The Rotunda Exhibitions, presented by the Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission, showcase a rotating selection of artwork in Bethlehem City Hall’s Rotunda Gallery. Featuring local and regional artists, the exhibitions highlight a variety of styles, including painting, photography, printmaking, and mixed media. Each show runs for several weeks and includes a free artist reception open to the public. Located in the heart of Bethlehem, the Rotunda Gallery offers a unique space where art and community come together.
Location: Bethlehem City Hall, 10 E Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 AM - 4 PM (Closed weekends & holidays)
CURRENT EXHIBITION: Regional Collective Impressions
The Printmakers Society of the Lehigh Valley will be exhibiting a members exhibition “Regional Collective Impressions” at the Bethlehem Town Hall Rotunda Gallery from April 6 to May 16, 2025.There will be an opening reception on Sunday, April 6 from 2:00 - 4:00 PM. The Rotunda Gallery is located at 10 E. Church Street. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
The exhibition will showcase images created using a variety of techniques and materials. Examples of traditional fine art printmaking methodologies are interspersed with prints that have been created using experimental methods and materials still within the context of printmaking.
The Printmakers Society of the Lehigh Valley was founded in 2012 by then retired Professor Richard Redd, former head of the Department of Art at Lehigh University and noted printmaker. To quote Richard Redd on that occasion: “Many artists make prints in various media as a secondary creative activity to painting, sculpture, photography, etc. For other artists, making prints is the main event, the center ring in their creative circus.”
This exhibit brings together printmakers to show a diversity of media and styles: the spontaneity of a monotype, or the many hours of working on a metal plate dipped in an acid bath, or perhaps a block of linoleum cut with chisels. Offering an
intriguing and fresh look at printmaking with a continuing desire to celebrate and promote the art form and encourage a love and understanding of the various types of fine art prints being created today by artists in the Lehigh Valley.
UPCOMING EXHIBITION: Inside & Out
Lehigh Valley artist Joseph Skrapits will present his solo exhibition, Inside and Out, at Bethlehem’s Town Hall Rotunda Gallery from May 23 to June 30, 2025. There will be an opening reception on Sunday, June 1 from 2:00 - 4:00 PM with an artist talk at 3:00 PM. The show features a selection of his still life and plein air landscape paintings, many of which have rarely been shown, to emphasize changes in his artistic approach over time.
Philosophically, the big change has been a movement from an enthusiastic truth-to-nature approach toward a more considered understanding of painting as a kind of “timelessness machine.” Through the analysis and manipulation of design elements (tonal value, color and composition), Joseph enjoys exploring the aesthetic qualities in his subjects, hopefully inducing in the viewer the emotion he experience in painting.
Skrapits graduated from Lehigh University with a B.A. in psychology/fine art in 1972. He worked as a freelance writer for national magazines, specializing in the history and practice of painting. In 1985, he began painting as a casual student of the late artist Antonio Salemme, who taught a direct, spontaneous approach and stressed the structural and emotional properties of color. Joseph’s writing career enabled him to continue his education through the study of historical art movements and through interviews with contemporary artists. He currently lives and has a studio in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The exhibition is sponsored by the Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission (www.bfac-lv.org) and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
2025 ROTUNDA SCHEDULE
Hours: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed weekends and holidays)
Printmakers Society of the Lehigh Valley – Members Exhibition
April 6 – May 16
Artist Reception: Sunday, April 6 | 2-4 PM
Joseph Skrapits – Landscape Painting
May 23 – June 30
Artist Reception: Sunday, June 1 | 2-4 PM
Lehigh Art Alliance – Themed Members Exhibition: “Thoroughly Modern”
July 7 – August 12
Artist Reception: Sunday, July 13 | 2-4 PM
Lois Schlachter – Abstract Painting
August 17 – September 23
Artist Reception: Sunday, August 17 | 2-4 PM
Will Hübscher – Photography
September 29 – November 4
Artist Reception: Sunday, October 5 | 2-4 PM
BFAC Curated Exhibition – Frank “Wyso” Wysochansky – Paintings
(Curated by Steven Lichak)
November 9 – December 19
Artist Reception: Sunday, November 9 | 2-4 PM
Want to have your work on display?
If you are interested in being considered for a Rotunda Gallery show, we'd love to hear from you. Please send us an email about you and your artwork and let's get the conversation started.
Video: Learn more about our Rotunda Shows
