Date: November 5, 2007
| CPIMAGE:143490|Steamtown NHS steam locomotive Canadian National #3254 depicted in watercolors by visiting artist Diane Grant Czajkowski. |
| Diane Grant Czajkowski @ 2007 |
| Steamtown NHS steam locomotive Canadian National #3254 depicted in watercolors by visiting artist Diane Grant Czajkowski. |
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Scranton, PA - Steamtown National Historic Site, downtown Scranton, welcomes a new mixed media art exhibit, "Trains and Trolleys," by LuzerneCounty artist and photographer Diane Grant Czajkowski. This exhibit illustrates the community role of the train and the trolley through history, as well as the professional workers that maintained them. The exhibit will open at the park’s Changing Exhibit's Gallery on Wednesday, November 21 and continue through Saturday, December 29.
Ms. Czajkowski is an Ashley, Pennsylvania resident who watched trains and trolleys travel before her eyes from the early years of her life, influenced by their charm and majesty as they passed by her grade school yard. With more than 30 years of professional artistic experience, Ms. Czajkowski relates that she is seeing first hand how the trains and trolleys of today are being used to connect the people of the community with history. From miniature paintings to murals, Ms. Czajkowski works in oil paints, watercolors, pen and ink, mixed mediums and photography in large and small formats. "I venture to show the dynamic impact and versatility of trains and trolleys," notes Ms. Czajkowski. "As an artist, I think I see things from a different perspective, giving attention to what others just pass by, which are so significant and last through time. I recall my grandfather and me visiting his homestead of Jermyn, and stories of family history of train travel, keeping my own history there in the forefront of my world. It is my joy to have my artwork become a part of the very history that has formed my own." Ms. Czajkowski's project was supported by an Arts and Cultural Grant, a program of the Lackawanna County Council on the Arts.
The exhibit is included in the Park's Entrance Fee and will be open during regular Park hours. Located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Steamtown NHS is open daily from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., and will be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years' Days. From I-81, follow exit 185 (Central Scranton Expressway) to Lackawanna Avenue, and follow the signs to the park entrance at Lackawanna and Cliff Avenues. Additional details regarding interpretive and educational programs and activities may be obtained by calling (570) 340-5200, toll free (888) 693-9391, during business hours, or by visiting the Steamtown web site at www.nps.gov/stea anytime!
Editor’s Note: Digital images for media use are available upon request.
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