Arts at Hayfield News!
Check here to read updates about Arts at Hayfield events and activities
PHOTO: Left to Right – Anna Smagin, Junenoire Fonté, Avalie Wolfe
2024 Academic Awards Recipients!
In 2024, Arts at Hayfield, the nonprofit, campus, and community arts organization at Penn State Wilkes-Barre granted $2500.00 in academic awards to three qualifying Wilkes-Barre Penn State Students.
Annual awards are granted to academically and artistically accomplished students who demonstrate their commitment to the arts by submitting a detailed application that outlines their interest in the arts. The student applicants are asked to describe their experiences and opinions about being a scholar, express their thoughts about becoming valued members of society, and how they see themselves contributing to their community in the future, based not only on academic achievements but also on personal interests including support of the Arts.
The 2024 Irene Thomas Memorial Award recipient, Junenoire Fonté, became involved in art and photography in middle and high school. Following high school graduation, she attended a photography school in Massachusetts, then headed to New York City to work as a freelance professional photographer. She continues to work on a project for the Egyptian Art Department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Junenoire is a current Penn State Wilkes-Barre student where she is majoring in information technology
Avalie Wolfe, one of the Runners-up, has a strong interest in reading, researching, and writing. She enjoys writing a mix of fiction, non-fiction, and horror fiction. She received an Honors Program Award at the Celebration of Academic Excellence in May 2024. Avalie is majoring in Art History and works on art exhibits as an assistant at the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Friedman Art Gallery.
Anna Smagin, the other runner-up, has many achievements in music and dance. She took ballet classes and danced in performances at the Wilkes University Conservatory for the past 16 years. She also performed in piano recitals at Wilkes over a four-year period. At Penn State Wilkes-Barre, she is a criminal justice major with plans to become a lawyer. After she earns her law degree, she hopes to continue dancing and give back to her community by helping the next generation of dancers.
Link to Penn State News: Penn State Wilkes-Barre students receive Arts at Hayfield awards | Penn State University
Thanks to all the volunteers who were able to help with the 38th Annual Arts at Hayfield Summer Arts Festival. Despite the rain, it was still a successful event.
We got some good news coverage and had a decent crowd. Here is a link to some news coverage with a video on the PA Home Page. https://www.pahomepage.com/news/air-filled-with-music-for-38th-annual-hayfield-summer-arts-festival/
We hope to see everyone again on November 3 for the Homespun Holidays Craft Show!
Check out page 61 of the August Issue of Happenings Magazine!
https://issuu.com/happeningsmagazinepa/docs/aug_2024_issuu/61
Arts at Hayfield 38th Annual Summer Arts Festival – 2024 News Release
On Sunday, August 18, 2024, more than 120 artisans, performers, crafters, and food vendors will converge on the campus of Penn State Wilkes-Barre in Lehman, PA to celebrate the 38th Annual Arts at Hayfield Summer Arts Festival. The event is on the campus grounds from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., rain or shine!
Beginning at 10:00 a.m. and throughout the day, there will be a variety of performances including folk rock, jazz, bluegrass, chamber music, magic, juggling, and costumed storytelling. Food vendors behind the Hayfield House will serve various favorite festival foods.
A craft tent will feature face painting and special projects for children. and a variety of special craft projects for all ages. Join the conversations, storytelling, crafts, art projects, and photographs with costumed Princesses and Heroes.
Tom Wildoner, a retired Environmental Specialist for the U.S. Army will give a talk called "From Novice to Nebula: An Introduction to Astrophotography” in the Nesbitt Academic Building Lower-Level, Barry Auditorium from 1:00-2:00 p.m. Following his talk, Penn State Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Dr. Violet Mager will host an open house at the Friedman Observatory from 2:00-3:00 p.m. called "A Solar Crescendo: Viewing the Sun at Peak Activity." Master Gardeners will be available throughout the day to answer gardening questions.
Three 45-minute tours of the historic Hayfield House will take place at 11:00 a.m., 1:15 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. This is an opportunity to learn the home's history and the life and times of John and Bertha Conyngham. John’s interest in farming gave rise to Hayfield Farms in 1910.
During the Summer Arts Festival, the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Friedman Art Gallery celebrates the grand opening of a new solo exhibition by the modern artist Seth Ellison called “Lost in Paradise.”
