{"id":126819,"date":"2024-01-26T16:30:03","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T21:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=126819"},"modified":"2024-01-26T16:30:03","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T21:30:03","slug":"artsquests-newest-interactive-and-sensory-friendly-art-exhibit-bear-in-mind-opening-at-the-banana-factory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=126819","title":{"rendered":"ArtsQuest\u2019s Newest Interactive and Sensory Friendly Art Exhibit, Bear In Mind, Opening at The Banana Factory"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bethlehem, PA, January 26, 2024 \u2013\u00a0ArtsQuest<\/a>\u00a0provides access to the arts for all and is excited to announce an upcoming interactive and sensory friendly art exhibit,\u00a0Bear In Mind<\/em>\u00a0coming to The Banana Factory this weekend.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re excited for this new exhibit that is both interactive and sensory friendly,\u201d commented Lisa Harms, Senior Director Arts and Education at ArtsQuest. \u201cExhibitions like\u00a0Bear In Mind<\/em>\u00a0help to increase access to the arts for people of all ages in our communities. We also encourage engagement with our \u201cTouch Collection\u201d of artwork and musical instruments intended to promote self-exploration and relaxation.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to being a key component for art exhibits like these, ArtsQuest\u2019s All-ACCESSible Arts Program also features a sensory space in the artist galleries with a \u201ctouch collection\u201d of art to allow hands-on art exploration in a calm environment with dim lighting and low auditory stimulation. The program also supports the well-being of students through social and emotional programming during the ArtSmart and Teen Takeover after-school arts enrichment programs by teaching students strategies for incorporating mindfulness into their daily lives through art practices.<\/p>\n

Bear In Mind<\/em>\u00a0will run from\u00a0Sat. Jan 27 through Sunday April 7 of 2024 in the Crayola Gallery at the Banana Factory. The artist – THECOLORG is a millennial feminine queer interdisciplinary artist and professional arts administrator\u00a0based in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cBringing together my \u2018fine art\u2019 studio practice and traditionally \u2018craft\u2019 plushie making hustle \u2013\u00a0Bear in Mind<\/em>\u00a0exhibits 30+ handmade and sentimental memory bears situated on swings to symbolize a back-and-forth playfulness present in creative labor and recalling memories (the past) through materials to understand the present,\u201d commented THECOLORG. \u201cWith the Banana Factory’s history of production and labor and its current identity as an arts center,\u00a0Bear In Mind\u00a0<\/em>considers the past, present and future of the space through its reference to labor, material production and playful presence in the gallery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bear In Mind<\/em>\u00a0is a reminder that Bethlehem’s history in the production of steel and distribution of goods helped to build a middle-class economy, and that our personal histories are a map toward how we can work together to build a more equitable future. For more information on THECOLORG, visit\u00a0thecolorg.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About ArtsQuest\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

ArtsQuest\u2019s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest\u2122 supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the Banana Factory Arts Center; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest\u2019s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization\u2019s programs and events, of which over 50% are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.<\/p>\n

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Information provided to TVL by:
\nJennifer LoConte
\nDirector of Communications
\nArtsQuest
\nhttp:\/\/www.artsquest.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bethlehem, PA, January 26, 2024 \u2013\u00a0ArtsQuest\u00a0provides access to the arts for all and is excited to announce an upcoming interactive and sensory friendly art exhibit,\u00a0Bear In Mind\u00a0coming to The Banana … Continue reading ArtsQuest\u2019s Newest Interactive and Sensory Friendly Art Exhibit, Bear In Mind, Opening at The Banana Factory<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":126820,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/bear-in-mind.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126819"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=126819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/126820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=126819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=126819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=126819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}