The artist is always beginning…

Judith Kitzman; Scranton School District: Art of the City
AFA Gallery
Exhibit Opening: February 7, 2104, 6-9PM
February 7 – March 1, 2014
514 Lackawanna Ave
Creation is about discovery according to Ezra Pound. What is it we are searching for exactly? An idea of who we are and why we’re here? How do we develop that?  In Art & Discontent McEvilley recalls a statement made by philosopher David Hume. “What we call a mind is nothing but a heap or collection of different perceptions.” From this heap of random images a sense of personal identity is constructed. Others of a more Western ideology focus on a soul existing outside our finite reality that acts as our marker. Regardless of your inclination, as people we long for uniqueness and search for a way to critique that idea of self. Through, “intuition, introspection, memory, aesthetic sensibility, and emotionality,” art is a conduit that allows us to express a yearning to explore the self.
AFA Gallery, on February 7, offers two exhibits as part of First Friday Scranton in which this thread can be traced from the beginning to end. The first floor gallery features a retrospective of the work by late local artist Judy Kitzman. “Her efforts feature scenery from oceans and wooded areas. Ms. Kitzman also painted some abstract pieces, and her ink drawings and a variety of works in other mediums rounds out the extensive compilation”. Her passion led to her paintings being exhibited in several galleries along the East coast.
The second exhibit is where the journey to self hood begins. Scranton School District: Art of the City Exhibition is a comprehensive exhibition of art work from students of the Scranton School District’s 11 elementary schools. The exhibition will have a wide variety of projects on display ranging from drawing to sculpture. You will experience simple beauty, high energy, and a wide range of creative genius found in the youth of tomorrow. Entertainment will be provided by The Neil Armstrong Elementary Select Chorus and the Neil Armstrong Elementary Band under direction of Ms. Kimberly Gnall.