Seth Ellison is a Philadelphia-based painter and multimedia artist. He was born in Beckley, West Virginia in 1984, and lived mainly in the southern United States before moving to attend grad school. His formative years were spent compulsively drawing in preparation for a future career as a Walt Disney animator, a period in his life that deeply impacted the paintings he does today.
Seth Ellison’s Friedman Art Gallery solo exhibit features a variety of his paintings and runs from Sunday, August 18 through Friday, October 25, 2024. The gallery is open on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Arts at Hayfield requests a $2.00 donation at the entrances. Admission is free for students under 18 and college students with ID. Donations support an annual achievement award for arts-oriented Penn State Wilkes-Barre students, public musical performances, and community arts programs offered by other groups in the area. Donations also contribute to ongoing restoration projects at the Hayfield House and support other art enrichment programs on the campus of Penn State Wilkes-Barre.
For more information about the 38th Annual Summer Arts Festival and a complete list of programs and activities, visit the Arts at Hayfield website https://www.artsathayfield.org/summer-arts-festival/ Contact the festival chair at 570-675-9232, or jrw4@psu.edu.
Arts at Hayfield YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@artsathayfield9975/videos
Regional Collaboration Award: Presented by the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce to Arts at Hayfield and Penn State Wilkes-Barre.
A brand-new Regional Collaboration Award, focused on the strategic goal of regional connectivity by celebrating those who are using collaboration for the betterment of our area was presented at the annual awards dinner on Thursday, November 16, 2023, to Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Arts at Hayfield.
These two remarkable organizations continue to epitomize the essence of collaboration, regularly joining forces on significant projects that bring about transformative changes in the Northeastern Pennsylvania region.
Their collective efforts underscore the profound impact that effective relationships and the spirit of unity can have on the Greater Wyoming Valley community. Through their shared vision, they have demonstrated the power of working together to address critical needs and serve the community.
The Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce celebrates these collaborative champions for their remarkable contributions and their inspiring example of what can be achieved when organizations come together for the greater good.
For further information about each organization:
Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce - https://www.wyomingvalleychamber.org/
Arts at Hayfield - https://www.artsathayfield.org/
Penn State Wilkes-Barre - https://wilkesbarre.psu.edu/
Read the Feature Article about Arts at Hayfield by Goldie Van Horn
https://wilkesbarre.psu.edu/feature/arts-history
For nearly 40 years, Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Arts at Hayfield have hosted thousands of community members for events organized by Arts at Hayfield, a nonprofit organization that supports the arts in the community and on the campus of Penn State Wilkes-Barre.
Arts at Hayfield Executive Meeting - 1984
Arts at Hayfield - Old News!
Arts at Hayfield 37th Annual Summer Arts Festival – 2023 News Release
On Sunday, August 27, 2023, more than 120 artisans, performers, crafters, and food vendors will converge on the campus of Penn State Wilkes-Barre in Lehman, PA to celebrate the 37th Annual Arts at Hayfield Summer Arts Festival. The event runs on the campus grounds from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., rain or shine!
Beginning at 11:00 a.m. and throughout the day, there will be a variety of performances including folk rock, bluegrass, chamber music, magic, juggling, costumed storytelling, and a roving violinist. Food vendors will serve a variety of festival foods including wraps, Middle Eastern foods, chicken tenders, potato pancakes, haluski, pierogies, pizza, hot dogs, smash burgers, funnel cakes, piggies, mac and cheese, desserts, fresh lemonade, and ice cream.
Throughout the day, a craft tent will feature face painting and projects for children and a variety of special craft projects for all ages. From 1:30-3:30 p.m. join conversations, storytelling, crafts, art projects, and photographs with costumed Princesses and Heroes at the Gazebo.
Penn State astronomy professor Dr. Violet Majer will host an open house at the Friedman Observatory from 12:00-2:00 p.m. that focuses on viewing the sun and the next two major eclipses of the sun. Master Gardeners will be available throughout the day to answer your gardening questions.
Three 45-minute tours of the historic Hayfield House will take place at 11:00, 1:15, and 3:00. This is an opportunity to learn some local history about the house, and the life and times of John and Bertha Conyngham. John’s interest in farming gave rise to Hayfield Farms in 1910. A DVD history of the farm that was made from primary sources to honor its 100th anniversary is available for sale.
