PHOTO PROVIDED
From left, Ben Fehl, Joseph Cusumano and Sarah Zappe will be curating the “Making Connections: Art, Engineering and Community” exhibition in collaboration with the Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County.
BELLEFONTE — The Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education is partnering with the Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County (BAM) on an upcoming exhibition titled “Making Connections: Art, Engineering and Community.” Students, faculty and staff at Penn State and residents in Centre County are invited to submit original works reflecting the intersection of art and engineering in their lives and communities.
“Making Connections” aims to explore “the deep and often overlooked intersections between art and engineering, highlighting how both disciplines rely on creativity, systems thinking, experimentation and responsiveness to human and societal needs,” according to the BAM website. The exhibition welcomes a wide range of media, including two-dimensional and three-dimensional visual artwork, photography, textiles, mixed media and conceptual or process-based pieces.
Submissions from students, faculty and staff in the College of Engineering will also be entered into the second annual Leonhard Center Art-Engineering Competition, which will coincide with “Making Connections.” The competition seeks artwork showcasing the historical and modern overlap between art and engineering, and prizes will be awarded for first through third place as well as honorable mentions.
Each artist can submit up to three works for consideration. Applications are open through Oct. 15, and the curated exhibition will be on view from Jan. 1 through Feb. 28, 2027.
“Rather than curating entirely from existing works, we’re actively inviting students, faculty, staff and community members to contribute their own creative interpretations of the relationship between art, engineering and community,” said Sarah Zappe, director of the Leonhard Center and assistant dean for teaching and learning in the College of Engineering. “I love seeing people share their creativity, especially in ways that may not always be visible in academic or professional settings, and I truly cannot wait to see what people come up with for the exhibit.”
Zappe will be curating the “Making Connections” exhibition in collaboration with Joseph Cusumano, professor of engineering science and mechanics, and Benjamin Fehl, lecturer in the School of Engineering Design and Innovation. Zappe, Cusumano and Fehl also curated last year’s exhibition, “Structures, Systems and Society: Work at the Interface of Art and Engineering,” which was on view at the Palmer Museum of Art during the fall semester of 2025.
“Engineering and art both involve experimentation, imagination, design, communication and problem-solving,” Zappe said. “For those who choose to submit work, I hope the experience provides an opportunity for reflection, self-expression and connection with others across the Penn State and broader community.”
Additional information, including entry requirements for the exhibition and competition, can be found in the call for submissions available on the BAM website.
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