“Myron Barnstone: Master Student, Teacher & Artist” at Lehigh Valley Charter HS for the Arts, Bethlehem, PA, features works by the late Lehigh Valley art teacher, who ran Barnstone Studios in Coplay for 35 years. Despite early success, he stopped painting and burned many pieces, hiding the rest, to keep from influencing students. At Charter Arts 6-8 p.m. Oct. 4, Cat Barnstone Szafran presents the school with an original painting of her father’s that’s part of the educational exhibit.
Allentown, PA, October 03, 2019 –(PR.com)– There’s some history unfolding during the First Friday event this week at Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts (Charter Arts) Oct. 4, 6-8 p.m. in the Corpora Gallery. Cat Barnstone Szafran will announce that Barnstone Studios is officially gifting Charter Arts with the original Myron Barnstone painting, Discovery.
The piece is currently on display at Charter Arts as part of the “Myron Barnstone: Master Student, Teacher & Artist” educational exhibit. The gallery is open to the public for the Friday event, and the exhibit remains in place through October 19 for students.
Despite his early success as a painter and photographer in Paris in the late 60s, Barnstone burned many of his original works, and hid another 500 from public view, when he decided to begin teaching. For 35 years he ran Barnstone Studios in the Lehigh Valley, and drilled his students in the disciplines of geometric precision and The Golden Section that were practiced by classical masters.
Two Barnstone Studios alumni, Lorie Reinhard and Roger Brinker, are Charter Arts’ Director of Visual Art and Visual Art Faculty, respectively. Brinker, who also taught at Barnstone Studios, curated the Charter Arts exhibit that combines 38 Barnstone pieces, along with instructional posters Brinker created.
The fact that one of his original paintings is now permanently returning to the Lehigh Valley, says Szafran, is exactly what her father would have wanted.
“Myron dedicated his life to his students,” Szafran said. “To see this new generation of young artists learning the necessary skills from Barnstone alumni at Charter Arts is perfect synchronicity.”
Brinker, who traced Barnstone’s art heritage back directly to such luminaries as da Vinci and Raphael, said Charter Arts students are thrilled to now be included in that prestigious lineage. “It is such a personal matter to them,” Brinker said. “All the students are enthusiastically studying and copying Myron’s work. Nobody’s phoning it in — everyone is giving their assignments their complete attention.”
Young people frequently insist they prefer digital work, Brinker said, or think color isn’t “their thing.” Being in the middle of Barnstone’s pieces, though, is showing students how even if they think an aspect of their artistic study isn’t related, they’re able to see more things emerge that they can incorporate into whatever medium they desire to use.
“They’re engaged whether or not they desire to pursue painting,” Brinker said. “They’re enthusiastically learning the fundamentals that give them the foundation to effectively create anything.”
Thousands of the late Barnstone’s alumni have gone on to distinguished careers in art-related fields, and their works are in galleries and private collections literally around the globe.
Szafran is also unveiling a compilation of drawings from Barnstone’s student sketchbooks during his studies at Ruskin School of Art, Cambridge, England, and other classes through the years. A limited edition of the sketchbooks will be available for sale during the First Friday event. Many Barnstone pieces on display will be available for sale through Charter Arts. Charter Arts will receive 40% commission of sales.
Barnstone Studios at 202 A East Main Street, Thurmont, Maryland, is dedicated to fostering an appreciation of fine art, and helping to make art education accessible to all who desire to develop their talent and enrich their lives. Additional information about Barnstone Method classes, private coaching from Barnstone Master Guides, original works or limited edition prints and other related products are available online at BarnstoneStudios.com, or by calling 301.788.6241.
About The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts (Charter Arts):
Charter Arts, opened in 2003, is an audition-based public charter school that provides a comprehensive curriculum for high school students, grades 9-12, who have a passion for the arts. Students major in one of seven artistic areas: dance, instrumental music, literary arts, production arts, theatre, visual art, or vocal music.
Charter Arts’ rigorous curriculum fosters both academic and artistic excellence for its students. The school’s impressive Future Ready PA Index ranking, Advanced Placement (AP) exam statistics, Keystone Exam statistics, SAT scores, prestigious artistic accolades, and graduation rate, are testaments to the outstanding education that Charter Arts provides.
Charter Arts is proud to celebrate its sixteenth year as one of the most respected high schools for the arts in the nation. Charter Arts was one of only 349 schools in the nation to be named a 2018 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education and earned a Silver Award for its impressive ranking on U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools in America list. Recently, Charter Arts was listed as #1 Best Charter High School in Pennsylvania and #4 Best Public High School Teachers in Pennsylvania by Niche.
Charter Arts is located at 321 East 3rd Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015. For more information, visit www.CharterArts.org.
Discovery by Myron Barnstone, London, 1973, Oil on linen, 36 x 24