Penn State Altoona professor featured in Palmer Museum exhibit

ALTOONA, Pa. — Susan Marie Brundage, associate teaching professor of visual art studies at Penn State Altoona, is one of 50 artists represented in the Palmer Museum of Art’s current exhibition, “Dreaming American Futures: Invitational 250.”

To mark America’s 250th anniversary, artists were invited to submit works that address the forward-looking themes of “Activating Change,” “Bridging the Divide,” “Pursuit of Happiness,” and “A More Perfect Union.”

A panel of jurors selected Brundage’s painting “If The USA….” from her recent series “My American Primer” for the exhibition.

Brundage says the series explores the history of American activism through the language of protest signage. “From the Declaration of Independence to the ICE OUT marches happening right now, our ability to go into the streets to declare our truth is a bedrock of our American republic. The humble, low-fi protest sign is given new permanence by being transformed into a precious artifact.”

Brundage will be among a group of artists giving gallery talks about their work on

Friday, Oct. 23, from 1 to 2 p.m.

“Dreaming American Futures: Invitational 250” will be on display at the museum until Nov. 29. A public reception will be held on Thursday, Oct. 1, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Brundage has taught in the Visual Art Studies program at Penn State Altoona since 2011, when she was selected as the emerging artist-in-residence. She currently resides in State College and exhibits her work nationally and internationally. More details are available on her website.