A unique feature at this Summer Arts Festival will be the grand opening of the three-month-long Andrea Doria Exhibit called “Andrea Doria: Dive to an Era” at the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Friedman Art Gallery. According to the History Channel, “On the night of July 25, 1956, a collision between the ocean liners SS Andrea Doria and MS Stockholm killed 51 people and prompted one of the largest civilian maritime rescues in history.” Within 11 hours, the ship quickly sank and ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of Nantucket. The shipwreck became known as the “Mount Everest of Scuba Diving.”
The Friedman Art Gallery display will feature many of the items recovered on more than two hundred dives to the ship by the internationally acclaimed scuba diver Gary Gentile who is loaning Andria Doria dishes, cups, plates, jewelry, ceramic panels by Italian painter Romano Rui, and much more for this unique exhibit.
Gary Gentile will present two talks on August 27 from 11:00-12:00 and again from 1:00-2:00 in the Barry Auditorium, Nesbitt Academic Commons Building, Room 103, right across from the Friedman Art Gallery. Gary will discuss his extensive diving adventures and will lead a walk-through of the Friedman Art Gallery exhibit after his talks.
The Arts at Hayfield requested donation at the entrances is $2.00. Admission is free for students under 18 and college students with ID. Donations support an annual achievement award for arts-oriented campus students, public musical performances, and arts programs offered to the community by other groups in the Wyoming Valley area. Donations also contribute to ongoing restoration projects at the Hayfield House and support other art enrichment events on the campus of Penn State Wilkes-Barre.
For more information about the Summer Arts Festival, visit the Arts at Hayfield website https://www.artsathayfield.org/summer-arts-festival/, or contact the Festival Chair, Janis Winter, at 570-675-9232, or jrw4@psu.edu.
Arts at Hayfield YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@artsathayfield9975/videos
33rd Annual Arts at Hayfield Homespun Holiday Craft Show on the Campus of Penn State Wilkes-Barre!
The 33rd Annual Arts at Hayfield Homespun Holiday Craft Show is scheduled for Sunday, November 5, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Athletic Building and Student Commons Building on the campus of Penn State Wilkes-Barre. More than 100 crafters are scheduled to display and market their crafts, artwork, jewelry, and much more.
There is a suggested donation of $2.00 per person at the door. Children under 18 and Penn Students with campus IDs are free.
During the Homespun Holiday Craft Show, visit the Friedman Art Gallery Andrea Doria display in the Nesbitt Academic Commons building that will be open to the public from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. The exhibit features many of the items recovered on more than two hundred dives to the ship by the internationally acclaimed scuba diver Gary Gentile. Gary loaned Andrea Doria dishes, cups, plates, jewelry, ceramic panels by Italian painter Romano Rui, and much more for this unique campus display which runs through Thursday, November 30.
https://www.psu.edu/news/wilkes-barre/story/transformational-art-exhibit-open-penn-state-wilkes-barre/
The Penn State Wilkes-Barre Friedman Art Gallery announces the next campus art exhibit “Healing Through Transformational Art” that runs from April 1 through May 31, 2023. This campus exhibit features artworks by members of the Dallas, PA organization TWIGS. (Together We Initiate Growth & Stability) TWIGS offers Transformational Art sessions to stimulate the mind and create a healthier thought process for those who participate.
On Wednesday, April 5th, 2023, in conjunction with the art exhibit, the Friedman Art Gallery sponsored a live open panel discussion about the effects of trafficking and how the creation of art is used as part of transformational healing from the effects of various traumas. The interactive program will be held in the Nesbitt Academics Commons Building, Barry Auditorium, Room 103 from 12:15-1:15 pm and included two guest speakers including Sarah Isaac-Samuel and Heather Shnyder.
Sarah Isaac-Samuel is known as a survivor of abandonment, abuse, and sex trafficking. She has beaten the odds and dedicated her life to helping others through their own trauma and abuse. In 2018 Sarah‘s personal memoir, A Journey Back to Restoration was published and lead her to public speaking engagements worldwide. She continues to speak at events to raise awareness and advance the fight to end sex trafficking. In 2020 Sarah began sharing more of her talents with other victims and survivors of abuse, domestic violence, and sex trafficking by using art as a tool in their healing process.
