The Crary Art Gallery and Warren-based Friends of Allegheny Wilderness will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act with an exhibition they organized called, “Wilderness at 50: Photographic Reflections on the Legacy of Tionesta Visionary Howard Zahniser.”

The show honors the author of the Wilderness Act and Tionesta native Howard Zahniser, with images of wild lands sent to the Crary by world-class nature photographers from around the country.

The two organizations worked hard to bring to Warren the photography of luminaries Craig Blacklock, Clyde Butcher, Robert Clements, Kevin Ebi, Robbie George, Stephen Gorman, Robert Glenn Ketchum, Scot Miller, David Muench, Marc Muench and Mark Muse.

In addition to featuring wilderness all around the nation, the show will feature the winners of a photography contest run by the two non-profit organizations, profiling the two designated wilderness areas in nearby Allegheny National Forest, the Hickory Creek and Allegheny Islands Wilderness Areas. Two images from each of the two areas were selected.

The winning entries of Hickory Creek Wilderness were shot by Judy Cole Blank of Warren and Mark Hulings of Corry. Piper VanOrd of Irvine had two winning photos of Allegheny Islands. These winners, whose works were selected for their artistic merit from among 20 other very strong entries, will now show their photos alongside some from the top photographers in the world.

A commemorative catalog with reproductions of many of the photos in the show will be available at the gallery when the exhibition is running.

August 30 Reception

Four of the nine professional photographers have plans to travel from as far away as the Seattle area and South Dakota to attend the opening reception on August 30. The public is invited to the opening events, with speakers Dr. Mathias Zahniser and Bill Meadows starting at 2 p.m., followed by a catered reception from 5 to 8 p.m.

All events are free, and the doors are always open to the public for free during open hours.

For more information, visit the Crary Art Gallery Wilderness at 50 webpage.  Works by all the photographers can be seen on the Crary Art Gallery website.

8/11/2014