National Art Tour opens at Art Fusion 19464 TODAY!

 ArtFusion 19464, formerly The Gallery School of Pottstown@ Gallery on High, is kicking off its re-branding campaign today, September 7th, with an amazing art exhibit that has been traveling throughout the south and was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show in February 2011.

Threads of a Story: Continued features the work of artist Charlotta Janssen, who was inspired by mug shots of
famous–and non famous–people arrested during the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. The swearing in of the first black president of the United States in 2009 was a catalyst for the artist, and Threads evolved as a way to visually thank participants of the civil rights movement for their work and dedication that made the moment possible.

Janssen specifically honors Bus Boycotters from 1956 and Freedom Riders from 1961. The artist’s goals are to transport the viewer back to these moments in our country’s history, to create a living history and bring awareness to a collective
consciousness where segregation seemed normal and fighting it was a daunting task. To realize these goals, Janssen re-imagines the mug shots of her subjects using oil, acrylic, rust and collage. Mug shots are normally portraits of shame, but in those belonging to the Bus Boycotters and Freedom Riders, she sees their heroism, determination and courage.

The exhibit at the Gallery will feature eight brand new portraits in this incredible series, including new portraits of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. Also on display will be giclee prints of 15 of her portraits from the original series. The show will open with a private reception on September 7 and then the show will be open to the public from September 8 through October 20, 2012 during normal Gallery hours. Educational field trips for local school and groups can also be arranged. Interested groups should email info@galleryonhigh.com or call 610-326-2506 for more information.

Charlotta Janssen was born in Maine to German parents living in America under the Marshall plan. In 1973, her family moved to Iran, which they fled during the revolution in 1979. Janssen studied painting at the University of Arts in Berlin from 1986-1989, dropping out to travel the world as a street musician and performance artist. To make sense of all of these experiences, she returned to painting in 1991 with a clear voice that was no longer searching but finding. She currently lives and paints augmented portraiture in Brooklyn, NY.

ArtFusion 19464 (formerly The Gallery School of Pottstown) is a 501(c)3 non-profit community art school and gallery. The School offers day, evening and weekend classes to all ages. The goal of these classes is to help students develop their creative skills through self-expression and independence. The Gallery on High hosts rotating shows featuring local artists. The Gallery also sells handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gift items.  The Gallery on High is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am-4:30pm and Saturday 10am-3pm. The Gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.

Art Fusion 19464
254 E. High St.
Pottstown, PA  19464
610-326-2506
info@artfusion19464.org
www.artfusion19464.org

Rails and River Towns Ride sign-up today! Last day to get free T-shirt!

Photo and info courtesy of the Schuylkill River Heritage Area.

Support the Schuylkill River Heritage Area with a round-trip bike ride on September 22nd along the Schuylkill River Trail from Pottstown to Birdsboro featuring optional walking tours and a presentation on railroad history.

When: September 22, 2012 (Rain Date Sunday September 23)   

 

Time:   7:30-8:30 a.m. check-in

       8:30 a.m. Presentation on PA Railroad history

       9:00 a.m. rides begin  

 

Where: Check-in at 140 College Drive, Pottstown, PA 19464

 

Cost: $25 adults (age 16 & up); $20 members; $15 children ages 11-15; 10 & under free. If registering after 9/5/12 cost increases to: $30 adults; $25 members; and $20 children 11-15.

 

Amenities: Refreshments provided. Free T-shirts to all who register by Sept. 5.  Ride support and complimentary bike safety checks provided by TriCounty Bicycles, of Pottstown.   

 

More information: Call 484-945-0200 or visit www.schuylkillriver.org to learn more.   

 

Helmets are required. Due to the width of the trail, no bicycle trailers will be permitted during the event.   

Three Ride Options to Choose From!  

  • 18-mile, round-trip ride from the Schuylkill River Heritage Area headquarters in Pottstown to Birdsboro, with a 45-minute guided walking tour of historic Birdsboro.
  • 20-mile Pottstown to Birdsboro ride with a loop trail in Union Township and no walking tour
  • 9-mile round-trip ride with guided tour of Historic Morlatton Village’s four 18th century buildings.

