Dec. 05, 2024
Local Artist Wins Big at State Museum Exhibition
If you review Patty Kennedy-Zafred’s resume, you would see a thorough list of titles her artwork has won at a variety of art exhibitions.
But a man whose eyes would not stop tearing while appreciating her Coal Town: Silent Canary quilt on display at the 2014 International Quilt Festival in Houston is an accolade that doesn’t quite fit on a resume. The work, a quilt of silk-screened photos of coal miners from the 1940s and 1950s, grabbed the man’s attention for several minutes.
“He stood there for a while and I knew he was experiencing something authentic, so I didn’t want to interrupt him,” Patty recalled. “Later, his wife came to me and explained that he had a family member pass away in a mining accident.”
Patty, a resident of Murrysville, recently earned the 2024 State Museum of Pennsylvania’s Art of the State second-place craft title for her American Portraits: Deep Roots. Also a quilt of silk-screened photos, it is made up of headshots of America’s diverse population of field workers.
But having won a first-place craft title in 2022, she is no stranger to the State Museum’s juried art exhibition. In fact, in 2016 she won the exhibition’s Purchase Award, meaning that her work, Boys of the Mines, was added to the museum’s permanent collection.
The State Museum of Pennsylvania was first created in 1905 and is operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. It was housed in what was known as the Executive, Library and Museum Building until it was moved to the museum’s current home in 1964.
The round building, located next to the capitol building in Harrisburg, is an impressive site. It houses both permanent and changing exhibits and hosts a variety of events throughout the year.
Since 1968, the museum has hosted Art of the State, a juried exhibition intended to showcase Pennsylvania artists. The exhibition is hosted in partnership with the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation and is routinely one of 19 stops included in the Art Association of Harrisburg’s annual Gallery Walk held each September.
Patty said the jurors change every year and while one piece may score highly in one panel’s eyes, another panel may score it very differently.
Having an appreciation for both photography and quilting, Patty explained her work is the perfect combination of the two. She uses the photo emulsion process, which is similar to developing film photos, to create a screen for each photo.
Some of her work will be screen printed on hand-dyed cloth, but she began screening onto old feed and grain bags that she finds for purchase and gives the project even more of a vintage look.
There is still time to see Patty’s American Portraits: Deep Roots, as the 2024 Art of the State exhibit will be on display through Jan. 5, 2025. However, several works, including Patty’s, will then be on display at Shippensburg University’s Kauffman Gallery from Jan. 29 to Feb. 27, 2025.
The State Museum of Pennsylvania is located at 300 North St. in Harrisburg and is open Wednesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 4:30 p.m. Visit statemuseumpa.org for more information and to plan a visit.
If you are an artist, the state museum is accepting submissions for Art of the State 2025. The deadline is Jan. 17, 2025. For more information, visit
statemuseumpa.org/callforentry/.
To learn more about Patty and review some of her work, visit
pattykz.com.
Rep. Jill Cooper was certain to visit the State Museum of Pennsylvania to appreciate American Portraits: Deep Roots. It was created and submitted by Murrysville resident Patty Kennedy-Zafred and scored second in the craft category in the 2024 State Museum of Pennsylvania’s Art of the State exhibition.
During a recent office visit, Patty Kennedy-Zafred discussed her work American Portraits: Liberation in the Land with Rep. Jill Cooper and discussed the photo emulsion process used to create a screen and then print large versions of vintage photos.
Here are some additional news topics and reminders I would like to share.
Deadline Nears for Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program - Older adults and Pennsylvanians with disabilities have until Dec. 31 to apply for the state’s 2023 Property Tax/Rent Rebate program. Remember, assistance through my offices is always free. You can contact my Washington Township/Export office at 724-387-9113 or my New Kensington office at 724-472-4102. You need not pay a private firm for assistance.
For more information or to apply online, visit
revenue.pa.gov, where you can also track a previously filed application if you are still waiting to receive a rebate.
Income limits increased to $45,000 for both homeowners and renters, so if you were earning too much to qualify before, you may be eligible now. Remember to exclude 50% of Social Security when determining your income. The maximum rebate also increased to $1,000.
The program is open to residents age 65 years and older; widows and widowers 50 years and older; and people with disabilities 18 years and older.
The 2024 Property Tax/Rent Rebate program will open for applications in mid- to late January.
Need a Gift for an Angler? - Fishing licenses, permits and gift vouchers for the 2025 fishing season are now available for purchase from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. The cost remains the same at $27.97 for a resident annual license and $14.47 for a senior resident annual license. Visit
huntfish.pa.gov to make a purchase and check out the full list of license options. Licenses may also be purchased through the FishBoatPA mobile app or by visiting one of nearly 700 retail license issuing agents.
Now is also a good time to mark your 2025 calendars for the statewide opening day of trout season on Saturday, April 5, and statewide Mentored Youth Trout Day on Saturday, March 29.