Our Altoona exploration began almost as soon as we dropped our luggage in our hotel room. We had a museum to explore nearby!
FIVE Museum Locations!
The brochure describing the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in downtown Altoona is definitely worth a visit. The beautiful museum exists to preserve, exhibit, and advance American art. And it is dedicated to making its programs and activities accessible to the people of the southwestern area of central Pennsylvania. In fact, there are FIVE museum facilities, with locations in the cities of Altoona, Bedford, Johnstown, Ligonier and Loretto. And visiting all of those museums is always free!
The Donald M. Robinson Photography Biennial exhibit was on display in the Altoona location when we visited this summer. That juried exhibition attracted photographers from all across America. The selection juror was Dan Leers. Mr. Leers is the Curator of Photography at the Carnegie Museum of Art.
As soon as we entered the beautiful space, we were greeted by Visitor Services Associate Zinnia Heidler. She was the perfect host to guide us through the photos on display.
Such a beautiful display space…and such a knowledgeable guide to lead us through the museum!
I’ve selected several photos to share with you, and I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
Beautiful Food For Thought
One of the first photos on display quickly caught our eyes…since it was taken very near our Iowa home location.
And this one spoke to me since I had just seen a tiny ballerina earlier that afternoon outside the Mishler Theatre earlier that day. (See that photo HERE.)
This house reminded me of our fantastic trip to Little Falls, New York several years ago. Some of the stately old homes near the Mohawk River were architectural gems.
Such an amazing display of artwork!
We spent much of the afternoon enjoying the various photographs and learning more about the artists. And as we left the museum, I stopped in the gift shop where I couldn’t pass up several bracelets made by local artists. A perfect way to remember our wonderful host Zinnia, and the gorgeous artwork on display in the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Altoona.
After a quick Sunday evening pizza we headed back to our hotel for a great night of rest before meeting our host from Explore Altoona, Mark Ickes the next morning.
And the brilliant sunset from our hotel room highlighted the downtown of Altoona…right outside.
We couldn’t wait to meet Mark and discover what was to come. And trust me when I tell you we would NOT be disappointed.
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