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artpop-scholastic

Program grows to include artists in Berks, Bucks and Montgomery counties; High School Competition winner to receive scholarship offer to Kutztown University art program

BETHLEHEM, PA—ArtPop, the dynamic billboard competition that showcases the works of area artists on local billboards, is pleased to announce that it is expanding to Berks, Bucks and Montgomery counties for 2017. In addition, the winner of the ArtPop High School Competition, open to students in 9th-12th grades, will be awarded a partial scholarship to one of the art programs at Kutztown University.

A partnership between Adams Outdoor Advertising, ArtsQuest and the region’s arts community, ArtPop is a public art program designed to highlight local artists and the important roles they play in the community by featuring their work on area billboards. Launched in fall 2014, the program features the work of seven area artists, including one high school student, on Adams billboards for an entire year.

For ArtPop’s third year, Adams and ArtsQuest are partnering with Kutztown University to bring ArtPop to Berks County, with one Berks County artist guaranteed to have his or her artwork featured prominently on a Berks County billboard for all of 2017. In addition, the ArtPop competition, previously limited to Lehigh and Northampton county residents, will be open to artists in upper Bucks and Montgomery counties for the first time.

The winner of the High School Competition, open to students in Berks, upper Bucks, Lehigh, upper Montgomery and Northampton counties, will also have his or her work featured on an Adams billboard for the entire 2017 year. Plus, the Kutztown University Foundation will present the winner with a partial scholarship to be applied to one of the university’s art programs or majors. The Top 10 student submissions will also be showcased in an exhibition at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem from Jan. 14-March 12, 2017.

“Adams Outdoor has been extremely pleased with local artists’ response to ArtPop,” says Adams Outdoor Advertising General Manager Tony Cioffi. “We started to promote the program two years ago in Lehigh and Northampton counties with the support of ArtsQuest in Bethlehem. Now, as we enter our third year, we are happy to announce the extension of the program into Berks, Bucks and Montgomery counties.

“We are also grateful to Kutztown University for its support of the visual and performing arts and for helping educate some of the best creative talent found in our region and the nation. We thank Wendy Hickey who started the ArtPop program four years ago while with Adams Outdoor in Charlotte, N.C. This program has been a huge success in several communities across the country.”

All ArtPop 2017 winners, with the exception of the People’s Choice Winner, will be selected by the ArtPop jurying panel in December. From Dec. 8-14, the public will be able to vote online at www.bananafactory.org/artpop for its favorite work for the People’s Choice Winner. All winners will then be announced Dec. 20.

“As a center for academic excellence in the arts in the region, Kutztown University is proud to partner with ArtsQuest and Adams Outdoor Advertising to support the ArtPop Artist Billboard Competition,” says Kutztown University president Dr. Kenneth S. Hawkinson. “We are excited about the expansion of the program into Berks County and look forward to rewarding a talented young artist with a scholarship to further their skills at Kutztown University.”

Jurors for the 2017 ArtPop competition are:

  • Stacie Brennan Sr. Director of Visual Arts, ArtsQuest
  • Kristen Cook, Graphic Designer, Adams Outdoor Advertising
  • Louise Feder, Assistant Curator, James A. Michener Museum
  • Ann Marie Hayes-Hawkinson, First Lady of Kutztown University
  • Ann Lalik, Penn State Lehigh Valley, Art Galleries Director
  • Anthony Marraccini, Connxions Gallery, Curator and Manager

Artists interested in participating in the ArtPop competition should submit a digital image of their two-dimensional or three-dimensional work online at www.bananafactory.org/artpop. All works must be submitted as a 24.333-inch by 6.333-inch jpeg at 300 dpi. Artists must also provide their name, complete address, email address, title and mediums of the original work of art, and a one-paragraph biography. For more information on submitting to the ArtPop competition: Artwork Submission Specifications.

“We are thrilled to be an ArtPop partner and look forward to continuing to grow and expand this extremely valuable program,” says ArtsQuest Sr. Director of Visual Arts Stacie Brennan. “ArtPop not only highlights the talent of the artists in our region, it also brings major exposure to the value of the arts in our communities.”

Competition dates and deadlines are as follows:

  • Oct. 11 – Artist submissions accepted
  • Dec. 7 – Deadline for artists to submit work
  • Dec. 8-14 – Public vote for People’s Choice Winner
  • Dec. 20 – All ArtPop 2017 winners announced

For complete information on ArtPop and the official Artwork Submission Specifications Sheet, visit www.bananafactory.org/artpop or like ArtPop on Facebook.