an artist and co-chairperson for the show, said although it is a local event, many of the participants travel to larger regional art shows to present their work. But these artists still show up for the smaller exhibition in their hometown.
“There is a sense of pride … being able to share your work with the community around you,” Majcher said. “The mission of both these centers is to bring art to enhance the community.”
Lampl said discovering local talent is one of the most rewarding aspects of being an art show juror.
“It is really eye-opening to see how many artists are right here in your backyard,” she said.
Debbie King, 69, of Greensburg is taking that idea a step further.
Through her painting “All That She Needs,” which depicts a young girl from Africa, King plans to bring global issues to Westmoreland County. She said she hopes to show viewers how the little girl has nothing but the clothes on her back, the shoes on her feet and her family, yet remains content.
“This is Disneyland compared to how most of the world lives,” King said.