This is the first ride in the Schuylkill River Trail Bike Tour Series, a new multi-year series that supports the Schuylkill River Heritage Area. Each event will feature a unique combination of biking and history.

Special thanks to our sponsors:

TriCounty Bicycles, Universal Machine Company,  Montgomery County Community College, B&G Glass, Gallen Insurance, Boscov’s Department Store, CarePlex, Main Line Financial, Traffic Planning & Design, 422 Commercial Realty, Tim’s Ugly Mug, Vintage Connections, William Knight, Historic Preservation Trust of Berks Co., Barwis Construction, LLC.

 
Schuylkill River Heritage Area
140 College Drive
Pottstown, Pennsylvania 19464

MCCC to Host Ninth Annual Scenes of Schuylkill River Heritage Area Art Show

As with the prior two posts, this comes to us via the prolific Alana Mauger, Communications Director for Montgomery County Community College.

Montgomery County Community College will host the Ninth Annual Scenes of the Schuylkill River Heritage Area Art Show from Aug. 29 through Oct. 19 at the West Campus Art Gallery, North Hall, 16 High St., Pottstown.

An opening reception will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 19, from 5-7 p.m., and will include refreshments and live music. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the Schuylkill River National & State Heritage Area, the art show features 76 original pieces of artwork done in a variety of styles and media. The artwork highlights the beauty and unique aspects of the Schuylkill River Heritage Area—a 1.2 million-acre area that includes the Schuylkill River watershed within Schuylkill, Berks, Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.

Dawn at Valley Forge by Catherine Grygiel

Artist Catherine Grygiel, Souderton, won Best of Show for her pastel “Dawn at Valley Forge.” She will receive $300 and an award of distinction valued at $1,000 from North Penn Art, Lansdale, for the creation of giclee prints of her work.

Second place with a $200 prize went to Jonathan Bond, Kempton, Berks County, for his oil on wood panel, “Carousel,” and third place with a $100 prize went to Materese Roche, Buckingham, Bucks County, for her oil on canvas, “Sunset Over the Grasslands.”

Four honorable mentions were awarded to: Rich Sassaman for his acrylic, “High School Runner;” Sherry McVickar for her oil, “English Style Schuylkill River Barn;” Lori Quinque-Quinn for the oil painting “Hunsberger’s Used Cars;” and David W. Thomas for his silver gel photograph “Foundation.”

 This year’s juror, Ross L. Mitchell, executive director of the Violette de Mazia Foundation, Wayne, selected the winning entries.

“It was a pleasure judging the Schuylkill River Heritage Area Art Show this year,” said Mitchell, who started his career as a painter and studied at the Barnes Foundation with Violette de Mazia. “The final selections were all of high quality and portrayed a wonderful cross-section of views of the diversity of the Schuylkill River area. Artists reinterpret our surrounding environment and let us see it anew through their unique and individual lens.”

Mitchell previously served as the Gallery Director at the Barnes Foundation in Merion Station where he led the $13 million renovation of the gallery. He was also Senior Associate for Viart Corporation, a Manhattan based art-consulting firm. Currently, he is the president of the Philadelphia Sketch Club, serves as a commissioner on the Lower Merion Historical Commission and as a board member of the Lower Merion Historical Society.

Most works are available for sale, and a portion of all proceeds benefits the Schuylkill River Heritage Area.      

Gallery hours are: Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For more information contact, the SRHA at 484-945-0200 or MCCC Galleries Director Holly Cairns at 215-619-7349, hcairns@mc3.edu.

The Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area, managed by the non-profit Schuylkill River Greenway Association, uses conservation, education, recreation, cultural and historic preservation and tourism as tools for community revitalization and economic development. For more information about the SRHA visit www.schuylkillriver.org.

MCCC to Host Fall Career Fairs in Blue Bell and Pottstown

Montgomery County Community College will hold career fairs at both its Central Campus in Blue Bell and West Campus in Pottstown this fall. The career fairs are free of charge and are open to the public, and will feature up to 15 area businesses and organizations that are looking to recruit for part-time, full-time, temporary and seasonal employment, as well as for internships. 

