Allentown, PA (April 27, 2016) Fine Art Photographer, Lydia Panas, received a 2015-2016 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Project Stream Grant to provide funding for a public project in the Lehigh Valley – to make photographs of students at South Mountain Middle School in conjunction with Communities In Schools of the Lehigh Valley (CIS). This is the seventh public art project since 2005 that Panas has created in the Lehigh Valley with PPA funding. This year’s campaign, The Middle School Project, focuses on large color portraits of the teens that will be displayed on eleven bus shelters throughout the Lehigh Valley from May 2 – May 28.
The bus shelters highlighting the students will be located in various neighborhoods to reach a wide and diverse audience. After each photo shoot, Panas asked every student two questions: What are you afraid of? and What do you hope/long for?
“These are the same questions I ask myself and have been asking the models in my studio art practice,” explains Panas. “I have found the responses to be universal, when answered by rich and poor, young and old, familiar faces and strangers. I believe that these similarities play an important role in describing the human condition. Many of the answers reveal a strong desire to be loved, a fear of the unknown, and a hope to feel accomplished and satisfied.”
Lydia Panas’ photographs have been exhibited widely in the US and internationally. Her work has garnered numerous prestigious awards; been featured in New York Times Magazine, Photo District News and Popular Photography; and is held in numerous public and private collections including the Brooklyn Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley; Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago; and the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego among others. Panas earned degrees from Boston College, School of Visual Arts and New York University/International Center of Photography. She is the recipient of a Whitney Museum Independent Study Fellowship and was a 2014-2015 CFEVA Fellow. Her first monograph “The Mark of Abel” (Kehrer Verlag), was named a Photo District News Book of 2012, as well as a best coffee table book by the Daily Beast.
Her photographs of the South Mountain students can be seen on bus shelters in Allentown at: Hanover and Maxwell Streets; Hanover and Plymouth Streets; Hanover and Carlisle Streets; Emmaus Ave and 29th Street; Jefferson and Lehigh Street; Hamilton Boulevard at the Atrium Building; and Union Boulevard at Plymouth Street; as well as in Bethlehem at: Marcon Boulevard at Irving Street; Stefko Boulevard at Rockland Street; Postal Road at the US Post Office; and at 2108 Emerick Boulevard.
About Allentown School District
ASD serves more than 16,000 students in a network of 22 early childhood, elementary, middle and high schools located throughout the City of Allentown, PA. The Allentown School District is the third largest urban school district out of 500 districts in the Commonwealth. A shared vision of the community, parents, guardians, staff and faculty focuses on “Empowering Students for Life,” providing ASD students with the skills and academics they need to realize their aspirations whether they be college, career or technical focus. ASD goals are aligned and compatible with the Pathways to Success Framework while providing a balanced education to all students. Allentown School District employs approximately 2,200 teachers, staff and administrators. The District, founded in 1866 and celebrating its Sesquicentennial throughout 2015-2016, serves students from 43 countries speaking 26 languages with nearly 90 percent of households qualifying as low income. ASD is committed to providing safe learning environments in which all students have equal access to education programs and resources.
Information provided by:
Kimberly Golden Benner
Director of Communications
Allentown School District
