BETHLEHEM, PA—As ArtPop prepares to kick off its fifth year, the billboard competition\u2019s two Pennsylvania programs are joining together to strengthen and expand the popular public art initiative, opening the competition to an 11-county region and adding in a $500 cash scholarship for the winner of the ArtPop high school competition. In addition, Kutztown University is offering a $2,500 scholarship if the winning high school student enrolls in a Kutztown University degree program. Entries for the annual artist competition, which features works shown on Adams Outdoor Advertising billboards throughout the region, will be accepted Sept. 21-Nov. 9.<\/p>\n
Launched in 2014, ArtPop is a public art initiative that showcases the work of area artists on Adams billboards for an entire year. For the past several years, Adams has partnered with the ArtPop Street Gallery, Pocono Arts Council and ArtsQuest\u2019s Banana Factory Arts Center to offer two different ArtPop competitions \u2013 one in the Poconos and another in the Lehigh Valley. Starting this year, all of the partners will join together for \u201cArtPop Eastern Pennsylvania,\u201d open to artists from suburban Philadelphia to the Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton region.<\/p>\n
\u201cArtPop has been very well received by both the arts community and the public since its inception, with the program\u2019s footprint and the number of participating artists growing with each passing year,\u201d says Adams Outdoor Advertising General Manager Tony Cioffi. \u201cWith Adams Outdoor Advertising joining our two Eastern Pennsylvania offices in early October, this is the ideal time to bring all of the ArtPop partners together into one dynamic public art initiative that has widespread appeal and impact.<\/p>\n
\u201cEastern Pennsylvania is home to a diverse array of talented artists and we are excited to showcase just a few of them through this competition. We\u2019re also thrilled to provide our first cash scholarship, good for any college or university, to the high school student who wins our scholastic competition and honored that the Kutztown University Foundation has increased its scholarship money available to students.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kutztown University Foundation Executive Director Alex Ogeka says the university has a history steeped in the arts and is proud to continue its support of ArtPop, which directly relates to the objectives of the recently established Kutztown University Arts Society. \u201cSince arriving at Kutztown University, University President Dr. Kenneth Hawkinson has made it a primary goal to advance and support the visual and performing arts for not only the university but the local community as a whole,\u201d says Ogeka.<\/p>\n
With ArtPop, artists are invited to submit works of art to be considered for one of 12 Adams billboards throughout the region. Eleven artists, including the high school competition winner, are selected by the official ArtPop jurying committee, while the final winner is chosen via a public vote. The 2019 ArtPop competition is open to artists residing in Berks, Bucks, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Pike and Wayne counties in Pennsylvania, as well as Warren County in New Jersey.<\/p>\n
All ArtPop winners, with the exception of the People\u2019s Choice Winner, will be selected by the ArtPop jurying panel in early November. From Nov. 13-16, the public can vote online at www.bananafactory.org\/artpop<\/a> for its favorite work for the People\u2019s Choice Winner. All winners will then be announced Dec. 13, 5:30 p.m., at the Stroudsmoor Country Inn in Stroudsburg.<\/p>\n \u201cThe feedback I\u2019ve been receiving about the new ArtPop format is overwhelmingly positive,\u201d says Susan Randall, Executive Director of the Pocono Arts Council. \u201cThanks to the generosity of Adams Outdoor Advertising, ArtPop has widened the audience and local art is now able to be shared across much of Eastern Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Pocono region is the proud birthplace for this program, with the original concept for ArtPop evolving out of a program we partnered with ArtPop Founder Wendy Hickey on when she was with Adams Outdoor Advertising 2002. Our board of directors, staff and members of the Pocono Arts Council are pleased to watch ArtPop bloom and grow. \u00a0We are also excited about hosting the artists’ reception at Stroudsmoor Country Inn in Stroudsburg – the place where it all began!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jurors for this year\u2019s ArtPop competition are:<\/p>\n – Nichole Smith, Graphic Designer, Adams Outdoor Advertising<\/p>\n – Wendy Hickey, Executive Director, ArtPop Street Gallery<\/p>\n – Stacie Brennan, Senior Director of Visual Arts, ArtsQuest – Erin Anderson, ArtPop Lehigh Valley Class of 2017<\/p>\n – Judith Moeller, ArtPop Pocono Class of 2017<\/p>\n – Theo Anderson, ArtPop Lehigh Valley Class of 2015<\/p>\n – Jason Williamson, ArtPop Pocono Class of 2017<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Artists interested in participating in the ArtPop competition should submit a digital image of their two-dimensional or three-dimensional work online at www.bananafactory.org\/artpop<\/a>. Artists must provide their name, complete address, email address, title and mediums of the original work of art and a one-paragraph biography. Cost to enter the competition is $20 for adults and $10 for high school students; complete information on the dimensions and technical specifications are available on the website.<\/p>\n \u201cArtsQuest is proud to continue partnering on the ArtPop competition and excited to expand the program this year with our partners at the Pocono Arts Council,\u201d says ArtsQuest Sr. Director of Visual Arts Stacie Brennan. \u201cThis is an impactful program that connects artists with an incredible opportunity to showcase their talent, and it brings awareness and attention to the diverse artistic and cultural community in our region.<\/p>\n \u201cArtPop provides a platform to share the work of artists with a broad audience, and our program was the first ArtPop program in the country to provide emerging artists from area high schools with this unique professional growth opportunity via the high school competition. We are grateful to be part of this program that places art in unique and unexpected locations that help beautify our communities, as well as make art accessible and available to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n ArtPop 2019 competition dates and deadlines are below; winners\u2019 works will be installed on Adams billboards in early January:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sept. 21 \u2013 Submission process opens –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Nov. 13-16 – Public vote for People\u2019s Choice Winner<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dec. 13 – All ArtPop 2019 winners announced<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe at ArtPop Street Gallery are looking forward to our fifth year in promoting local artists work and making art accessible to the Eastern PA community,\u201d says ArtPop Street Galley Founder Wendy Hickey. \u201cThank you to Adams Outdoor Advertising, the Banana Factory and Pocono Arts Council for their continued support to make this possible.\u201d<\/p>\n For complete information on ArtPop and the official Artwork Submission Specifications Sheet, visit www.bananafactory.org\/artpop<\/a> or like\/follow ArtPop on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. #enjoyyourcommute #artpopeasternpa<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Information and images provided to TVL by: <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n– Susan Randall, Executive Director, Pocono Arts Council<\/p>\n
\n–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Nov. 9 – Deadline for artists to submit work<\/p>\n
\nMark Demko, ArtsQuest
\nhttp:\/\/www.artsquest.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n
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