OIL CITY, Pa. — The Oil Heritage Festival Art Show has announced the judges and sponsors for the 2019 Art Show, taking place July 24-28.

Show judges are as follows:

Adult Division – Non-Photography: Marcy Hall is an artist from Erie, Pennsylvania who has been selling art all over the world for fifteen years as Rabbit Room Arts. Her ongoing projects include extensive work with Abbey of the Arts in Ireland, creating twenty-six icon-style paintings for an Irish Saints/Dancing Monks series. She has also worked with the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, illustrating a book and a pair of calendars in conjunction with Sister Joan Chittister, as well as working with the Sisters on a poetry and mural project in Erie’s Perry Square. She has collaborated with Erie County to paint a mural in the Erie County Courthouse, has done commission work for Erie County United Way, created a block print that served as a prize for the Erie Preservation Awards, and has illustrated a book about her mother’s childhood growing up in the Oil Region. Most recently, she painted Gannon University’s Old Main near her neighborhood on Erie’s west side.

Young Adult & Children’s Division – Non-Photography: Maureen James is a native of the Pittsburgh area and a long-time resident of Oil City. She was an art teacher in the Oil City Area School District for thirty-six years, primarily teaching middle school and specializing in ceramics, fiber arts and sculpture. Upon her retirement in 2007, she continued her own artistic education, branching into stained-glass work, her current passion. She maintains a studio in Oil City at the National Transit Building and is an active member of the Transit Studio Artists’ Association. In addition, she is actively involved in the Oil City Main Street Program and is the chair of its Design Committee, with an emphasis on downtown façade revitalization, and is also a member of various other committees and organizations in the interest of the improvement of our downtown and community at large. As an artist and in life, she adheres to the mantra of Joseph Fitzpatrick – “To Look, To See, To Observe.”

Photography – All Ages: Melinda Meyer has worked with and served the heritage and arts communities of Northwestern Pennsylvania for nearly twenty years. She is experienced as an historian, educator, project consultant, grant writer and nonprofit administrator. Ms. Meyer is a full-time Program Director for Erie Arts & Culture. She has worked for the organization since 2009 and, in her current role, administers the arts council’s grant and arts-in-education programs, oversees data collection for the sector in Erie County, and schedules and implements professional development activities and trainings for member artists and organizations. Ms. Meyer has a B.A. in History from Penn State Behrend, and a Master of Business Administration from Gannon University.

Judging for this year’s show will take place on Thursday and Friday, July 25 and 26, and ribbons will be displayed and winners announced on the Saturday and Sunday show dates.

The OHF Art Show is also proud to announce the sponsors for the 2019 show, which include Victorian City Art & Frame, Hileman & Woods, Klapec Auto Body, Marvic Tavern, Real Goods Company, Representative R. Lee James, Laughing Moon Sidhe, and Nicholas Hess.

The 2019 Oil Heritage Festival Art Show will take place July 24 to July 28 at the National Transit Building, National Transit Annex and at 42 Seneca Street on Oil City’s North Side. The opening reception will be on Wednesday, July 24, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; the show will open at 12:00 p.m. each of the following days.

For more information, please visit www.artsoilcity.com, email sarmstrong@oilregion.org, or call 814-677-3152 x104.