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Expanding Your Mind Through Local Art
By Janice Davis - Updated 01.25.12

The usual New Year's resolutions have been made: lose weight, eat better, and give up those bad habits! Every year we vow to work on ourselves and change for the better, but what about our creative side? My resolution has changed this year. I plan to expand my mind and dig my teeth into new and creative ways of gaining knowledge, through art. Art is an expression that can be seen everywhere. It's in music, paintings, buildings, theatre, dance, and even motion pictures. A story is portrayed through the artist's work, and then interpreted by the observer. "Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible," Paul Klee, 1879-1940.

I am no stranger to art. I have been to museums, galleries, and I even have a sibling who is an artist; not to mention, I've taken many courses through educational experience. Still, what I never listened to was the story behind the art. I plan to change that this year! I have been invited to The Keys in Scranton for an upcoming art show named "Bi-polar Love Song," on Friday, February 3rd. The show is open to public from 6:00 P.M. until 2:00 A.M, but the art will be displayed for the entire month. The theme depicts the "love, hate" in relationships or lack there of and is inspired by the upcoming infamous holiday, Valetine's Day. The artists will present photos, graphic designs, and paintings. All of the peices will be on sale with prices ranging from $25.00 to $200.00, set by the artist themselves.

Among these artists is Mike Watts. Mike is an acquaintance of mine, who I had the pleasure of speaking with recently. "The show is pretty much a celebration of all the different aspects of love. We'll have a live band and it's being hosted by myself and Jenn Sekelsky. Food will also be provided." Other local artist that will be involved in this event include, Alysia Scazafabo, Beth Tyrell, Bethany O'Connor, and Sean Mchale.

I'm not only excited to meet the artists, I'm also excited to hear the stories behind the work. A little history into the art can jump start the creative mind and put the imagination into overdrive. After further investigating, I found that Northeast PA has many other art exhibits and events that cater to the art enthusist. One in particular is New Visions studio and gallery in Scranton. A local artist is featured each month and according to their website the studio is "new and always a fulfilling local art destination.". I will be visiting New Visions in the near future, but for now, my first personal look into a local art show will be at The Keys February 3rd. I plan to learn more about these local artists and hopefully escape reality for a few short hours. I have high hopes that I will be expanding my mind through local art and fulfilling my New Year's resolution this year!

For more information about the arts in Scranton, check out First Friday Scranton. Here is a list of some local artists that will be displaying their art work at The Keys in Scranton on Friday, February 3rd. Hope to see you there!

Mike Watts	Ian Shields	Kristina Carpentier	Sarah Molder
Matt Wheeler	Geri Perkowski Healey	Kaytee Gilroy	Krista Healey
Sean Mchale	Bethany O'Connor	Jay Salerno	Tom Tomeo
Mike Romanski	Beth Tyrell	Lindsay Barrasse	Samantha Rosenkrans
Bill Zeigler	Desiree Delgaudio	Ian Shields	John Cruz
John Kasper	Liz Dymond	Luiz Oliveira	Marlene Adams
Melissa Rossi	Sean Costello	Alysia Scazafabo	Zane Tennant
Linda Cirba