(Posted September 28, 2015)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- In a workship designed for all ages, artist lovers as well as those with a love for science can drop in at a Juniata College Museum of Art workshop to make art and to see how scientific instruments are used to analyze works of art from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Oct. 3, in the museum.

The workshop is free, and participants are encouraged to drop in for the workshop, which is held during the college's Homecoming and Family Weekend. The workshop is a complementary program for the museum exhibition "The Art & Science of Portrait Miniatures," which opened at the museum Sept. 24. The larger exhibition shows the museum's collection of portrait miniatures (as well as miniatures from private collectors) alongside some scientific analysis of the miniatures using various instruments to analyze materials, pigments and other materials.

Two history and museum studies students will coach attendees to create their own watercolor "selfie" portrait.

The scientific portion of the workshop will be overseen by Kate Passannante, of Derry, N.H., a chemistry student who has worked on the art analysis project with Richard Hark, professor of chemistry. Passannante will use a hand-held Raman spectrometer to identify different pigments commonly used in works of art.

In addition, she will use an instrument of Hark's own design for Infrared Reflectography. The instrument, which looks like a large document camera, uses infrared light to "see" beneath the surface of the paint on an artwork. Often analysts can see the "underdrawing" beneath paintings using the technology.

Two history and museum studies students, Emma Campbell, of Cape May Court House, N.J., and Sarah Elder, of State College, Pa., will coach attendees to create their own watercolor "selfie" portrait.

The workshop, which will be taught solely by Juniata students, was designed by Dana Carlisle Kletchka, curator of education at Penn State's Palmer Museum of Art. Kletchka has been curator of education at the University Park museum since 2000. Before coming to Penn State, she worked as an educator at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Okla., and the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas.

At the Palmer, she designs and implements the museum's educational and interpretive programs and works with various constituencies to create opportunities to engage with and learn about the Palmer Museum's permanent collection and special exhibitions.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.