Out & About: First Westmoreland Art Nationals show opens at WCCC

The first of two Westmoreland Art Nationals exhibitions, sponsored by the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival, opened May 18 at Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood.

The second will open June 29 at Twin Lakes Park, to be held in conjunction with the festival from July 4-7.

The exhibitions this year drew a record 450 entries from local, regional and national artists, according to Diane Shrader, the festival’s executive director. About 100 works are included in each of the exhibitions.

These artists earned honors at the WCCC show, which runs through June 5 in Commissioners Hall:

Best in Show, Ron Nigro, Trafford; Painting Award, Richard Harydzak, Murrysville; Graphics Award, Robert Campbell, New Kensington; Craft Award, Stephen Heywood, Jacksonville, Fla; Sculpture Award, Ron Koehler, Cleveland, Ohio; Photography Award, Brandon Fiume, Jeannette; Mixed-Media Award, David Vale, Greensburg; New Entrant Award, Patrick Herforth, Monongahela; Curator’s Choice Award, Gail Postal, New York, N.Y.; and Executive Director’s Choice Award, Keith Bastianini, Bethel Park.

Reception guests were wowed by the beautiful operatic voice of 7-year-old Victory Brinker of Latrobe. The young singing sensation is gaining fame for her precocious ability to not only sing opera, but to sing it in six — going on seven — languages.

Victory was accompanied by mom Christine, sister Glory and dad Eric, who played DJ for her backing music.

Curator was artist Hope Moyer of New Alexandria, head curator of the Headkeepers Tapas Bar Artist Initiative who has also hung shows at Jeannette’s You Are Here gallery and Feathers Artist Market and Gifts in Irwin.

Juror was Canadian artist Janice Mason Steeves, whose work hangs in galleries in Canada and the U.S. Known mainly for her stark landscapes, Steeves has had artist residencies in Spain, Ireland, Sweden and Iceland.