At the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, career fairs will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Sept. 12, Oct. 9, Nov. 13 and Dec. 5. The fairs will be held in the Parkhouse Hall Atrium with the exception of the Nov. 13 fair, which will be held in the Advanced Technology Center Atrium.

At the West Campus, 101 College Drive, Pottstown, career fairs will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Sept. 12, Nov. 14 and Dec. 5 in the South Hall second floor lobby. In addition, the Annual West Campus Career Expo, featuring up to 50 employers, will be held in the South Hall Community Room from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Oct. 17.

Businesses and organizations that wish to participate in the career fairs can register at http://tinyurl.com/MC3JobFairReg or by contacting Cindy Cerruti in the Office of Career Services at 610-718-1802 or ccerruti@mc3.edu.

MCCC Opens New University Center in Downtown Pottstown

There is plenty of great news coming out of Montgomery County Community College in recent weeks. In the next few posts, I will be passing it along. There are many different reasons to check out what Montco is offering to residents of the region – education, the arts, a leg up in a job search, and major contributions to Pottstown’s revitalization. You name it, Montco is doing it.~Sue Repko

Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) celebrated the opening of its new University Center on Aug. 21, expanding its West Campus to the former AAA East Penn building at 95 South Hanover St., and building on its vision to create a thriving urban campus in downtown Pottstown.

First introduced in 2006, MCCC’s University Center offers an entrepreneurial approach to expanding higher education opportunities for residents of the Tri-County region. Through partnerships with four-year institutions – Albright College, Chestnut Hill College, Temple University and Villanova University – students can choose from eight bachelor’s degrees, two master’s degrees and one graduate certificate.

During the event, MCCC President Dr. Karen A. Stout addressed the importance of expanding access to higher education opportunities for the region.

“Before we introduced the innovative University Center model, our graduates had to travel to the greater Reading and Philadelphia areas to continue their education in baccalaureate and graduate degree programs. However, for many of our students and community members in the Tri-County region, this commute simply isn’t possible,” she said. “Therefore, the University Center becomes more than a place where our partner institutions lease space to teach their classes on our campus. It becomes part of a much larger pipeline in terms of building student access to higher education.”

Charles Roberts, alumnus of both MCCC and Albright College, shared his personal educational journey through the University Center.

“I cannot begin to tell you where I would be without having the University Center. I was able me to attend class as a working adult and as someone who could not attend class the traditional college way.  I may never have attempted a bachelor’s program unless the University Center existed,” said Roberts, who has since earned a master’s degree from Gwynedd-Mercy College and who works in MCCC’s Enrollment Services department.

Dr. Lex O. McMillan III, president of Albright College in Reading spoke about the longstanding relationship with MCCC, describing it as a “thriving, healthy partnership.”

“Montgomery County Community College has the largest onsite degree completion programs of our satellite campuses,” he told the roomful of attendees. “In the 2011-12 year, 6,135 credits were transferred from MCCC, and 130 Albright students are enrolled in the degree completion program (at the University Center).”

The University Center project is made possible through a public-private partnership and lease agreement with Vesper Property Group, the building’s owner and developer. The new 10,500 square foot facility includes six classrooms with smart and videoconference technology, a student lounge and reception area. The entire facility is secured through electronic card access, and a front desk concierge is available to greet students and answer questions.

In addition to creating a new home and identity for the University Center, the new facility frees up existing classroom space at MCCC’s North and South halls – space that is greatly needed to accommodate an unprecedented 60 percent enrollment growth at the West Campus over the past five years.

For more information about the University Center, visit here.

#          #          #

Photo above provided by MCCC:  MCCC President Dr. Karen A. Stout (center) cuts the ribbon for the new University Center facility. She is joined by (from left) MCCC and Albright alumnus Charles Roberts; Representative Marcy Toepel; MCCC Board of Trustees Chairman Michael D’Aniello; Albright College President Dr. Lex O. McMillan III; Senator John Rafferty; Representative Tom Quigley; Montgomery County Commissioners Vice Chairman Leslie Richards; and Vice President of MCCC’s West Campus Dr. Steady Moono.

2j Photography wants to make mark in Pottstown

  Photographer Joanna Floyd was born and raised in South Carolina and moved to Pottstown about six years ago. Her new business, 2j Photography, is now open for business.

