Artists Respond to 10th Anniversary of 9/11 with Exhibit

Penn State Lehigh Valley in Upper Saucon Township opened its special gallery exhibition "Reaction and Healing: The Tenth Anniversary of 9-11" with a free public reception on Sept. 8 from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Two of the artists whose work is on display--Denise Bankuti of Burbank, Calif., and Kathy Levine of Brooklyn, N.Y.--were in the area to attend the reception.

“These are professional artists with international exhibition experience,” said Ann Lalik, Gallery Director and Arts Coordinator at Penn State Lehigh Valley. “We have several mediums--paper, bronze, fiber, paint and pastels; it’s a combination of medium, politics, art and spirituality.”

The brainchild of Marilyn Fox, director of Penn State Berks' Freyberger Gallery, "Reaction and Healing" will bring more than 80 submissions by 40 artists to the Center Valley campus, as well as three other locations--the Freyberger Galley, the Yocum Institute for Arts Education in Wyomissing and the Jewish Cultural Center of Reading. 

“There was such an overwhelming response to (the) call for artwork that Marilyn asked us to partner with her,” said Lalik. “I selected seven artists and multiple pieces from each. I felt each of their statements about how and why they express themselves was significant.”

In addition to Bankuti and Levine, participating artists include Patricia Dahlman of Lyndhurst, N.J.; Beth Krensky of Salt Lake City, Utah; Marjorie Morrow of New York City; Katie Samuelson of Cheshire, Conn., and David Wander of New York City.

Speaking philosophically, Lalik articulated her thoughts on the power of the exhibit.

Seeing the images and expression, she said, “confronts the participant in a very different way, demanding an immediate reaction whether you want to recognize it or not.” She further explained that the images themselves evoke thoughts not only of the attacks, but also of the impact they had on those who experienced and survived them.

Lalik said she cannot mention the exhibit without having the person with whom she is speaking tell her about where they were and what they were doing at the time of the attack. The exhibit has spurred a campuswide discussion about 9/11 and tolerance among its diverse community, which includes many Islamic students from Middle Eastern countries.

"Reaction and Healing: The Tenth Anniversary of 9-11" will be on display through Oct. 21 in the Gallery at Penn State Lehigh Valley, 2809 Saucon Valley Road, Center Valley.

The exhibit is free and open to the public.