The Penn State Berks Freyberger Gallery will present the exhibition "Eye of the Collector: The Jewish Vision of Sigmund R. Balka" from Jan. 21 to March 3. There will be an opening reception at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21. This event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served.
This multivenue exhibition highlights the collection of Sigmund Balka, who gathered more than 200 works of art over the course of five decades and gifted them to the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. The collection represents the creativity of artists, as well as the significance of the collector, whose inspired vision preserved works of art, and – through gifts – can educate and bring to a new audience the power of art and its ability to underscore the human condition.
The Freyberger Gallery will be exhibiting a sampling of art that highlights the early 20th century migration of eastern European people, particularly those of Jewish descent, from the Old World to the New World. These images explore the many motivations that caused people to leave Europe and the hardships and pleasures that they experienced in the New World.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Freyberger Gallery will host an event titled “Stories of Immigrants and Refugees: An Evening of Compassion” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4. This event will include a presentation by Austra Gaige, a licensed family counselor and refugee from Latvia who will discuss her family’s struggle to come to the U.S. during the German occupation of that country. The event will also include poetry readings and stories by faculty and students from the college.
The Freyberger Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; and from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, contact Marilyn Fox, gallery director, at 610-396-6140 or via email at mjf14@psu.edu.