By Rachel Ward ~
You’ve probably passed them by a million times, never noticing them, or not really paying much attention to what’s inside. The HUB-Robeson Center has two major art galleries, open to the public seven days a week! Both galleries are great places for students, faculty, and staff to take a break from the hecticness of the HUB, offering quiet spaces to soak in the unique and diverse types of artwork that come through.
Mondays through Thursdays, you can stop in and look around from noon to six o’clock, and on Fridays through Sundays from noon to four. These galleries are here for both the students and the many wandering guests of the HUB-Robeson Center.
The two art galleries in the HUB are the Robeson Gallery and the HUB Gallery. The galleries also provide a Facebook page with information and updates for each coming semester. Each semester the galleries change the art out for new work. The artists displayed include students, faculty, local high schoolers, as well as local and alumni artists who just want to be displayed whether they are local or alumni. Penn State students help run both galleries, putting up the artwork and monitoring the galleries throughout the day. Beyond the galleries, many other art displays throughout the HUB show student art work from the school year.
The HUB Gallery is a small art gallery located upstairs on the first floor of the HUB, in between Art Alley ( another place where art is shown), and Freeman Auditorium. Both galleries have a strict policy of no food and no backpacks, just to make sure the artwork doesn’t get damaged.
Currently, the HUB Gallery is showcasing an exhibit of Penn STate MFA grad Erica Harney’s work, entitled “Romanticism and the Theater of Everyday Living.” You can come in and visit this exhibit up until December 10th! To learn more about Erica Harney’s work and more about her as an artist click here.
The Robeson Gallery is the larger art gallery located on the lower level of the HUB-Robeson Center, directly across from the Penn State Bookstore. On display right now is the Penn State’s School of Visual Arts: Faculty Exhibition. The exhibit showcases a number of different faculty members’ works ranging from paintings to interactive games. This exhibit will be up until December 10th, as well. The Robeson Gallery last year featured the artwork of Aaron Maybin, a former Penn State football player who went on to play professionally for the Jets and the Bengals.
Every year the Robeson Gallery features art from the local State College Area School District schools, ranging from kindergarten to the twelfth grade. It provides the kids a way to show their artwork in a professional setting.
This year the State College Area School District Exhibition will be on display from January 4th to January 27th. There is also a chance for the students to come in and show their work off to their friends and families during the reception, which will be held on January 27th from 2 to 4pm.
For every new exhibit, the galleries hold receptions for the artists to meet and mingle with their viewers. The reception gives the artist a chance not only to display and share their work but also to speak with people and explain their art processes. The reception is open up to the public, so anyone can come in and take a peek. There are food and drinks; all they ask is for people to come in and see the work before eating.
Every semester the Gallery Publicity Coordinator, Maria Rogus, creates a brochure for the new exhibits. Inside the brochure (available at the front desk of each gallery), you can find information about the HUB Gallery, Robeson Gallery, Art Alley, display cases, and even where you can find more art on campus. The brochure offers specifics about the artists and artwork, exhibit start and end dates, as well as dates the galleries will be closed for holidays and semester breaks.You can also find information of how to submit your artwork to the gallery, if you are interested.
The following mission statement for the galleries appears on each brochure:
“The HUB-Robeson Galleries are committed to the enrichment of the Penn State collegiate experience beyond the classroom. We are dedicated to the inclusiveness of all cultures, artists, and art forms including sustainability, feminism, disability, and social justice issues. We bring diverse and contemporary exhibitions created by students, emerging, and professional artist to the entire university community.”
To find out more about these galleries you can visit their website or their Facebook page. You can find past exhibits as well as basic information about the galleries in general.
