Rotunda Gallery Shows

Thomas Shillea, photographer, and Doug Zucco, printmaker, will be exhibiting a joint exhibition entitled  “Artists and Teachers” at the Bethlehem Town Hall Rotunda Gallery from February 23 to April 1, 2025.  This exhibition will focus on these two creative forces and their duality as both artists and educators , emphasizing their impact within our arts community. There will be an artist reception on Sunday, February 23 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM with an artist talk at 3:00 PM.  The Rotunda Gallery is located at 10 E. Church Street.  Gallery hours are Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

For five decades, Thomas Shillea has focused on the complex interaction of identity that include constructs like gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, religion, and aesthetics. A pioneer in experimental photography, he also employs a classical approach to his art using his 100-year-old large format view camera and printing his unique images  on paper hand-coated with metals like platinum and gold. He has created commissioned portraits of public figures such as  President Ronald Reagan, Coretta Scott King, and Malcolm Forbes, to name a few. Most recently, he participated internationally at  Paris Photo in France and The Photography Show at the Park Avenue Armory, NYC.  His work has been collected by the Smithsonian Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Philadelphia Museum of Art, National Museum of African American History and Culture,  James A. Michener Art Museum, and others.  Beside establishing an illustrious art career, he brings his wealth of knowledge to his students as art professor and concurrently serves as Director of Arts Program at  Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Working alongside Shillea at the college is his talented colleague,  Doug Zucco. This artist/teacher is a well-known master printmaker with degrees from Kutztown University and the University of Georgia.  He has previously taught at Kutztown University, Moravian University, Cedar Crest College. and presently, at Northampton Community College.  Zucco has received grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Ford Foundation.  His artwork incorporates symbols, allegory, and myth. With his imagery becoming a visual iconography back through time,  Zucco’s interest in history prompts him to think in layers of meaning and alternative symbolic meanings. Using the  recognizable imagery of a modern deck of playing cards as his inspiration for this show, he takes the ordinary and makes it iconic, creating their own compelling mythology. Zucco exhibits his artwork extensively throughout the United States.  In 2023,  his artwork was on display at the National Museum in Romania. He is currently represented in the collections of The Pew Charitable Trust, the Philadelphia Public Library, Muhlenberg College, the Delaware Art Museum, and the Getty Museum, among others.

Thomas Shillea and Doug Zucco: "ARTISTS AND TEACHERS"
When: Feb 23 to April 1, 2025
Where: Bethlehem Town Hall Rotunda Gallery, 10 E. Church Street, Bethlehem
Hours: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed weekends and holidays)
Reception: Sunday, February 23 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM ,  Artist Talk at 3:00 PM