Heather Shnyder has been with Transitions of PA for over 21 years. She has been an educator since October 2001 and recently moved into the position of Health Systems Training Specialist in January 2022. She is responsible for coordinating the agency's medical advocacy program with healthcare providers in Union, Snyder, and Northumberland Counties. Ms. Shnyder is recognized in the Commonwealth as an expert witness for sexual assault trials and a trained Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) Suicide Gatekeeper Instructor. She is an accredited facilitator for "Care for Kids," "Parents in The Know: Engaging Parents in Child Sexual Abuse Prevention program," "Strengthening Families," "Adults and Children Together (ACT) Raising Safe Kids" programs, and "Preventing Sexual Harassment at Work."
Arts at Hayfield - 2022
Academic Scholarships Awarded!
In 2022, Arts at Hayfield, the nonprofit, campus, and community arts organization at Penn State Wilkes-Barre granted $4000.00 in academic scholarships to five qualifying Wilkes-Barre Penn State Students.
Annual scholarships are awarded to academically and artistically accomplished students who demonstrate their commitment to the arts by submitting a detailed application that outlines their interest in the arts. The student applicants are asked to describe their experiences and opinions about being a scholar, express their personal thoughts about becoming a valued member of society, and how they see themselves contributing to their community in the future, based not only on academic achievements but also on personal interests including support of the Arts. All applications are carefully evaluated by an Arts at Hayfield scholarship committee.
In Spring 2022, after a two-year hiatus, the Arts at Hayfield organization was able to resume the academic awards. On Monday, April 18, 2022, at the regular Arts at Hayfield Spring meeting, Cloe Mazzatosta, majoring in computer science, was awarded a $1000.00 Irene Thomas Academic Scholarship Award.
On Sunday, November 13, 2022, Verena Lake, majoring in surveying engineering, was awarded the Fall 2022 $1000.00 Irene Thomas Academic Scholarship Award. KateLyn Krzysik majoring in biology, and Hannah Corson, majoring in surveying engineering, were each awarded $750.00 for honorable mention academic awards and Kyler Burke, majoring in English, was awarded a $500.00 Honorable mention academic scholarship award.
For additional information about “Arts at Hayfield,” the annual Irene Thomas Scholarship, and other Academic Awards, contact Jonathan Pineno, Arts at Hayfield president.
Phone: 570-675-9159
Photo L-R: KateLyn Krzysik, Verena Lake, Cloe Mazzatosta
The 32nd Annual Arts at Hayfield Homespun Holiday Craft Show was held on Sunday, November 6, 2022, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM in the Athletic Building on the campus of Penn State Wilkes-Barre. More than 100 crafters are scheduled to display and market their crafts, artwork, jewelry, and much more.
Masks are suggested but no longer required in all indoor spaces on campus. There is a suggested donation of $2.00 per person at the door. Children under 18 and Penn Students with campus IDs are free.
Since its founding in 1984, Arts at Hayfield members have pursued a mission of promoting the arts for all members of the community to experience and enjoy.
TV AD: https://youtu.be/fZwRRaL1LC8
Arts at Hayfield is sponsoring the 32nd Annual Homespun Holiday Craft Show on Sunday, November 6, 2022. Applications for the Homespun Holiday Craft show are processed. (Crafter Applications)
We may have a few spots available, are creating a "wait list," and might be able to accept applications from crafters and vendors. Return all correspondence to:
Arts at Hayfield
44 University Drive
Dallas, PA 18612
Crafters who have already submitted applications will be notified within two weeks of receipt. Crafters who have not received confirmation of application should contact Arts at Hayfield as soon as possible. Call: 570-675-9232
Thank you for your continuing support and cooperation with our efforts to promote the Arts at the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus and throughout the local communities. We encourage you to share this information and come to the Arts at Hayfield Craft Shows!
The 36th Annual Summer Arts Festival Returned!
