Photo Courtesy of Laurel Arts

The mission of Laurel Arts, according to their website, is “…to promote, exhibit, collect and preserve multi-disciplinary art, to foster the creative process of individuals and groups, to provide cultural diversity and accessibility to a broad scope of arts for people of all ages in Somerset County in particular, and to interface with people in any geographical area that may share in the mission of Laurel Arts.” Mike Oliver, Executive Director of Laurel Arts, agrees, “As a rural arts organization, we are extremely proud of the quality and quantity of the arts opportunities that we provide to the residents of Somerset County and the surrounding areas.  I am confident in saying that the talent of our instructors and local artists rival that of those in bigger cities.”

This holiday season, the Laurel Arts Center in Somerset offers many activities for the entire family to enjoy. But it is also important to note that the Laurel Arts Center has ongoing classes and various other activities year-round, for a wide range of interests and ages.  Laurel Arts also features galleries in the Philip Dressler Center for the Arts, which was built in 1832 by Sheriff Joseph Imhoff. Dorothy B. Dressler offered the home in memory of her husband, to be used to help create the first non-profit, fully-staffed rural arts center in Pennsylvania.

Laurel Arts has a myriad of special activities available for the entire family this holiday season. Their Christmas Craft Shoppe is open until December 20^th, and features locally made craft items as well as gift baskets. There is also a special “chance” auction with tickets available.

The Laurel Arts Center is home to a wide range of activities for every age. There are classes available for children and adults, ranging from dance and painting, photography, card-making and stained-glass, to cooking and jewelry-making. Most of the offered classes are once a week and meet for several weeks, with variable pricing, depending on the class and the materials. Mr. Oliver explains, “The opportunities that are available on a regular basis are too numerous to mention here but whether you are a senior citizen who finally has the time to learn to paint or a parent with young children who want to dance, Laurel Arts has something for you!”

Laurel Arts is also the host of “Somerfest”, which has been a 30 year ongoing tradition in the region. Somerfest, which occurs in July, features Jazz, Bluegrass, Country and Rock music, as well as crafts, children’s areas and activities, and takes place at the Dressler Center.

The second floor of the Dressler Center is now home to the Guild of American Papercutters (GAP) Museum, where viewers can see work done by both amateur and professional papercutters, in color, collage, single layer and sculpted art. There is no admission fee, but donations are accepted.

It is also important to mention that Laurel Arts sponsors several scholarships for local high school students. These scholarships are available to Somerset High School students who have excelled in the field of Fine Arts (which can include music, dance, drama, visual arts or creative writing). These scholarships include the Dorothy B. Dressler Scholarship Fund, The Myron and Inez Fetterolf Award for Excellence in the Arts, and the Locklin Award for Excellence in the Arts.

Individuals and families may also want to consider a membership to Laurel Arts. Memberships are available in different levels, offering discounts to seniors and students. Memberships are also available for families, friends and individuals, and include benefits such as bi-monthly newsletters, discounts on camps and classes, event admissions and passes to Somerfest. Anyone interested in becoming a member can contact Laurel Arts at (814) 443-2433 or email Annie at annie@laurelarts.com for any additional questions or information.

You can visit Laurel Arts on the web at www.laurelarts.org

Shelley Johansson, Director of Communications and Marketing for the Johnstown Area Heritage Association, explains, “This is our third year of offering this program, and it’s already become a tradition. We see a lot of families with older children, many who are part of one of the ethnic groups featured in the tour, and adults with older parents.”

The Wagner house was built in the 1860s by German immigrants, of whom three generations resided before the house was donated to JAHA in the 1990s. The house survived the Johnstown flood, was restored to its original appearance, and opened as a museum in 2004.

The Immigrant Christmas Traditions tour begins at the Heritage Discovery Center with a presentation. Coffee and confections from the four represented countries will be available for the guests to sample.

Several children’s crafts will be featured as well, including the Italian “Urn of Fate” and a “Calennig”. Hungarian crafts (as well as a discussion) will also be available, including “Betlehemzes” and “Lupa Nap”.

