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F E AT U R E S
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LYCOMING COLLEGE 2015 SPRING MAGAZINE
Merchants, community leaders, arts council members, the mayor, any number of
“
Trustee Barbara Sylk ’73, husband
Leonard Sylk and their daughter,
Galen Sylk stand with President Kent
Trachte as he welcomes the city to
the grand opening of the downtown
art gallery. The Sylk family private
collection of Pennsylvania artists
was the first show in this premier
venue.
Originally the college was set to renovate the existing gallery space tucked
away in Snowden Library, which had housed countless art exhibitions since the
1980s. But upon a close examination of the space, amidst many pros and cons,
one flaw stuck out in the president’s mind: lack of community access. While the
location was convenient for students, faculty and staff, it was less than ideal
for the community at large.
At this point, President Trachte coalesced a few different streams of
thought: One was that the art department deserved more attention. He said,
“I had become increasingly impressed with the quality of our art department
and the work that our faculty and students do and was looking for
opportunities to give that a broader exposure.” The other was that one of his
top priorities for Lycoming is to have the college engage with the community
more. To make the school “more visibly a part of Williamsport.”
A way to accomplish both goals was to establish a presence in a location
central to the area: “the Avenue of the Arts”, aka, West Fourth Street. Such
a move would give the arts at Lycoming a greater visibility and would also
build a unique bridge between the college and the city.
Once the objective was set, action came fast. Over the course of one
summer break, the college located and secured the spot, which was then
renovated quickly and expertly by building owner Matt Schauer, who is
leasing the space to the college. By fall, the two-room space had new
wooden floors, bright white walls, generous lighting and was ready for
the public.
Campus advancement and enhancement traditionally
happened, well, on campus. “So when President Kent
Trachte suggested the possibility of moving the gallery
downtown, all of us in the art department were very
excited,” said associate professor of art, Howard Tran.