The 157 works of art featured in this year’s exhibition were selected from 2,179 pieces entered by 798 artists from across the commonwealth and represent 32 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

Art of the State™ is a highly competitive, juried art exhibition open to state residents in five categories: painting, works on paper, photography, sculpture and craft, and juried by distinguished judges from around the Mid-Atlantic region. Each year, the Greater Harrisburg Arts Council and The State Museum and other donors present over $6,000 in cash awards to artists. The winner of The State Museum’s purchase prize becomes part of the permanent collection of The State Museum.

The exhibition will run through the summer months closing on Sunday, September 20, 2009.

To see images of all the pieces in this year's exhibition, click here.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania welcomes the exhibit Voices: African American and Latina Women Share Their Stories of Success which opens on Saturday, April 11, 2009 and runs through March 7, 2010. This exhibit features the voices of 50 extraordinary women from Pennsylvania – women who persevered and succeeded in spite of the challenges they faced and reached the top of their fields, including law, medicine, communications, business, technology, the arts, education and government as well as the non-profit arena.

Originally conceived as a book published by the Pennsylvania Commission for Women in 2006, Voices was transformed into a museum exhibition by the commission, with assistance from the Senator John Heinz History Center and award winning photographer Darcy Padilla. The book, and the exhibit it inspired, is intended to combat stereotypical images and detail the work necessary to achieve excellence. The life of each woman profiled provides a model for overcoming obstacles and encourages women, and anyone for that matter, to set goals and pursue dreams.

April 4, 2009 - June 30, 2010
THE FINE ART OF GIVING: GIFTS OF ART TO THE STATE MUSEUM OF PENNSYLVANIA 1998-2008

A selection of 85 paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints, and crafts, selected from the more than 400 gifts of art received between 1998 and 2008, will be exhibited at The State Museum through June 2010. Donations of are reviewed and approved by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s Collections Committee and the Executive Director before acceptance into the permanent collection. Considerations include, but are not limited to: aesthetic and historic importance, relationship to Pennsylvania history, storage availability, physical condition, conservation cost, and/or anticipated future exhibition or educational use.

A tradition of giving by ordinary citizens, begun more than 150 years ago, has formed a collection of important Pennsylvania art. By 1850, donated paintings, prints and sculptures were being displayed in the then new State Capitol in Harrisburg. In 1905, when The State Museum was created, those early gifts of art became the core of the Museum’s art collection. Although The State Museum does not receive a state allocation for the purchase of fine art, today the collection includes 7000 works, dating from 1650 to the present.

The mission of the Art Collection at The State Museum of Pennsylvania is: to collect, interpret and preserve art, created by Pennsylvania artists, or artists who greatly influence the arts in Pennsylvania, or of which the subject has a direct connection to the State’s history and culture.

Through this exhibition, The State Museum gratefully recognizes the donors of the past decade, whose gifts will benefit generations to come.

A listing of the 400 gifts will be available on the web site, www.statemuseumpa.org, as well as images of art donated during the past decade, but not currently exhibited.

June 6, 2009 - August 30, 2009
VACATION ON ALTAIR
This character-animated story is about a firefly and a moth who always disagree about the nature of the starry night sky. They decide to settle their argument once and for all by blasting off into space. During their voyage, they learn that the stars and planets are very different types of objects, their size and how far away from us they are, and the fact that stars give off their own light while planets can only reflect the light of the sun.
Trailer (QuickTime)
Trailer (Windows Media)

June 6, 2009 - August 30, 2009
S.E.T.I.: SEARCH FOR EXTRA TERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCE
View the Sun as it has never been seen before. “Heart of the Sun” reveals how the development of our whole cosmology has been informed by our struggle with this oldest of mysteries. Experience the story that shows how that process continues today as the sheer strangeness of our nearest star continues to challenge our imagination.
Trailer (QuickTime)
Trailer (Windows Media)

SHOWCASE SERIES @ RADIUS
July/August 2009
Basketry
Basketry demonstration by Elaine Longenecker
Sunday, August 9
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Free Admission