Dear Members and Friends,

We're delighted to share the return of our Lunch & Learn series for the Fall. On Wednesday September 18, Touchstone Theatre's Mary Wright and Lisa Jordan will join us to discuss the company's upcoming Fesitval UnBound. It's free to register for this event and we look forward to sharing with you.

Next, mark your calendars, because Young at Art returns to Penn State Lehigh Valley on Saturday March 15, 2025. Please stay tuned for more information, registration links, and opportunities to get involved.

As always, our members have incredible events, art openings, performances, and opportunities for the community to get involved. Please check out the listings below!

We're always excited to hear from you and hope you'll stay in touch! Feel free to reply directly to this email with any comments or questions.

UPCOMING LVACA EVENTS

Our Lunch & Learn series returns on Wednesday September 18 with Mary Wright and Lisa Jordan from Touchstone Theatre.

Join a conversation about the company’s upcoming Festival UnBound, October 2-6, 2024. Now in its 6th year, this arts-infused festival utilizes various forms of creative expression to inspire questions and conversation about what matters most to us as we build a stronger community. This year’s theme is Access and Accessibility. The Festival will feature Kinetic Light, an internationally-recognized disability arts ensemble, with a five-day residency that includes explorations of disability arts, culture, and aesthetics, as well as conversations about artistically equitable access. Festival UnBound will feature numerous Lehigh Valley artists and community partners. Moreover, the festival will celebrate Touchstone’s own learning journey to create performance spaces where everybody is welcome.

Register for FREE

SAVE THE DATE!

Young at Art returns to Penn State Lehigh Valley on Saturday March 15, 2025.

Registration will open soon! Stay tuned for more information and opportunities to get involved.

EVENT SPOTLIGHT
showcasing events hosted by our members

The Arts Project at Penn State Lehigh Valley allows interested community members to take non-credit arts classes in various areas and at various levels.

Fall courses include:

• “Cameraless” Photography and the Natural World
• Beginning Metals and Jewelry Making  
• Advanced Metals and Jewelry Making  
• Introduction to Ceramics
• 3D Printing for Beginners

Learn more and register

Koresh Dance Company

Saturday September 7

8:00 PM

Williams Center For The Arts

Artistic Director Ronen Koresh’s latest work: Hollow Apple. An evening-length work inspired by the endless desire to be liked and loved by strangers, only to reveal our fears and unworthiness.

Tickets here

Move and Learn: Open Play with a Twist

Ages 1-5

Classes begin September 9

Mondays 9:30 - 10:30 AM

Tuesdays 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Wednesdays 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Pieces of Mind

1005 Brookside Road, Suite 50

Allentown

Obstacle Courses, Toys, Gross Motor Movement, and Music! OT Karen Gualtieri will be present to answer any movement questions you may have and support your child's gross motor play.

Register

Burrow

Exhibiting Artist Jason Lipow

Opening Reception & Artist Talk

Friday September 13

5:30 PM

Cedar Crest College

Center for Visual Research

Harmony Hall of Peace - Miller Family Building

Lisa MacDonald / Imperfection is Beautiful

Painting the Path of My Life: Book Signing

September 14

1:00 - 3:00 PM

Moravian Book Shop

More information here

The Gavilán Brothers

Saturday September 14

8:00 PM

Williams Center for the Arts

Violinist Ilmar Gavilán and pianist Aldo López-Gavilán are virtuoso Afro-Cuban musicians playing genre-defying music rooted in classical, Latin jazz, and Afro-Cuban traditions.

Tickets heree

Mess Makers Sensory Art

Ages 2-8

classes begin September 17

Tuesdays 10:45 - 11:30 AM

Come get messy with us. Messy hands lead to a creative heart! Kids will explore their senses through art and sensory experiences. Each week, children will work on a sensory art project that will help them learn how to use their senses in a way that is creative and fun! This class will also provide tools to calm our senses when we are feeling overwhelmed. 

This class is bound to get a little messy, so make sure to wear clothes that are OK getting paint, markers, and other art supplies on them.

Pieces of Mind

1005 Brookside Road, Suite 50

Allentown

Register

Odysseus  

Sunday September 15

1:00 PM Potluck

2:00 PM Performance begins

MIKE & MOLLY’S 

424 Center Street, Bethlehem 

(formally the Unitarian Church Building)

Built with much directorial assistance by Gerard Stropnicky with my musical accompanist, Rob Aptaker, taking over two years to write and stage this personal and extraordinary event, we've now seasoned on the road for another two. We'll be in the old Unitarian Church for this 2 plus hour rendering of Homer's profound and blindingly relevant story: Penelope’s darling | Father of Telemachus | Son of noble Laertes | Devoted friend of blue-eyed Athena ... The epic story of our great father, Odysseus -- that clever man who suffered so much, for so long...to make his way home.

Admission $30

Tickets are available by mailing Diane LaBelle ([email protected]). The performance begins @ 2pm, but we'll have a pot luck leading into it (with deserts during intermission planned).

Self-Love Women's Positive Affirmation Workshop by Imperfection is Beautiful

Saturday October 12

11:00 AM - 01:00 PM

Emmaus Creative Arts & Innovation Center

375 S 10th St, Emmaus

The Self-Love Women's Positive Affirmation Workshop will focus on the significance of practicing positive affirmations, guided by Lisa MacDonald’s insightful speech. Participants will engage in self-reflective writing and create art as part of the experience. Each person will learn how to craft their own positive affirmation painting, which will serve as a personal reminder to stay resilient through challenges. Attendees will leave with their unique artwork and a document summarizing the day's teachings, helping them remember and apply the positive strategies learned.

Register

YOUR VOICE MATTERS -- PARTICIPATE IN PA CULTURE CHECK TODAY!

Is your organization passionate about the arts and humanities? Do you want your voice heard by legislators, funders, and civic leaders? Participate in PA CultureCheck, the annual statewide study by PA Humanities, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council! The results inform local and statewide advocacy efforts, educate grantmakers and practitioners about the latest trends, inspire future research, and help build a stronger and more responsive cultural community.

The survey is anonymous and only takes about 25 minutes to complete. It is open to nonprofits, community and religious organizations, and businesses that do at least some of their work in culture, arts, and/or humanities in Pennsylvania. Survey closes September 13.

Don't miss out on this chance to help shape the future of Pennsylvania! Take the survey now!

(Curious about how your information will be used? Read last year's report here.)

CELEBRATE NATIONAL ARTS IN EDUCATION WEEK: SEPTEMBER 9 - 13, 2024!

Join us next week to celebrate National Arts in Education Week!

"The arts are an essential part of a complete education, no matter if it happens in the home, school, or community. Students of all ages—from kindergarten to college to creative aging programs—benefit from artistic learning, innovative thinking, and creativity. Celebrating National Arts in Education Week is a way to recognize this impact and share the message with friends, family, and communities.

Arts education, comprising a rich array of disciplines including dance, music, theatre, media arts, literature, design, and visual arts, is a core academic subject and an essential element of a complete and balanced education for all students.

National Arts in Education Week is a national celebration recognizing the transformative power of the arts in education. Designated by Congress in 2010 through House Resolution 275, the celebration is designated to bring attention to this cause for elected officials and educational decision makers across the country and to support equitable access to the arts for all students."

Download a resource kit from the National Art Education Association

Selections from last year's collaborative public art project with the prompt: 'Draw Your Dreams.' Stay tuned for more works featured in the lead-up to Young at Art 2025!