Message from the President

While our magnificent permanent art collection is at the core of the educational mission of the Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley, the role of special exhibitions from elsewhere has become an important factor in recent years as a vehicle for reinvigorating membership and attendance.  At the re-opening of the Museum in mid-October of 2011 we launched our special exhibition program with a timely and extraordinary exhibition of Renaissance and Baroque Old Masters that gave tribute to one of our greatest benefactors, Samuel H. Kress.

We are now immersed in a very different, yet equally exciting special exhibition.  Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present, which runs through May 13, is an exhibition of approximately 175 iconic photographic images of the legendary stars of the rock and roll era covering the past half century.

Immediately following Who Shot Rock & Roll, another special exhibition will open at the Art Museum, At the Edge: Art of the Fantastic.  Opening June 3 and hanging through September 9, At the Edge is a landmark special exhibition for the Allentown Art Museum as the largest assembly of original fantasy art ever brought together in the United States.  From William Blake in the late 18th century to twentieth century comic book illustrators, fantasy artists have provided us with visionary, surreal, bewildering yet powerful images and illustrations that transcend our earthly experience.  Today, books, magazines, film, television and other media and games all employ fantasy artists that carry us away to the future or take us back in time.

Organized and curated by Patrick and Jeannie Wilshire, founders of IlluXCon in Altoona, Pennsylvania, At the Edge brings together over 150 original works of art, both historic and contemporary.  Behind the original art are famous professional artists who have expanded our imaginations and played significant roles in the field of illustration, animation, film, television and other visual media.  In September of 2013, IlluXCon, the annual five-day gathering of fantasy artists from around the world, will relocate to the Allentown Art Museum.

Other special exhibitions on view during the time of this newsletter include Walter Baum and His Circle, curated by Martha “Missy” Saxton, Ph.D. and a solo exhibition of the photography of Lydia Panas, a contemporary Lehigh Valley photographer with an international following.

Lastly, let me remind everyone that our annual Gala, to be held on Saturday, April 14 of this year at the Allentown Art Museum, will honor SOTA, the Society of The Arts, our dedicated volunteer and service organization that will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2014.  This will be our first Gala in the newly renovated art museum and a very special occasion, given the pivotal role that SOTA has played in the history of the art museum.

J. Brooks Joyner
The Priscilla Payne Hurd President and CEO