Kinetic sculptures move poetically in art exhibit at Penn College in Williamsport through April 26
From a press release:
“Not a Breath of Wind” is the latest striking art exhibit offered by The Gallery at Penn College. The virtual display of moving kinetic sculptures and carved objects runs from Tuesday, March 16 through Monday, April 26 at the Williamsport gallery and on its website.
Featuring images and videos, “Not a Breath of Wind” showcases works by John Douglas Powers, an associate professor of sculpture and time-based art at the University of Tennessee. A recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, he finds influences in classical myth, Buddhist philosophy, landscape, and visions of the afterlife intersecting freely with interests in technology, music, history, language, and geometry.
The allure of the unattainable and its connection to the passage of time are central to Powers’ creative work, often manifesting through the inclusion of sound and motion as compositional elements. Though disparate in form and technique, the work is invested in materiality, movement, and the poetic complications that arise at the intersection of the two.
Powers earned a master of fine arts in sculpture, with distinction, from the University of Georgia, and a bachelor of arts in art history from Vanderbilt University. His work has been featured in the New York Times, World Sculpture News, Sculpture Magazine, Art Forum, Art in America, and on “CBS Sunday Morning.”
The virtual exhibit of “Not a Breath of Wind” is the seventh online presentation offered by The Gallery at Penn College since last spring when the COVID-19 pandemic began. The show runs in tandem with another online exhibit, “Second Nature,” which can also be viewed in person at the gallery (1 College Ave., Room 303, Williamsport) through April 9.
Located on the third floor of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Madigan Library, the gallery reopened to the public on March 15 with safety precautions in place. The library itself is only open to students and employees; however, visitors can inform library monitors they are going to the gallery and take the north/front elevator to the third floor. Visitors must wear masks, complete a series of screening questions prior to entering the space, and maintain social distance from other guests not in their group. Capacity limits will also be followed.
Gallery hours are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 2 p.m.-8 p.m. and Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. It is closed on weekends.
“Second Nature” showcases drawings and writings by Sarah Patterson, an area graphic designer who engaged in a 100-day journaling routine. Her display is supplemented with journaling resources for visitors to explore.
The Gallery at Penn College, an educational resource for Penn College students and a cultural asset to the college and community, is dedicated to promoting art appreciation through exhibitions of contemporary art. Gallery endeavors have been supported, in part, by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Penn College, an affiliate of Penn State, offers more than 100 hands-on applied technology bachelor degree, associate degree, and certificate majors.
The Pennsylvania College of Technology became an affiliate of Pennsylvania State University in 1989 after establishing a national reputation for education supporting workforce development, first as a technical institute and later as a community college.
Today, Penn College is a special mission affiliate of Penn State, committed to applied technology education.
Conveniently located in Williamsport, Penn College attracts the second-highest enrollment in the Penn State system; approximately 6,000 students are enrolled in associate and bachelor degree programs relating to more than 100 different career areas.
In addition, Penn College manages the state’s largest worker training program through its Workforce Development and Continuing Education unit.
The modern Penn College campus offers students hands-on instruction and access to the latest equipment, leading to excellent graduate placement and “degrees that work.”
