UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — This July, when visitors flock to Happy Valley to enjoy the 2025 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, the Penn State Alumni Association invites all festival attendees to visit the Hintz Family Alumni Center for the return of a special arts event, "Hintzpiration, Artistry at the Alumni Center," open to the public July 11–12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This year's event, “From Field to Canvas: The Art of the Idea,” is presented in collaboration with the College of Arts and Architecture and the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. It will feature the work of Tom Mosser, Penn State class of 1982, a celebrated visual artist who has created widely recognized works while maintaining deep ties to the University.
Mosser is best known for his “At the Museum” painting series, which has resonated with audiences worldwide, becoming one of the most shared art series on the Internet.
A Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, native whose parents met at Penn State, Tom Mosser graduated from the College of Arts and Architecture. While he was a student, he designed program and media guide covers for Penn State football games. He also was a cheerleader during his senior year. In 1988, he became the mascot for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Pirate Parrot, a position he held until he returned to the art world full-time in 1996.
On Friday, July 11, Mosser will create a painting live at the Hintz Family Alumni Center. Mosser will explore the connections between athletic movement and artistic expression — how the rhythm of a game echoes the rhythm of the creative process.
"Whether it’s a quarterback making a split-second read, a hockey player sending a behind-the-back pass to a teammate, a soccer player threading a pass through defenders, or an artist deciding to roll a paint-covered basketball across a canvas — every action begins as an idea," Mosser says. "In sports, ideas come fast and instinctively. In art, they can simmer or explode. But in both worlds, ideas are the fuel that powers creativity."
At Hintzpiration, Mosser will demonstrate his distinctive technique, which was inspired when he noticed patterns a volleyball left in sand. An idea was born: what if the game itself became the brush? That spark led him to begin painting with sports equipment like footballs and tennis balls to create dynamic textures and patterns. Through stories, splattered paint, and a few rolling sports balls, he will share how, he said, the best ideas often come not when we chase them, but when we let them roll right through us.
"That same playful curiosity later led to a simple but powerful question," Mosser says. "'What kind of painting would my golden retriever, Lucas, be captivated by?' That question led to the viral painting called 'A Golden Retriever at the Museum' — a little idea that changed everything.
"And sometimes, it’s the quiet, quirky, seemingly small ideas — like imagining what kind of art your dog might admire — that spark the biggest waves," Mosser notes. "Lucas, that golden retriever with the curious gaze, reminds us to give ourselves permission to follow the thread of our ideas, no matter how offbeat or ordinary they may seem. Because the real magic happens not just in having an idea, but in acting on it — and then doing it again and again."
Hintzpiration also will showcase work by current Penn State students as well as vintage Arts Festival posters designed by Lanny Sommese, distinguished professor emeritus of design at Penn State. Sommese, who passed away in 2022, left an indelible legacy at the University and his posters came to be a defining element for the Arts Fest.
In conjunction with the public Hintzpiration event, a private reception exclusively for members of the Penn State Alumni Association will be held Friday evening, July 11, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. In addition to food, beverages and the opportunity to speak with Mosser, the reception will feature the Central PA Tasting Trail, where guests can sample beer, spirits and wines from alumni-owned businesses in Happy Valley and neighboring areas. Alumni Association members will receive an invitation by email when registration for the reception opens at the end of May.
Arts Festival visitors also can take advantage of a hospitality tent operated by the Centre County Chapter of the Alumni Association along the festival route. Visitors will be able to check their art purchases there to pick up later, so they can continue to enjoy the festival.
As the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts nears, visit the Hintzpiration web page for additional details about the event and the Alumni Association’s activities during the festival.
For more than 150 years, the Penn State Alumni Association has provided alumni with a strong and welcoming community representative of the Penn Staters it proudly serves. The association keeps alumni connected to the University and to each other, while upholding Penn State traditions and supporting the University’s mission of teaching, research and service.
The association also produces the award-winning Penn Stater magazine and other publications, and offers alumni and friends volunteer opportunities, educational programming, and many other services. For more information about the Alumni Association, visit alumni.psu.edu/youbelong.