Art of the State 2024
Written by PA Heritage Staff in the PHMC Highlights category and the Winter 2025 issue Topics in this article: Art of the State, State Museum of Pennsylvania
On September 8, 2024, The State Museum of Pennsylvania opened its 57th Art of the State. Established in 1968, the annual juried exhibition provides a glimpse into the rich artistic tapestry of the commonwealth.
A panel of three jurors — Marc Jacobson (Herron School of Art + Design, Indiana University Indianapolis), Jennifer-Navva Milliken (Museum for Art in Wood), and Eric Sung (Providence College) — reviewed and selected 96 works to be exhibited from more than 2,200 entries by artists across Pennsylvania.
Awards juror Jim Toia, a renowned artist and curator (Karl Stirner Art Trail and Lafayette College), selected first, second and third place winners in each of five categories — painting, craft, sculpture, photography/digital media, and work on paper. The State Museum also presented its Art Docents’ Choice Award.
The winners were announced on September 8 at the opening reception, presented by The State Museum in partnership with the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation. A total of $5,300 was awarded to artists in each of the five categories — $500 for first place, $300 for second place, $200 for third place — and for the Art Docents’ Choice Award winner, who received $300.
In this year’s exhibition, the artwork labels were written by the artists themselves. Art of the State project director Amy S. Hammond, also senior curator of cultural history at The State Museum, said, “The labels offer visitors a chance to learn more about how the works were created, what inspired them, and what new Pennsylvania stories are being told by today’s artists.”
Art of the State will be on exhibition at The State Museum of Pennsylvania through January 5, 2025.