BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Oil on paper, acrylic on canvas, collage of screenprints and cast paper relief.
Twenty-five works from Cedar Crest College students completed during their time enrolled in studio art courses have found a temporary home along the first-floor hallway of Moravian Village’s Point 26 Suites in North Bethlehem.
Though the “Main Street Gallery” tradition has been going on for nearly two decades to engage residents of the retirement community, it’s the first time college students have been brought in to share their creations.
On Friday, Moravian Village unveiled art from students Nikayah Hill, Naeyli Fernandez, Hannah Medina, Nadeen Nassar, Shayla Simek, Alyssa Hackman, Ava Wagner, Jewels Albert, Nicole Bentley, Hailee Bloch, Adriana Dias, Abena Nettles, Laura Blanco and Alexandrea Bennet.
'A new sense of value'
Professor and Art Department Chairwoman Jill Odegaard, who’s been with Cedar Crest for more than two decades, said the event makes for a great exhibition experience for the students.
They're able to detail the creative process behind their efforts and answer questions from those who were interested, Odegaard said.
“Taking it out of the classroom and studio and displaying it, it finds a new sense of value,” she said. “It sort of validates it in a way and further defines its purpose.”
Jason Lipow, Cedar Crest assistant professor of art, said a number of the students have multiple pieces on display, as they’ve been able to branch off into other endeavors that are less “assignment-based.”
One of those students is Naeyli Fernandez, a Reading, Berks County, native who’s a senior art major.
One of her works, “Angry Triangles Triptych,” was not just a piece involving oil on canvas and a play on simple shapes.
“It’s a big experiment in color, because there are a lot of color relationships that I made in this painting — but I didn’t even realize in the midst of painting it."Cedar Crest art major Naeyli Fernandez, on her work, "Angry Triangles Triptych"
The “hard-edge, geometrical abstraction” was “one of her babies,” she said.
“It’s a big experiment in color because there are a lot of color relationships that I made in this painting — but I didn’t even realize in the midst of painting it,” Fernandez said.
“It was one of the first paintings that I did that I really explored in that field, and that’s why it means a lot to me.”
Nadeen Nassar, who’s from Allentown and majors in art and minors in business, said her linoleum print “Daisies” was an effort from her first time taking a printmaking course.
“To make this, I cut an image into a piece of linoleum and I added ink to it, and then I stamped it onto a piece of paper,” Nassar said.
“And most of my subject matter in the paintings, which I usually do, is organic subject matter … So [this was] something very new to me, but it was one of my favorite projects.”
Other artists welcome to help continue tradition
Moravian Village Executive Director Tracy Patton, who was away on vacation during the event, interviewed with Moravian Village Communications Director Jennifer Glose beforehand.
Glose read Patton’s remarks, where she recalled the humble beginnings of the retirement community on Wood Street.
“We had so many artists in the Moravian Village community, like residents who were actual artists, who were willing to bring some color to our walls,” Glose read.
“So imagine so many folks moving in at one time, right-sizing their lives for the next chapter and wanting to share part of their past with their future.”
“We had so many artists in the Moravian Village community, like residents who were actual artists, who were willing to bring some color to our walls."Moravian Village Executive Director Tracy Patton
She also said the event provides an opportunity for collaboration between “young adults coming of age” and “experienced seniors” that may even lead to future internships, classes on-site and more programs for the community’s residents.
Glose said the Main Street Gallery has been host to the work of several other artists over the years, including a collection from a therapeutic art studio, a photography exhibit highlighting the rustic elements of the Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces, the work of a local blind artist and even creations from the community’s own collections from their travels.
Nancy Young, village resident and coordinator for the art gallery, said she wants to hear from anyone interested in having their work displayed — and she welcomes a variety of creations.
