Award-winning Hunker artist explores 'Woman and Variations' in WCCC exhibit
The creative works of Hunker artist Stephanie Oplinger are featured in the exhibit “Woman and Variations,” running through Dec. 1 in the Science & Innovation Center Gallery on the main campus of Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood.
In her LinkedIn profile, Oplinger notes she works in a surrealistic style, “combining the fantastical with the familiar, and sharing narratives and dreamy landscapes from my imagination.”
Through her art, she adds, she has explored “the societal strains of gender roles and moral expectations on women — often combining jarring surrealist imagery with feminist concepts. With my work, I seek to express a breaking out into feminine power, reclaiming voice, strength and autonomy.”
She has won awards for her sculpture from The State Museum of Pennsylvania and the Greensburg Art Center, which also has recognized her painting.
Oplinger completed her fine arts associate degree at Westmoreland County Community College in 2020 and earned a bachelor’s degree in the field two years later at PennWest California.
She operates her own art studio in Greensburg, is the office and gallery coordinator at Touchstone Center for Crafts in Farmington, is vice president and webmaster for Pittsburgh Print Group and belongs to Green Beacon Gallery in Greensburg. She teaches children’s classes at Greensburg Art Center and served on the gallery committee for the center’s recent pottery exhibition, “From the Earth.”
She has been the recipient of three Bridgeway grants to start her own small business and is participating in creative entrepreneurship training.
Visit stephanieoplingerarts.com for more about the artist.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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