Ms. Johansson also notes that, ”People are looking for meaningful ways to spend time together at Christmas, and looking back at the ways Johnstown’s ethnic groups might have celebrated is a great way to do that.”

After the conclusion of the tour and crafts at the Heritage Discovery Center, attendees will walk to the Wagner-Ritter house, which will be decorated this Christmas as it would have been for Christmas in the 1800s. Once at the house, there will be a presentation on German Catholic traditions, as well as a guided tour.

The tours will be offered at noon and 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 10-11 and 17-18, and will begin at the Heritage Discovery Center. Tickets for adults are $10 for JAHA members and $12 for non-members; for children aged 3-17, $5 for members and $7 for non-members. Reservations are recommended, as many tours sold out in 2010 – call 814-539-1889. Click Here for more information on the Johnstown Area Heritage Association.

Click Here for directions to the Johnstown Heritage Discovery Center.

The developing arts district in Johnstown’s Cambria City neighborhood will soon be getting even brighter. For the past six months, volunteers have been collaborating on a large-scale mosaic on the front of BOTTLE WORKS Ethnic Arts Center. The mosaic, which depicts images of tulips, celebrates both the local community that helped create it and BOTTLE WORKS’ former life as the Tulip Bottling Company. On July 9^th and 10^th, BOTTLE WORKS will be hosting a festival to celebrate the unveiling of the Tulip Mosaic.

“…this mosaic is something we hope the whole community can take pride in. We’re holding this festival to both thank the community for their help and celebrate the result of their dedication,” says Kaileigh Sorchilla, Activities Director for BOTTLE WORKS.

The Tulip Festival will feature a wide range of activities and events for adults as well as children, including live music, food, a mosaic workshop and other crafts and dance performances.

For children ages five to ten, there will be a costume contest and runway show. Costumes should be flower or garden themed, and categories for prizes include “most colorful”, “most flowery”, “most fun”, “best use of recycled materials” and “most original”.

“We hope that seeing the finished mosaic will encourage people to get involved with other volunteer efforts in the future: Johnstown has a lot to offer, and this mosaic is just one example of how our community can pull together and create something beautiful,” states Sorchilla.

The festival will take place on Saturday, July 9^th from 12-9PM and Sunday July 10^th from 1-5PM. For more details, visit the Facebook event page. Click here for a map to the BOTTLE WORKS Ethnic Arts Center (which is located at 441 Third Avenue, Johnstown, PA).

You can read more about BOTTLE WORKS in our Do Johnstown! article featuring the center.

Photograph courtesy of Erika Law

The vibrant arts community of Johnstown has become more and more visible in recent years. And much of this is thanks to local groups and collectives of musicians, performers, visual artists and writers. One such group, (un)apologetic productions, a community based arts organization in Johnstown, will be promoting creativity and awareness of our area’s arts scene at RagBag! A Family Friendly Festival of Creativity on Saturday, June 18^th. The festival will take place at the Roxbury Bandshell.

The event, which lasts from noon until 7PM, will feature live music, interactive children’s theater, crafts, a silent auction with baskets and products from local businesses, demonstrations, and more. Musicians who will be featured on the stage include Jenny Drummey, Savanna Dawn, and EVK. Demonstrations include Fun with Science and Hooping with Dorien. Food and beverages will be available throughout the day.

“[The festival] is part of (un)apologetic productions’ ongoing campaign to foster the recognition of the importance of the arts in the Johnstown community,” says Lindsay St. Clair, a member of the group.

The festival and all its activities are free to attend and perfect for all ages. Donations are strongly encouraged, with proceeds benefiting (un)apologetic productions, a non-profit organization.

The Roxbury Bandshell is located in the Roxbury neighborhood of Johnstown. Click here for a map.

More information about the event and other (un)apologetic productions events, visit their Facebook page, their website, or email them at unapologeticproductions@gmail.com.

