Pike County Arts and Crafts
Encyclopedia
Pike County Arts & Crafts
Pike County Arts & Crafts (PCAC), headquartered in MilfordMilford, Pennsylvania
Milford is a borough in Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat. Its population was 1,021 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1796 by Judge John Biddis, one of the state's first four circuit judges, who named the settlement after his ancestral home in Wales.Milford has a...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, is the oldest (established 1950) and largest (200 members) arts education organization in northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania is a geographic region of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton and Carbondale....
. Headquartered in the Milford Boro
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
Hall, the group holds regularly scheduled classes
Class (education)
A class in education has a variety of related meanings.It can be the group of students which attends a specific course or lesson at a university, school or other educational institution, see Form ....
as well as seminars taught by master artists and crafters
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools...
.
PCAC was recently chosen by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is an agency serving the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.Established in 1966, its mission is "to foster the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state." Each year...
as winner of the 2007 Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
State "Creative Community Award" http://www.pacouncilonthearts.org/pca.cfm?id=37&level=Second.
The goals of PCAC are to encourage and inspire local artists to create the best art they can and to help the larger community to see this art, value it, and learn from it. Its mission
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
is:
(1) to help artists of all ages to learn, teach, and exhibit their work;
(2) to encourage young
artists in particular;
(3) to enhance the image of Pike County
Pike County, Pennsylvania
-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River * Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:...
as an
arts community.
Membership and Support
A nonprofit organizationNonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
, PCAC is supported by member dues,
donations, and grants
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
from the Pocono Arts Council of the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
and the Pike County Commissioners
County commission
A county commission is a group of elected officials charged with administering the county government in local government in some states of the United States. County commissions are usually made up of three or more individuals...
.
The Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
meets on the third Thursday of
each month. The executive director is Elizabeth Murphy. Associate Director is Tauni Ruvolis. Show directors are James Campistrous and Ellen Cabaniss Bawcom.
About two-thirds of PCAC's artist-members earn their livelihoods as professional artists or crafters. Non-artist members join the group as "friends of the arts," "arts associates," or "community sponsors."
History
Over fifty years ago (around 1950) the Pike County Arts and Crafts Exhibition, once an adjunct of the Milford Garden Club’s Flower Show, became a separate entity. It was felt that the formation of an Art Group was warranted to exhibit paintings, sculptures and crafts. The original committee included Carrie Depuy, Ada Rasario Cecere, Gaetano Cecere, Telly Bruce and Georgie Kiger.Through the 1950s the committee met and put on the show. In the mid 1960s Harriett Cotterill and Matilda Grech joined the original committee along with Cynthia Van Lierde. It was decided to become officially chartered in 1971. From that year on, they met as a Board of Directors at the homes of Ada and Gaetano Cecere
Gaetano Cecere
Gaetano Cecere, American sculptor, born, educated and worked in New York City. He studied with Hermon A MacNeil, with work in the Museum of Modern Art, NY,NY, and Gaetano, known as Guy attended the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design and the National Academy of Design...
, Georgie Kiger and Telly Bruce.
From 1971 to 1990 it continued to meet and put on a show. In the early 1990’s it lost (deceased) most of the original committee members. Georgi Kiger (the remaining original member) continued to chair the show along with Harriet and Matilda. New members were added in the 1990’s: Tom and Judy Neugebauer, Ben Van Steinburgh, Valerie Meyer, Michele Jaffee, and Robert Mendoza.
Georgi Kiger died in December 1995; her son Bill Kiger donated $500.00 the following year to start the “Georgiana Kiger Award for Excellence in the Arts”; he continued to donate each succeeding year.
In the new 21st Century Susan Pisari greatly expanded PCAC to include many more committees and school activities. Her vision has continued to be carried on with new members: Tom and Elizabeth Murphy, Victoria Mayer-Connolly, Tauni Ruvolis, John Logenderfer, Elizabeth Cotterill, Jane Koech, Charles and Sylvia Squires, Ellen Bawcom, Carol Ann Dronke and James Campistrous. [History written by Matilda Grech]