Lewisburg artist wins State Museum of Pennsylvania competition

Sep. 12—LEWISBURG — A Lewisburg artist won top honors in the State Museum of Pennsylvania's competition Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2023.

Eddy López, an associate professor of art at Bucknell University, placed first in the category of "work on paper" for his piece called "NYTimes BLM." Winners, who were chosen from 86 finalists selected from 1,850 entries representing 29 Pennsylvania counties, will have their work displayed at the State Museum, 300 North St., Harrisburg, through January.

"It's quite an honor to have my work at the State Museum and to be with artists from across the state," said López, a native of Nicaragua who moved to Lewisburg from Miami, Florida, to take a position at Bucknell in 2016. "It's great to represent the Valley."

López, who continued to work at his craft and show his art throughout the U.S. and internationally, also won first place in the same category in 2020. His winning work, "La Prensa: Resistencia Ciudadana," was created using numerous 2018 newspaper clippings on anti-government protests in Nicaragua.

Art of the State is an annual juried exhibition that has showcased the work of Pennsylvania's artists at The State Museum of Pennsylvania since 1968. This body of art reflects over a half-century of creative endeavor in the Keystone State. Through the years, artists have shared their ideas and engaged viewers in the categories of painting, photography/digital media, craft, sculpture, and work on paper, according to a media release from the State Museum of Pennsylvania.

NYTimes BLM is from a series called Mañana, y mañana, y mañana, which consists of prints that compound news events into hazy objects that obscure the images and texts of the original formats. To create the image, he composited all the covers of the NY Times from June 2020, when the Black Lives Matter protests occurred, said López.

"Using digital software, these covers were combined into one single image," he said. "Using Adobe Photoshop, I then color separated the image into a black layer and underlying colors. The black layer was printed onto Pictorico transparency film to burn onto a silkcreen."

To print the image, an underlying layer was digitally printed using archival pigment inks onto Cold Press Bright paper using an Epson P8000 printer. On top of this layer, the black layer was silkscreened. The final edition was of 10, with three artist proofs, said López.

"It became an unreadable and overwhelming image," he said

López will be a special guest speaker at a public event at the exhibition on Oct. 20 where he will have a conversation with State Museum Director Angelica Docog.

López worked with his students on several projects across the Valley, including in Centralia and Free Little Art Galleries in Lewisburg, Mifflinburg and Selinsgrove. He was a juror who selected art for the Artisan Alley in Shamokin, which starts Oct. 6.

"This year's Art of the State exhibition continues a 56-year tradition of diversity," Docog said. "The artists find inspiration from diverse backgrounds, and each has a unique style. While some artists are deeply rooted in Pennsylvania traditions, others bring inspiration from around the world. Some artists have decades of experience and others are new or returning to creative pursuits. Despite these varied perspectives, all artists seek to engage with viewers. We look forward to sharing these artists' stories with our visitors."

Selection jurors reviewed and scored all of the submitted works. Those with the highest ratings in each category are featured in the exhibition. The awards juror then determines the first place, second place, and third place winners in each of the categories, according to the museum.

This year's awards juror is Jeremiah William McCarthy, chief curator of the Westmoreland Museum of American Art.

Art of State is presented by The State Museum of Pennsylvania in association with the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation, which is the nonprofit partner of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, a state agency. It is charged with collecting, preserving, researching, and interpreting the treasures of Pennsylvania. Through private contributions, PHF supports PHMC in protecting and providing access to 23 historic sites and museums, approximately 9 million objects, and more than 250 million archival items.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg, is one of 23 historic sites and museums administered by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History. The State Museum offers expansive collections interpreting Pennsylvania's fascinating heritage. With exhibits examining the dawn of geologic time, the Native American experience, the Colonial and Revolutionary eras, a pivotal Civil War battleground, and the commonwealth's vast industrial age, The State Museum demonstrates that Pennsylvania's story is America's story, according to the museum.