December 21, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, please contact:
Travis Mearns, Public Relations Coordinator

(724) 238-6015

SAMA-LORETTO TO EXHIBIT FATHER, DAUGHTER RETROSPECTIVE 

            Loretto – The latest exhibition at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Loretto has some family appeal. In Landscape Passages: The Works of Susan Nicholas Gephart and Thomas C. Nicholas Jr., SAMA exhibits a father-daughter retrospective that was a lifetime in the making. The exhibition of beautiful pastels, oils and mixed media works will be on view in the Museum’s Margery Wolf Kuhn balcony gallery through June 3.

            This father and daughter team has inspired each other as creative spirits throughout their lives, so much so that Susan kept her father’s name in hope of someday encouraging his artistic talent. She reflects on memories of family travels, diverse musical interests of her five brothers, and growing up in an old farmhouse nestled in the woods as catalysts that have fostered her appreciation for adventure, discovery and the environment – all three aspects very visible in and consequential to her career as an artist.

            Upon his retirement in the mid ‘80s, following 43 years of service with Philadelphia Electric Company, Thomas began painting and exhibiting alongside his daughter. He attributes his artistic success to his background as a draftsman, years of self study, and valuable advice in pastel painting given by his daughter. Gephart is well-known as an award-winning artist whose work has been exhibited and collected extensively.

            A resident of Bellefonte, Gephart has an Associate Degree in art from Montgomery County Community College and is a 1979 B.FA graduate of The Pennsylvania State University. Her deep appreciation of the earth is seen in her colorful, impressionistic pastels and oils, mostly painted “en plein air,” a French expression meaning “in the open air.” Over the past thirty years, she has shown her award-winning landscapes with The Pastel Society of America, Art of the State: Pennsylvania, and has won Best of Show in the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Her works are included in the permanent collections of The Penn Stater Conference Center and the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art.

            In addition to creating art, Gephart is focused on bringing art to the public and creating environmental awareness through her landscape paintings. She has worked for more than 20 years coordinating exhibits for the Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania. She also donates art to The Clearwater Conservatory, is a member of both the Centre County Farmland Trust and the Farmland Preservation Artists, and is currently Vice President of the Central Pennsylvania Pastel Society. Her love of the land, art, and children has inspired Gephart to sponsor the annual David Hopkins Memorial Scholarship for student artists.

            Landscape Passages features works that have been created over the last 30 years, including several new works created by Gephart especially for this exhibition. The featured works come from the artists’ collections, as well as private collections across the United States and SAMA’s permanent collection.

            The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Loretto is located on the campus of Saint Francis University. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. weekends. The Museum is open to the public free of charge. For more information, please call (814) 472-3920 or visit www.sama-art.org.