On April 12, the Pocono Arts Council announced the award recipients for “The Earth Speaks VII: A Juried Exhibition on the Environmental Crisis” featured in the Community Gallery, 701 Main Street, Suite 402, Stroudsburg, April 19-May 8, 2021.

Art is a powerful tool for expressing ideas and feelings about issues of concern and can be a catalyst for change. Artists, in a variety of mediums, have captured their concern regarding the environmental crisis.

Through art and creative expression, the exhibit will shine a light on man-made issues that pose a threat to our planet, environmental disasters and ideas for solutions.

This year, the public is invited to join in to participate in a virtual conference to share ideas and be challenged and entertained by some of the area’s finest artists, musicians, poets, and environmental activists – all with the common purpose of capturing concern regarding the climate emergency and how it affects our planet.

Zoom Roundtable April 20

Award recipients will be recognized for their work based on the important theme of the climate emergency and will be featured in a roundtable discussion via Zoom on April 20 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The winners include--

-- Juror’s Choice Award: “On the Shoulders of Giants,” Barbara Ayala Rugg Diehl (BARD), Waltham, MA (PHOTO ATTACHED)

-- Kay & Girard Lichty Climate Crisis Award: “California Burning,” Laura Gonzalez, Stroudsburg, PA (PHOTO ATTACHED)

-- Otto Grever Printmaking Award: “Litter Unmasked,” Jack Swersie, Scotrun, PA

-- 2-D Award: “Scar,” Glenn D. Koehler, Jr., Allentown, PA

-- 3-D Award: “idk! the grass is always greener when you water it, but I always forget so I made this,” Jovanni Luna, Brooklyn, NY

-- Photography Award: “Last Look?–Disappearing Glaciers,” Ray Roper, Tannersville, PA

-- Origins Gallery Student Award: “Save The Turtles,” Angelina Kimmins, Kutztown University

Twenty-one  artists submitted 46 pieces to be juried. 26 works were selected to be included in the show from artists residing in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and Massachusetts. Award sponsors for the Earth Speaks VII are PPL Foundation, Mark & Wendy Lichty, Origins Gallery, and the Pocono Arts Council.

Artists Reception April 24

An artists’ reception will be held in the Community Gallery, 701 Main Street, Suite 402, on April 24 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., where awards will be presented and artists recognized. In addition, a virtual conference, “Restore Our Earth,” will precede the art opening, April 20-23, according to the following schedule of events. 

Schedule of Events

-- April 20: Via Zoom, roundtable discussion with award winning artists, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m;

-- April 21: Via Zoom, watch the film, “Fractured State,” followed by a discussion, recognizing the 50-year anniversary of the Environmental Rights Amendment in PA, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m;

-- April 22: Via Zoom, watch the film “Dream On The Farm,” Farm Arts Collective, Damascus, Pa., followed by interview with artistic director Tannis Kowalchuk and a discussion on sustainable farming, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m;

-- April 23: Via Zoom, poetry and music open mic night, featuring the group “Earth Song,” who will perform their original song, “One Earth Song,” plus, an introduction to artists4earth.com, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m;

-- April 24: Live on-site Artists’ Reception & Awards Presentation at the Community Gallery, 701 Main Street, Suite 402, Stroudsburg, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m..

Click Here for the Zoom links to attend.

The awards ceremony will be recorded and available to view on PoconoArts YouTube Channel.

Jurors for the show were Anita Erdős Forrester and Rachael Gorchov. Anita Erdős Forrester is a Geography and Environmental Studies professor at Northampton Community College, where she has taught since 2007. Rachael Gorchov is an Assistant Professor of Fine Art at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pa.

A Virtual Gallery of the Earth Speaks VII artwork will be available online.

For more information about programs, upcoming events and more, visit the Pocono Arts Council website.

(Photos: Juror’s Choice Award: “On the Shoulders of Giants,” Barbara Ayala Rugg Diehl (BARD), Waltham, MA; Kay & Girard Lichty Climate Crisis Award: “California Burning,” Laura Gonzalez, Stroudsburg, PA)

Related Articles - Earth Day:

-- Protecting The Environment For All Pennsylvanians Earth Day Celebration April 22

-- DCNR Blog: Let Earth Day Inspire Lifelong Learning About Our Environment

-- DEP Blog: Tips For A Greener Earth Week And Beyond

-- Ned Smith Center For Nature & Art Celebrates 50th Anniversary Of PA Environmental Rights Amendment

-- PA Parks & Forests Foundation Celebrates 50th Anniversary Of PA Environmental Rights Amendment

-- New Book By Franklin Kury Makes The Case For A Constitutional Right To A Healthy Environment

-- Franklin Kury Previews Upcoming Book Celebrating 50th Anniversary Of PA’s Environmental Rights Amendment

-- PA Council Of Churches To Join Interfaith Partners In Special April 20 Observance Of Earth Day

-- Penn State Environmental Resources Management Program Alumni Wayne Kober Celebrating 50 Years Of Impact, Inspired By First Earth Day

-- Communities Celebrate Earth Day With KPB's Pick Up Pennsylvania Volunteer Cleanups

-- Bucknell University Agnes Revisited - The Performance: Learning To Live With Floods - History, Change, Remembrance, And Resilience April 22

[Posted: April 12, 2021]

4/19/2021