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ELECTRIC SCULPTURE & ABSTRACT PORTRAIT EXHIBITS OPEN AT ARTSQUEST CENTER

DATE: April 14, 2011
CONTACT: Mark Demko, ArtsQuest, 610-332-1300, ext. 342, or mdemko@artsquest.org

BETHLEHEM, PA— An abstract photography exhibition inspired by the Bethlehem Steel plant and a unique glass and light wire exhibit are the first two visual arts exhibitions at the ArtsQuest™ Center at SteelStacks™, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem.

The ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, which opens to the public April 15 at 4 p.m., will feature two exhibition spaces hosting shows by renowned and emerging artists throughout the year. "Electric Sculpture," on display in the second-floor Alvin H. Butz Gallery from April 15-July 4, is a collaboration between artist William Middleton, Bethlehem glass sculptor James Harmon and cell biologist Dr. Mindy George. The show is a unique integration of art and science as glass and light wire come together to represent human senses, including sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. The majority of the work in the show was created in the Bethlehem-based Banana Factory's glass studio, with the idea for the exhibition coming from Middleton, who wanted to take the concept of singularity, the powerful yet obscure formless energy of the universe, and turn it into forms of glass lit with moving light.

"I wanted to create something substantial yet without substance, something that had form but was always changing through time. After searching for months, I found Jim Harmon, an exceptionally skilled and artistic glass blower," Middleton says.

"Dr. Weinstein is a cell biologist who has taught neuroanatomy and has lectured on the visual auditory systems," Middleton adds. "She has been helping us to understand the mechanisms and pathways of processing of sensory information on the brain."

"Steel Blossoms: Abstract Portraits of Steel," which will be on display in the first-floor Lee & Stella Yee Family Connect Zone from April 15-July 4, features the work of Bethlehem native Alyssha Eve Csük, a photographer and instructor at Penn State Lehigh Valley and the Banana Factory. The show of abstract photographs and large-scale, hand-crafted ink prints was inspired by Csük's exploration of the former Bethlehem Steel plant that is now the home of the ArtsQuest Center and SteelStacks campus.

"My fascination with the Bethlehem Steel site began on a bike ride in late November 2003. The low, autumnal light casting dramatic shadows across its ruins caught my eye, compelling me to traverse to and around the fence's edge," says Csük, a 2006 photography graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology. "I was captured. The play of light as it filters through a time ravaged labyrinth of an industrial site continually excited my photographer's eye. What a wonderful muse the Bethlehem Steel site has been for me."

Receptions for Electric Sculpture and Steel Blossoms: Abstract Portraits of Steel will take place on Monday, July 4, from 4-8 p.m. For more information on the exhibitions, visit www.artsuest.org or call 610-332-1300.

ABOUT ARTSQUEST

ArtsQuest™ is a Bethlehem, PA-based nonprofit dedicated to presenting music, arts, festivals, cultural experiences and educational and outreach programs that aid in economic development, urban revitalization and community enrichment. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest®; the Banana Factory® cultural arts and education center; and the ArtsQuest Center and SteelStacks™ arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest's programming reaches more than 1.5 million people annually.

For more information on ArtsQuest, visit www.artsquest.org or call 610-332-1300.