May 25, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, please contact:

Barbara Hollander, SAMA-Altoona Coordinator

(814) 946-4464

Travis Mearns, Public Relations Coordinator

(724) 238-6015

SAMA-ALTOONA OPENS NEW PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION

Altoona—The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Altoona is pleased to announce the opening of its latest photography exhibition, Four Lenses-Four Views: Gary Baranec, Sandra Halpern, Steve Root, and Bernard Schilling. The exhibition, on view at the Museum now through August 19, features four Pennsylvania artists who come from disparate backgrounds and use widely varying styles. Despite their differences, however, each of these artists routinely delivers poignant, striking and thought provoking images. From photo-realism to the abstract photo collage, this exhibition features many of the diverse styles and techniques that make photography such a popular and accessible medium.

"The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art is providing the unique opportunity for our public to embrace four diverse styles of photography," said Barbara Hollander, SAMA-Altoona Coordinator. "Our region is rich in local talent, and these artists have emerged as some of the strongest, newest voices. I invite you to witness the diversity, depth and power in this exhibition."

Gary Baranec resides in Altoona and has worked as a photographer for the Altoona Mirror since 1983. For the past seven years, he has taught Communications classes in basic photography and photojournalism at Penn State Altoona. He also co-teaches a student newspaper class at the school acting as photo advisor/coach. Baranec, who has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Arizona State University, has received numerous awards for his work including four first-place Keystone Press Awards and a Golden Quill Award for sports photography.

Sandra Halpern’s talents as a professional photographer are founded in her college education and solidified by formal training at the Art Institute of Atlanta. She apprenticed with a master photographer and continues to refine her skills with professional education. Halpern spent many years in Dallas, Texas specializing in weddings and portraits. Now transplanted to the north, her focus has shifted to nature photography.

Steve Root is a licensed clinical social worker who resides in Altoona. His style of photography is a modern abstraction of photo collage reflected in seeming minutiae, which expands into a realm of universal possibilities upon closer examination. Root’s work has been shown at SAMA as well as the Blair County Arts Festival and the Artists Open Studio Tour.

Bernard Schilling is a photographer specializing in stylized black and white portrait photography and fine art figure photography. A winner of three Kodak Awards, his work has been collected, published, and exhibited in galleries and museums across the country. A photographer for more than 15 years, Schilling has photographed such noted people as Vice President Al Gore, artist and musician David Byrne of the Talking Heads, actor Matthew McConaughey, film directors John Waters and Spike Lee, and artist Andres Serrano. Some of his more notable subjects, such as McConaughey, Lee, and Byrne, will be featured in the exhibition.

Also on view at the Museum is the exhibit The Art of Peter Frantz. Blair County native Frantz is an acclaimed sculptor known for his eclectic, inspiring and self-assured style. His art is creative and forceful, blending rich technique into the turbulent spirit of contemporary American sculpture. The Art of Peter Frantz will remain on view through August 5.

The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Altoona is located in the Brett Building at 1210 Eleventh Avenue. The Museum is a handicapped-accessible facility and is open to the public free of charge. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. weekends. For more information, call the Museum or visit www.sama-art.org.