A tradition that started in the 1940s, the maple festival brings in crowds to celebrate maple syrup, local talent, history and small town life.

Visitors can take a tour of Maple Manor and attend a performance of The Legend of the Magic Water, a pageant telling the story of maple syrup’s history. For a more sensory educational experience, tours of a real “sugar shack” provide live demonstrations of maple syrup productions. The sugar shack is also where you can find spotza – a local taffy-like treat made from boiling syrup poured over shaved ice.

Local crafters show off their talents in the Quilt Show, the Maple Fair and amongst the many vendor stands where handcrafted items can be purchased.

Of course, no festival could be complete without plenty to eat. The Lions Club offers their famous pancake and sausage breakfast at the Meyersdale Lions Pancake House. Maple syrup, sugar and candies can be purchased at several locations around the festival. A variety of festival foods are also available.

Other events in the maple festival include a parade, the Maple Festival Dance, a horse pulling contest, the Maple Run 5K, and an antique auto show.

Starting on March 26, the Pennsylvania Maple Festival continues through April 3. The festival is located throughout downtown Meyersdale, centered in Festival Park. Click here for a map of Meyersdale.

For more information, visit the PA Maple Festival website or call (814) 634-0213. Click here to view pictures taken during last year’s Maple Festival in the Do Johnstown! Flickr photostream.

When thinking about a trip to the art museum, you may immediately start thinking about a trip to Pittsburgh. Or maybe as far as Cleveland or Baltimore. But you don’t have to go to a big city to take in works of fine art. The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art (SAMA) brings exhibitions right to us, with four gallery locations in the region. Exhibiting art collections from across the country, as well as works from local artists, SAMA brings culture and art appreciation within the reach of everyone.

Additionally, SAMA offers educational arts programs for children as well as adults. This includes programs with local schools, home school classes, lecture series, workshops, and more.

Current SAMA exhibitions include:

• In Johnstown’s gallery: What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been: Selections from the Mark del Costello Poster Collection, running through May 13, 2011.
• In Altoona’s gallery: The Permanent Collection: Recent acquisitions, running through March 26, 2011.
• In Loretto’s gallery: Biennial 2010, running through February 19, 2011. A Decade of Paintings, 2000-2010: Selected Works by Michael M. Strueber, running through June 11, 2011.

A student art exhibition will be opening at Ligonier’s location on February 25, 2011.

SAMA’s Johnstown gallery is located at the Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Click here for a map. Regular hours are: Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. There are also SAMA gallery locations in Altoona, Ligonier Valley, and Loretto.

More information and directions to all of SAMA’s locations can be found at www.sama-art.org.

Photograph courtesy of ART WORKS

Our local arts community is on the rise, and one of the places this is most apparent is ART WORKS in Johnstown. The offshoot of BOTTLEWORKS now stands on its own in its Cambria City location. And whether you are interested in seeing art or making it, ART WORKS has something to offer. ART WORKS includes four artist studios, a gallery, and areas for classes and performances.

Theresa Gay Rohall, Executive Director at ART WORKS, tries to have something new in the gallery at least every six weeks. The next gallery show, opening on January 21^st and running through February 26^th, is titled “Making It Better: Folk Art in Pennsylvania Today.” The show is a traveling exhibit about art and tradition in our state being brought to Johnstown in conjunction with BOTTLEWORKS.

“We’re going to have three of the five [displays] in ART WORKS,” says Theresa. The displays in ART WORKS will cover topics including “creating social changes and awareness,” “practicing spirituality,” which will be about Native American culture, and “living creativity in your world.”

The following gallery show, opening on March 11^th, will feature recent IUP graduate Heather Thompson showing jewelry she created for her Master’s thesis.

The gallery shows are free to the public.

In addition to the gallery shows, ART WORKS offers art programs to the public. “We’re working on things for young children; a mother-and-me kind of art program,” says Theresa. This program will be run by James and Beth Elston. James is also one of the current studio artists at ART WORKS.

