UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Palmer Museum of Art will present a series of gallery conversations this fall related to the major exhibition organized by the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, "Marcellus Shale Documentary Project," now on view at the museum through Dec. 14. The conversations will be led by faculty and staff members from multiple disciplines within the College of Arts and Architecture, the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, the College of Agricultural Sciences, and Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment.
The "Marcellus Shale Documentary Project" features photographic images that tell the personal stories of Pennsylvanians affected by the Marcellus Shale gas industry. By creating a visual document of the environmental, social and economic impact of the drilling, the work aims to engage communities in the current Marcellus Shale debate while providing important historical images for the future. In capturing images of the people and places most affected by gas drilling, photographers Noah Addis, Nina Berman, Brian Cohen, Scott Goldsmith, Lynn Johnson and Martha Rial examine both the positive and negative results of the recent boom in the gas industry and how the environment and the communities that live with the resources are being shaped.
The Gallery Conversations and presenters are:
12:10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10"Marcellus Shale: In Their Own Words"William J. Doan, professor of theater and women’s studies, and Andrew Belser, professor of theater12:10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17"Environmental Aspects of Shale Energy Development"David Yoxtheimer, extension associate, Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research12:10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24"Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources"Elizabeth W. Boyer, associate professor, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, and Bryan Swistock, senior extension associate, Penn State Water Resources Extension
12:10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7"Finding a Way Forward: Thoughts on How to Address Marcellus Shale Development-Related Conflicts"Lara B. Fowler, senior lecturer, Dickinson School of Law, and research fellow, Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment12:10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14"The Economic and Community Impacts of Natural Gas Development"Kathy Brasier, associate professor of rural sociology, and Timothy Kelsey, professor of agricultural economics and co-director, Penn State Center for Economic and Community Development12:10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5"Community, Landscape and Gas: Energy in Pennsylvania’s Past, Present and Future"Brian Orland, distinguished professor of landscape architecture, and Tim Murtha, associate professor of landscape architecture12:10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12"Across the Divide: Picturing Marcellus Shale"Steven Rubin, assistant professor of art
The Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State is located on Curtin Road and admission is free. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. The museum is closed Mondays and some holidays. A greeter will be available in the lobby to direct visitors to the appropriate gallery for all noontime events.