Celebrating Bethlehem's Southside Culture
As part of their digital events series during the Covid-19 period, Touchstone Theatre is offering “deep listeners of the Lehigh Valley and beyond” an absurd, hilarious, and suspenseful radio play called “Iso/Nation Presents.” The radio play is part of Touchstone’s “Fresh Voices” program and is made by Sean Patrick Cassidy and Adam Ercolani, Touchstone Theatre’s…
The Bethlehem Harvest Fest, which took place in historic North Side Bethlehem, was full of local venders and great music on Saturday, October 6. It is a celebration of autumn as local venders sell their goods and musicians provide entertainment for guests. This year a few local bands came to play, including Ramtrout and James Supra/Sarah…
Missy Hartney Brings Energy and Ideas to the South Side Arts District Colorful murals in South Bethlehem burst from what used to be blank walls. The addition of a mural on E. Third Street has brought vitality to the city’s streetscape. Created by Manhattan street artist Denton Burrows, this piece of artwork combines elements of…
If you’ve attended any productions at Touchstone Theatre in the past few years, chances are, you have seen Alexis Leon’s work. Although Leon’s professional life at Lehigh University, where she works as the Assistant Director of International Internships (through the Office of International Affairs), takes up much of her schedule, she still manages to find…
If you’ve wandered into Lit Roastery and Bakeshop on Third Street during the past few weeks, then you were greeted by a display of bright, eye-catching collages and paintings. These pieces, with titles including “Twice Caught Like A Rabbit” and “Heavy Eyelids, Loose Jaw,” are evocative works that demand to be looked at; they do…
Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Artist Collective member Michelle Lee about her involvement with the Collective and her work. A dynamic group of artists from across the country comprise the ArtsQuest’s Artist Collective, a resource of creative, networking, professional development, and career opportunities for visual artists. A talented artist, Lee resides in…
A dynamic group of artists from across the country comprise the ArtsQuest’s Artist Collective, a resource of creative, networking, professional development, and career opportunities for visual artists. Katie Hovencamp is one of these multi-talented artists. An internationally recognized artist, Hovencamp explores the deconstruction of gender roles and interrogates social expectations of femininity through sculpture and…
David Sommers, a resident artist at the Banana Factory Arts Center, has known Bethlehem for many years. As an artist, Sommers started with just a black chalkboard: “I just drew and drew as a kid. I would draw out memories of films.” He tried to capture his surrounding environment while growing up in Guyana, South…
For Banana Factory Arts Center resident artist Stephanie Smith, Bethlehem ties run deep. Both sides of Smith’s family are from South Bethlehem, and steel workers dot her family tree. Arriving in the US in 1890, her paternal great grandfather was one of the South Bethlehem’s earliest Slovak immigrants and worked at Bethlehem Steel. He also…
The Banana Factory Arts Center has been Kim Hogan’s home for ten years now. Years ago, she took over the summer programs of a departing resident artist and has stayed with us as a teaching artist since. Here at the Banana Factory, Hogan wears many hats: resident artist, summer camp teacher, outreach program facilitator, and…