ALTOONA, Pa. — “What Once Was,” a body of work by Visual Arts Studies (VAST) student, Grace Brown, will be on display April 16 through 24 in the Sheetz Gallery of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts. A reception will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, in the Center’s Titelman Study. The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.
Grace Brown is a visual artist who primarily works in multimedia, combining oil pastels, watercolor, gouache and charcoal to create her own visual language. She stated her artwork is rooted in elements of her personal life, nature and the interconnectedness of things around her.
She intends to graduate from Penn State Altoona in May with a bachelor's degree in visual art studies, and was the recipient of the Zoller Art Award in 2023 and the Fine Art Award in 2025. She has been featured in the “Hard Freight” literary arts magazine and several group art exhibitions. She was raised in Altoona and said she plans to remain local while continuing to pursue a career in the arts.
According to Brown, her work is rooted in nostalgia and the longing for moments shaped by her childhood memories, relationships and familiar places. She reflects on personal experiences of change, capturing the emotional space between comfort and loss.
“My work welcomes viewers to reflect on the universal sense of longing for the past, and to connect my memories with their own," said Brown.
The galleries are open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For further information, call the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts at 814-949-5452.