The Elstons will also be setting up events called “Spontaneous Combustion” about once a month, which will give local artists a chance to come together. “There will be music and snacks. Artists work independently on their projects, but in the collective creative atmosphere,” says Theresa.

ART WORKS is located at 413 Third Avenue, Suite 100 in Johnstown’s Cambria City neighborhood. Click here for a map. Regular hours are: Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM; Saturday, 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

For more information or to be put on their email newsletter list, call (814) 535-2020 or email info@artworksinjohnstown.org. Upcoming events can also be found on ART WORKS’ Facebook page.

This year’s event is open to the public Saturday and Sunday (September 4^th and 5^th, 2010) from 10:30AM to 6:00PM. Admission is free.

The festival, now in its 40^th year, is held annually at the Community Arts Center, located at 1217 Menoher Boulevard, in Johnstown, PA’s Westmont neighborhood (click here for a map to the Community Arts Center, Johnstown, PA).

Free parking is available at the Memorial Medical Center parking lot on Menoher Boulevard, approximately ¼ mile away from the Community Arts Center (click here for a map to the Memorial Medical Center parking lot), with free shuttle transportation running every 10-15 minutes.

The Log House Arts Festival has historically been one of the best ways to spend the day with friends or family, featuring great food, live music performances and a children’s area with face-painting and crafts for the little ones.

For more information, including photos from previous years’ events, visit the “Events” page on the Community Arts Center’s website.

“We are a little different than just an art gallery,” said Jessica Stewart, Activity Director. “Our mission drives what we are trying to do each day. This is a space for a very diverse group of people—not just those that are generally interested in the arts. This is for the entire community to come and enjoy.”

The organization exhibits artwork through both permanent and temporary displays, with new work brought in monthly. Over the years, the artwork shown has included portrait artists, mosaics, photography and historical exhibits, to name just a few.

But there is much more to the Arts Center than the artwork on display. In addition to the gallery, the facility features a theatre and studios which are used for a host of functions, including performances, workshops, cooking classes, lectures and more. “We don’t believe ‘art’ needs to be defined as ‘fine arts’,” said Jessica. “People don’t always see that the fact that their grandmother taught them to cook pierogies as an art; but we do.”

Another active part of the BOTTLE WORKS calendar is the various festivals they hold throughout the year, for which they select a particular ethnic group and structure a day- or weekend-long event around that cultural heritage.  This includes representative artwork and exhibitions and the availability of related music, food and crafts.

The exhibits are always open to the public for free, but there are fees associated with classes, etc. For an up-to-date listing of coming events, visit the BOTTLE WORKS “Coming Events” page (we highlight key events in the Do Johnstown! calendar, too).

To learn more, visit the official BOTTLE WORKS Ethnic Arts Center Web site. You can also contact the BOTTLE WORKS by calling (814) 536-5399 or via email at bottleworks (-at-) floodcity.net.

Click here for a map to the BOTTLE WORKS Ethnic Arts Center (which is located at 441 Third Avenue, Johnstown, PA). Regular hours are: Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM; Saturday, 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

It’s once again time for car and bike enthusiasts to bring out their rides. And an old fashioned car cruise-in is just the right setting for car lovers and entertainment seekers to come out and enjoy the sight of rows of classic cars in the warm weather. Add in live music and food, and you’ve got a fun evening for all ages. Windber Friday Night Cruise Ins will offer this opportunity to the community all summer.

Windber Friday Night Cruise Ins will be taking place in downtown Windber select Fridays this summer, starting May 14 and ending August 27. Local vendors will supply food and a live band will perform at the Miner’s Park gazebo each week from 6PM to 9PM.

This is the second year for the event, which brings family-friendly liveliness to Friday nights in Windber. “Windber Friday Night Cruise Ins give you a chance to show off your ride or just come hang out with friends, relax and remember the good old days,” says organizer James Spinos.

Visit the Windber Friday Night Cruise Ins Facebook page for more information.