2020 EXHIBITS

"Mask & Carry"

Show runs November 23rd, 2020, through January 8th, 2021

For this year’s holiday fundraiser show, The Exchange masks up!

Since 2014, The Exchange has hosted a year-end art exhibition called “Cash & Carry”: We gave away wooden panels for artists to make art on, and we sold every piece for the same price.

This year, we gave away plain white cotton face masks for a “Mask & Carry” exhibition. As always, artists could make any sort of artwork on them – painting, drawing, sewing, collaging, sculpting, tie-dyeing, any medium at all. Artists could also start from scratch and enter masks of their own design, of any size at all (as long as they fit through the front door) and constructed of any material, substance, or matter.

All of the masks in the show remain on view at an e-commerce site, although sales have ended. Click here for that page.

Because all of the masks in the show will have become artwork, The Exchange does NOT recommend wearing any of them as protective gear – but one certainly may at a proper physical distance in any situation where one would not need a mask.

"Out of Many"

Show runs October 12th through November 20th, 2020

Starting with the premise that “we all come from somewhere”, the exhibition “Out of Many -- Stories of Migration” features the faces and experiences of multiple generations of migrants and immigrants to America and these people’s descendants. Photographs and essays from the project now hang at the McBride Memorial Library in Berwick and at the Bloomsburg Public Library and The Exchange in Bloomsburg.

Curated by Brian Cohen and Laura Domencic, “Out of Many” highlights the photography of Pittsburgh-based photographers Brian Cohen, Scott Goldsmith, Nate Guidry, Lynn Johnson and Annie O’Neill as they explore the central role that immigration and migration have played in the past and continue to play in the here and now in the formation of our national, regional, and local identities and cultures. “Out of Many” also examines the role of immigration and migration in sustaining our economy. Through their work, the photographers aim to create a space for civil, constructive conversation about what it means to belong to a community and about the development of cultural heritages in our world today.

With its originawork, “Out of Many” began by using Pittsburgh as a lens through which to examine the broader American immigration and migration experience. A book of the photography, designed by Brett Yasko and featuring essays by Pittsburgh public radio journalists Erika Beras and Reid Frazier, came out in 2018.

The McBride Memorial Library, at 500 North Market Street in Berwick, has regular hours on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; on Wednesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit McBrideLibrary.org or Facebook.com/McBrideLibrary or call 570-752-2241.

The Bloomsburg Public Library, at 225 Market Street, welcomes "gallery visitors" on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit BloomsburgPL.org or Facebook.com/BloomLib or call 570-784-0883.

The Exchange Gallery, at 24 East Main Street in Bloomsburg, has regular hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays; for the hours on Tuesdays through Thursdays, which vary, visit ExchangeArts.org/calendar. For more information, call 570-317-2596.

For more about "Out of Many", click here.

The images below show the exhibition's photographs in their current venues.

"Doppelganger"

Show runs September 8th through October 9th, 2020

The dictionary defines "doppelganger" thus:

dop·pel·gäng·er -- /ˈdäpəlˌɡaNGər/, noun -- an apparition or double of a living person

We asked artists to interpret the theme in any way that they wanted, in any medium. Fourteen artists responded; they live in five central-Pennsylvania counties and in New York and Maryland, and they work in paint, ink, clay, digital technology, collage, embroidery, and mixed media, as well as words (this show has an entry from a poet, who submitted her book).

Click here to watch a video slideshow of the exhibition, with music by Brooks Williams (BrooksWilliams.com) -- the song "Weary of the Moon" from his 2004 album Live Solo.

"Nest 3"

Celebrating The Exchange's tenth anniversary, we brought back this popular open-call show theme from the past -- in fact, the theme of our very first open-call show in 2013. As always, work just needed to fit through the front door, and we welcomed 2-D and 3-D media, with the interpretation of the theme up to each artist to determine; as long as work fit through the front door, we've displayed it.

