\u201cEnchantment Under the Sea\u201d, was a visual arts display<\/a> that created a cultural seascape along the library\u2019s walls with freestanding sculptures. Each creature was created from a cardboard base and plastic bags were used to fill the form of the pieces, with tape reinforcing the body of the sculpture and newspapers creating the outside shell using papier mache and acrylic paint. <\/p>\n\u201cWe had an overwhelmingly positive response,\u201d Abdalla said of the opening reception held to kick off the display. \u201cFamily, faculty, staff and students came to view Brook\u2019s work and discuss her artistic process.\u201d<\/p>\n
After that initial event, the initiative received support through Penn State Scranton Chief Academic Officer Durell Johnson, who secured funding for frames and 2D and 3D display pedestals with protective cases, allowing the artwork to be displayed properly.<\/p>\n
Building on the success of that first exhibit and subsequent investment, Abdalla and Thompson-Alban began planning another one. In the fall of 2025, three student artists, Tresse Bender, Matthew Lawler and Rowan Mulligan, exhibited work after taking the courses Intro to Sculpture and Intro to Ceramics, displaying a mixture of ceramic and sculpture pieces.<\/p>\n
That exhibit featured five pieces:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Vision of Luxury,\u201d a sculpture using glasses and rhinestones, by Tressie Bender.
\n\u201cConsumption,\u201d a sculpture using sneakers and recycled materials, by Matthew Lawler.
\n\u201cLotad in Full Bloom,\u201d a sculpture of stoneware and underglazes, by Rowan Mulligan.
\n\u201cFluid Figure,\u201d a sculpture of stoneware and underglazes, by Rowan Mulligan.
\n\u201cSisyphean Spiral,\u201d a clay stoneware piece, by Rowan Mulligan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe library exhibit gives students a space to share artwork they make outside of our campus courses,\u201d Thompson-Alban said. \u201cWe have a lot of talented students here and I love that we are able to give them this space to share their art with the campus.\u201d <\/p>\n
This February, the library held its third art exhibit, the Spring Student Art Showcase, which featured seven students and a collection of works featuring sculptures, paintings, drawings and photos. Teagan Goring, Esther Guevera, Eden Koprowski, Andres Nino, Bobby Resio, Aeshlyn Reyes and Samantha Sanzone submitted artwork in a variety of mediums including sculpture, drawing, acrylic painting and photography.<\/p>\n
\u201cI generally just take pictures to make people feel good or to make myself happy,\u201d said Koprowski, who now has a photograph on display.<\/p>\n
Goring appreciated the opportunity to share her art with the campus community with her mixed media sculpture, \u201cBook and book pages.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do like having my art on display because art is something I\u2019ve always loved doing and it\u2019s great to be able to share that part of me with others,\u201d Goring said.<\/p>\n
Guevera\u2019s drawing of a macaw has a personal meaning to her. \u201cIt\u2019s the national bird of my country, Honduras,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt represents freedom for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nino submitted a painting for the exhibit, \u201cThe Last Happy Little Trees\u201d.<\/p>\n
Resio’s piece titled \u201cFrom the Rot\u201d represents a seeking of light \u2014 \u201ca personal journey rising from hardship and cultivating your own beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reyes\u2019 exhibit \u201cBook, paper, wire, tea, eye shadow\u201d features an open book with butterflies flying out of it and is another creation with a deep meaning for the artist behind it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to challenge myself and create something that truly meant something to me,\u201d Reyes said. \u201cThe butterflies symbolize growth and freedom. The ashy butterflies appear lifeless inside the book, but when it opens, they rise and fly away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanzone\u2019s more modernistic sculpture, \u201cBook with electronic components,\u201d features a large book and circuit boards. \u201cWhat inspired me to use the book was the plot, which was about technology taking over, so it seemed fitting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assistant Teaching Professor of Physics Mario Freamat also has six drawings and paintings on display as well:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Principle of Growth,\u201d an acrylic and pencil on paper.
\n\u201cIda Riemann and the zeta catfish,\u201d acrylic on canvas.
\n\u201cBOUNDARY CONDITION AT THE DAWN OF CALM,\u201d acrylic on paper.
\n\u201cELEANOR\u2019S SOLITUDE,\u201d acrylic on paper.
\n\u201cEN ATTENDANT LA PLUIE,\u201d acrylic and pencil on paper.
\n\u201cVUELVO AL SUR,\u201d acrylic and ink on paper.<\/p>\n
Thompson-Alban hopes to see the exhibits continue to grow, with more students submitting their artwork in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur students are talented in so many ways and when we can give them the opportunity to shine, whether it is academically, athletically or creatively, it is pure gold! That is why we as faculty are all here \u2014 to foster our students\u2019 growth and be there to support them in their Penn State journey. Hopefully that is what this exhibit offers the students,\u201d Thompson-Alban said. <\/p>\n
Although most of the participants submitted work created in a class, work created outside of the classroom setting also can be submitted for these exhibits, which are held twice during the academic year \u2014 once in the fall and again in the spring.<\/p>\n
The spring exhibit will remain on display until the end of the spring semester in May.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DUNMORE, Pa. \u2014 A new collaboration between the campus library and Lecturer in Art Corianne Thompson-Alban and her…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":155340,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[178,180,179],"class_list":["post-155339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155339\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}