2022

Spirit of Place // Elizabeth Wilson
Solstice // Group Exhibition
Intersections // Patrick Schmidt
The Fantastical World of Joe Servello // Joe Servello
Movement // Mandi Moerland
Discover: Blair County en plein air // Group Exhibition
The Grand Beginnings // Group Exhibition

The Grand Beginnings

Following pivotal artists and movements, this exhibition educates its viewers while sharing some of the masterpieces of SAMA’s permanent collection. The permanent collection, which totals over 7,500 pieces, dazzles in this display, featuring work by Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell, Mary Cassatt, Marc Chagall, Margaret Bourke-White, David Hockney and more. Through decades of careful collecting, the museum has created a community resource that is dedicated to advancing and preserving American art across the centuries.

Intersections

A deep dive into the powerfully complex relationship between color, shape, and pattern through a passionate reflection of Patrick Schmidt’s vibrant and bold artworks. Patrick Schmidt’s brilliant pieces reflect his adoration for music, with bold, abstracted patterns. His interpretative understanding of color - empowered by the idea that there really is no right way to interpret or understand color - has enabled him to beautifully convey the relationship between color, shape, and pattern, and the complicated political and emotional experiences we have when surrounded by color.

This exhibition featured a site-specific mural, two installations of colorful tape, artworks suspended from the ceiling, and traditional 2-D canvas and printed materials.

Discover: Blair County in Plein Air

In 2020, a group of artists began hosting outdoor painting and sketching sessions as a way to find community during the pandemic. This artist group grew each week, eventually building a community of over 20 artists who enjoyed the region’s parks and outdoor spaces. Gathering safely to make art, this collective exhibited at SAMA Altoona, showcasing the tradition of plein air painting and the role of community connection in easing the mental strain of the pandemic distances. This exhibition showcased the tools used in traditional plein air painting, including a 100 year old plein air easel and the travel notebooks from regional artists.