After a two-year hiatus due to circumstances beyond our control, the Arts at Hayfield Summer Arts Festival was back! On Sunday, August 28, more than 120 artisans, performers, crafters, food vendors, and more than 2200 visitors converged on the campus grounds of Penn State Wilkes-Barre in Lehman, PA to celebrate the 36th Annual Arts at Hayfield Summer Festival. The event ran from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
From 11:30 until closing there was a steady string of performances including folk rock, bluegrass, chamber music, magic, juggling, costumed storytelling, and a roving violinist ending the day. Food vendors served up a variety of festival foods including burgers, wraps, Middle Eastern fare, chicken tenders, potato pancakes, haluski, pierogies, snow cones, pizza, hot dogs, kielbasa, funnel cakes, piggies, mac and cheese, desserts, fresh lemonade, ice cream, gelatos, and sundaes.
The craft tent was the place to pick up free balloons and will feature face painting, and projects for children all day. Helen Grebski offered a variety of special craft projects for all ages. Hundreds of visitors joined in conversations, storytelling, crafts, art projects, and photographs with the costumed Princesses and Heroes at the Gazebo from 1:30-3:30.
Dr. Violet Major hosted an open house for the Friedman Observatory from 11-12. The Master Gardeners were available all day to answer gardening questions.
Three tours of the historical Hayfield House took place at 11:00 AM, 1:15 PM, and 3:00 PM. This was a great opportunity to learn some local history about the house and the life and times of John Conyngham, the gentleman farmer whose interest in farming gave rise to Hayfield Farms in 1910. A DVD history of the farm that was made from primary sources to honor its 100th anniversary is available for sale.
The requested donation for adults of $2 supported an annual achievement award for an arts-oriented Penn State campus student, public performances and arts programs offered to the larger community by other groups in the Wyoming Valley area, and contributes to restoration projects for Hayfield House and other art enrichment activities and programs on the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus.
For more information, contact the Festival Chairperson, Janis Winter, at 570-675-9232, or jrw4@psu.edu.
OLD NEWS! 2020 - THE SHOW MUST GO ON!
Penn State Wilkes-Barre Student Helped Create a Virtual Craft Fair
After Arts at Hayfield canceled both of its planned 2020 craft shows, volunteers began formulating a plan so the show could go on – with the assistance of a Penn State Wilkes-Barre student who is using her skills to help the event go virtual.
The Hometown Traditions Virtual Craft Fair launched on September 6, 2020, and continued through August 2021.
Arts at Hayfield has a long tradition of raising funds to support local arts programs and artists as well as supplying scholarships to Penn State Wilkes-Barre students. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and concern for patrons’ safety and well-being, the organization was forced to cancel both the 2020 Summer Arts Festival and Homespun Holiday Craft Show.
As an alternative to the live on-campus craft shows, organization volunteers worked together to create a craft fair to promote crafters and vendors. Jonathan Pineno, president; Janis Winter, treasurer; William Bachman, marketing and promotions, and Autumn Resauit, social media, and marketing coordinator, developed the Hometown Traditions Virtual Craft Fair, which pays homage to the history of Arts at Hayfield craft fairs that have been hosted at Penn State Wilkes-Barre for 35 years.
The 2020 virtual craft fair connected crafters to visitors through Facebook and the Arts at Hayfield website. Throughout the coming weeks, Arts at Hayfield will post a featured crafter to help them gain exposure to Arts at Hayfield craft show patrons. Those interested in an item they see during the virtual event were able to visit the crafters’ websites or contact the crafter to make a purchase.
Autumn Resauit worked with Pineno, her mentor, to create a proposal and advertisement pieces for the virtual craft fair. Resauit continued managing the Facebook page, where she created graphics and developed posts until September 2021.
Autumn stated: "Everything that I know about social media, event promotion, and communications is from my Penn State courses,” she said. “Volunteering with Arts at Hayfield has given me the chance to combine my passion for the arts and to apply what I have learned in my courses.”
Resauit also said helping the craft show continue is important to her because as a student herself, she knows how important the scholarships offered at Penn State Wilkes-Barre are. “I’m so passionate about helping Arts at Hayfield because it benefits students. I know that as a student, any help is welcomed,” she said.
Old News - 2020 Virtual Online Crafter Event!
Next Arts at Hayfield Events
Sunday, August 24, 2025
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Craft Show
Sunday, November 2, 2025
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Feature Article about Arts at Hayfield by Goldie Van Horn:
https://wilkesbarre.psu.edu/feature/arts-history
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