What does 2j stand for? They are the first initials of Joanna and her husband, although it’s primarily her business.

“I have found that Pottstown has been so welcoming and has a great sense of unity,” she said. “One thing that has amazed me is everyone in Pottstown is so open to networking and working together as a community. That’s the reason I want to make my mark here.”

Joanna has always had a passion for photography, but only as a hobby until recently. She started doing freelance photography about six months ago, without formal schooling in the field. She was mentored by other photographers and taught herself through trial and error. She prefers to shoot in natural light on location.

One of her first gigs, which is ongoing, is capturing activities and events at Pottstown Karate/Crossfit, located at 21 N. Hanover Street. “Robert Matthews’  whole team has been so helpful and supportive, and it’s been a great learning experience,” said Floyd. “I shoot their events as well as participate in the Crossfit program.”
Floyd’s photography has also featured models, artists, musicians, fitness classes, and outdoor events. 2jPhotography offers specials for businesses. For more information, call 610/350/5268 or visit their website at www.2jphotography.zenfolio.com

Happy Hour at Sly Fox Brewery today!

All are invited to mix and mingle at this end-of-summer Positively!Pottstown Happy Hour! Sly Fox Brewery and Tastin’ Room is located at 331 Circle of Progress Drive near the Pottstown Airport. If you haven’t yet seen their – pardon my French – kick-ass video announcing their move to Pottstown, click here.

More than 50 people have RSVP’d for today’s Happy Hour to enjoy Sly Fox beer, pizzas, and salads at their kickin’ contemporary venue. No cover or suggested donation; you buy what you want. No need to reply now, just show up; there’s plenty of room, inside and out. Hope to see you there!

Harvest Moon to shine down on Cluster on October 12th

On Friday, October 12th, the First Annual Fundraising Dinner to benefit The Pottstown Cluster will be held at the Berean Bible Church on High Street in Sanatoga. 

The event committee, chaired by Dr. Myra Forrest, has been busy planning unique decorations and activities to go along with their theme:  Shine On, Harvest Moon.  The committee includes: Terryl Andrews-Marsh, Sharon Basile , Sue Creswell, Doreen Duncan,  Lesley Duall, Lois Georeno, Lalena Kennedy, JoAnn McKiernan, Linda Voytilla, and Carol Weitzenkorn.

The night promises to be memorable with performances by local  soprano and singing-actress, Maggie Heffner Moliterno, who has performed in operas, musicals, concerts, and cabarets across the United States and Europe; 11-year old Madison Kershner, a talented student from St. Aloysius School;  and an assembled choir comprised of members from many of Pottstown area’s worship centers.

To keep the night running smoothly, John Armato, Director of Community Relations for the Pottstown School District, will emcee the program.  Catering for this special event will be done by Pottstown’s very own Bause Catered Events.

Interesting auction items are being procured, table sponsorships are firming up, program ads are being placed, and tickets are now available to the public at $45 each.  Please call The Cluster at (610) 970-5995 or contact any event committee member to reserve yours today!

Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities
57 North Franklin Street
Pottstown, PA 19464
(610) 970-5995
Fax: (610) 970-6385

Hours of Operation
Monday – Friday
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Barbara Wilhelmy, Executive Director

 

 

TriCounty Community Network teams up with Ice House for summer hoagie fundraiser

Would you like a quick and delicious dinner? Need a lunch for your next meeting?
 
Buy Ice House Deli hoagie tickets from the TriCounty Network Homeless Services Program Committee and do something good while eating something tasty!
 
TCN’s Homeless Services Program Committee is hosting a summer fundraiser. 
For $6.00 you buy a ticket for a fabulous hoagie from Ice House that you can use any time until Sept. 15. 
You save 60 cents per coupon and 50% of your donation goes to the TCN Homeless Services Programs!
It’s  a win-win!
 
To get your tickets:
Call Natina Parker at 610.705-3301
or Joanne Class at 610.327.9203
or stop by the Aging & Adult Services and TCN office at 260 East High Street –
right across from the Farmers’ Market, next to the clock tower parking lot.
 
Thank you for your generosity!

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