The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s Spectrum arts series will open the academic year with a celebration of America’s National Park Centennial from local artist Denise Drummond.
The art show will be held in the KOA Gallery in Blaisdell Hall, Sep. 6 through Oct. 2. An opening reception will be held at noon on Sep. 9 in the KOA Speer Electronics Lobby. The gallery is open 8:30 a.m. through 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Drummond is a self-taught landscape and portrait artist from Northwestern Pennsylvania. She began to draw at the age of 2 and started selling her artwork as a teenager. She has been a freelance artist since 1980 and in 2011 published her first children’s book, “My Grama’s Garden,” which received several awards.
Drummond has travelled to many of America’s National Parks. She began her series of drawings of various national parks during her time spent at Glacier National Park in Montana. She has placed five times in the Arts for the Parks Top 100, an art show that travelled to various museums and galleries around the country.
The National Park Service celebrated its centennial birthday on Aug. 25. When the Service was originally formed, it oversaw the protection of 35 national parks and monuments. Since then, that number has grown to over 400 protected areas, including 19 in Pennsylvania.
Drummond’s artwork features drawings of parks in many different states, including Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wyoming.