For a video slideshow of all of the work in the exhibition, click here. Music for the video comes from our friend JP Williams, who has performed at the Listening Room, at our Blues Festivals, and at many other venues throughout our region.

"Cover of a Cover"

Celebrating The Exchange's tenth anniversary, we have brought back one of the most popular open-call shows from the past: We asked artists to show us how they re-imagine a record album cover. Whether "Dark Side of the Moon" or Joni Mitchell's "Blue" or the Berlin Philharmonic's Verdi "Requiem" or any other album at all, the artists could use any medium. LP sleeves measure 12" x 12", but we did not want that to limit their creativity: As always, work just needed to fit through the front door, and we welcomed 2-D and 3-D media.

For the video of the works in the show, complete with music by the Uptown Music Collective's 3rd Street Blues Band, click here.

"Factory in Bloom"

A dozen artists from the Pajama Factory in Williamsport have work at the Exchange Gallery in Bloomsburg, celebrating The Exchange's 10th anniversary and the ongoing collaborations among artists throughout our region.

The Pajama Factory has been an incubator for creatives representing a variety of disciplines and aesthetic traditions for over 13 years. One of the most exciting things about this process has been its ability to regenerate itself creatively.

The Pajama Factory’s relationship with The Exchange Gallery has been longstanding, including two exchange exhibitions, one at the Factory Works Gallery and another at The Stairwell Gallery at The Exchange’s former home in The Moose Exchange. Additionally, long-time tenants of The Pajama Factory including Chad Andrews and Brian Spies have played important roles with The Exchange, Chad as a board member and Brian as the original Art Cart facilitator.

When The Exchange’s executive director, Oren Helbok, approached Brian about curating this exhibition, Brian's first instinct was to explore this function of the Pajama Factory as a regenerating creative incubator by focusing on tenants who either might not have previously been included in shows at the Exchange or are relatively recent additions to the Pajama Factory community. The artists chosen represent formal traditions as varied as watercolors and printmaking, assemblage and encaustics. They all embody the spirit of a Community In Bloom!

Exhibiting artists include Dave Becker, Lynne Becker, Tommy Grieco, Jordan DeArment, Sarah Foster, Rowan Leigh Shaffer, Cindy McBeth-Collins, Concetta Owens, Corey Breneisen, Paul Clacher, Todd Rice, Ashlee Caputo, and Sandy Ludwig.

If we can have a public reception, we'll let you know!

Click here for a video of all of the pieces in the show.

"Bridging the Physical Distancing"

Reprising the postcard show "Let Me Introduce Myself" that the Exchange Gallery held in 2016, we asked artists to submit work for this on-line-only exhibition.

Artists made postcards and sent them to other artists -- anyone who made and sent one also received one! We asked each artist to photograph their piece, front and back, and e-mail the images to us. Thanks to all of you for helping to bridge the distancing!

Click here to scroll through all of the entries.

Frank Frazetta and "Fantasy" Show

Show runs February 22nd through April 3rd, 2020

Reception 6-8 p.m., Saturday, February 22nd

Alongside 2-D and 3-D work by the well-known fantasy and sci-fi artist Frank Frazetta, we invited everyone in our community to submit work on the theme of "fantasy" -- all media accepted from all artists, every interpretation welcomed. Twenty-eight artists brought work, including more than a dozen who have never shown here before.

Moose Exchange Tenants and Stairwell Gallery Committee Members Show

Show runs January 11th, 2020, through February 21st, 2020

Reception 6-8 p.m., Saturday, January 11th, 2020

Celebrating The Exchange's tenth anniversary, we have invited the people who made our old building so lively and who made the Gallery happen at the very beginning (2010-2014).

For our other exhibits, click on each year: 2016 and 2017 2018 2019 2021

2020 EXHIBITS

24 East Main Street, Bloomsburg PA 17815 570-317-2596 Exchange@ExchangeArts.org