[heading size=”2″ color=”#000″]Clinton County Arts Council’s Station Gallery[/heading]

[heading size=”3″ color=”#000″]An interview with Steve Getz[/heading]

Clinton County, one of the 12.5 counties in the PA Wilds region, is an artist’s haven. Steve Getz, Clinton County Arts Council board president and a PA Wilds juried artist, was kind enough to answer this blog writer’s questions about their beloved Station Gallery located here.  I have been intrigued with this gallery space since our 2015 Annual PA Wilds Advisory Board meeting, held there last April. The questions were as follows:

Steve and Carol at the Crary Gallery

What can you tell me about the Station Gallery that perhaps not many people are aware of?

I think when most people visit The Station Gallery they find that the renovated building along the tracks is such a quaint reminder of the past. They assume the station was always there and the hustling hub for rail travel in Lock Haven. The thing they are most surprised by is that there was never a station in this location. The Lock Haven rail station was some distance away and was torn down many years ago. The Station Gallery is actually the original Mill Hall station and moved 4 miles to Lock Haven when the building was scheduled for demolition. Local government and the CCAC provided the funding and labor to restore the building into its current condition.

What affect has the region had on your work?

The Station Gallery provides a hub of culture and art enrichment within the region. The CCAC holds 15 major exhibits each year. Three are scholastic shows that provide a space for students to exhibit their art. These shows draw huge crowds and expose the gallery to many parents and family members that normally would not visit an art exhibit. In addition there are 7 groups or theme shows and 5 Invitational art exhibits. The Invitational Artist Series brings in professional artists and photographers from all over the country. As an example, last year we had a video installation artist from Milwaukee and a retired Carnegie Mellon art professor from Pittsburgh. We regularly draw members and visitors from Williamsport, State College and throughout the state. Not only does this promote tourism to the area but also exposes tourists to the PA Wilds region since they normally plan their trip as a destination and spend several days in the region.

What makes you passionate about this region or your part of the PA Wilds? Is there a specific reason why perhaps you have chosen to stay?

Over the years, I’ve had opportunities to travel to many places in North America. Many trips involved amazing people and places related to my profession. What I quickly determined was that north central PA offered the best of all worlds and where I decided to live. My family and friends, a beautiful environment, and an unending resource for art subjects are just a few of the reasons. The Wilds is a special area of inspiration that is hard to explain to people that don’t live here. Once they visit, they understand the passion we have to keep it as pure as possible and why we are proud to call it home.

A take away from Steve’s journey shows how you make the difference in your community, if you desire cultural destinations get involved and help them become a realization. I love this quote, “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” ~Andy Warhol

Thank you again Steve for your encouraging answers and your hard work for the art community! Art and history pair beautifully together. Getz is also the recipient of the 2016 PA Wilds Champion Award, Artisan of the Year to be accepted at the Annual Dinner on April 28th.  Congratulations!

CCAC Events 2016

The Station Gallery has a great social media presence, here are a few from their website links:  Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube