Viewing through March 17 at the Yocum Institute for Arts Education is the annual Membership Exhibition of the Berks Art Alliance. Installing some 80 artworks into the institute’s gallery on Penn Avenue and judged by the members themselves, the show is a mashup of styles, materials and ideas without a theme, but plenty of individuality. The exhibition is hung salon style and fills every wall with pieces stacked as high as one can reach. Most of the pieces are smaller in scale, with the award ribbons and bows placed next to pieces the members voted on to win. Winning first place is Besties, a realistic oil painting of a young girl hugging her dog by Susan Goodling. Second place went to Deb Gurman for Detached, a realistic pastel and encaustic image of a lost-from-its-owner crab claw drifting beneath a few inches of rippled water. Fresh Blooms, a radiant flower painting by Fran Parzanese, took third place. This work, completed with alcohol inks on Yupo polyester paper, stood out for its free line and brilliant coloration. Crystal Domino received an honourable mention for a realistic oil painting of a close-up bundle of carrots titled Bunch O’ Crunch and Susan Grabert acquired an honourable mention for an accurate rendition in oil of a woven wicker carryall titled Basket II. Marlene Book garnered an honorable mention for a sensitive oil painting of a young child titled Kaycee Victoria, while additionally getting the Paul Doelt Memorial Award for the same painting. Winning first place is Besties, a realistic oil painting of a young girl hugging her dog by Susan Goodling. Second place went to Deb Gurman for Detached, a realistic pastel and encaustic image of a lost-from-its-owner crab claw drifting beneath a few inches of rippled water Of course, I always like to add a few kudos to other works that were done well. For a sampling or two, a wall assemblage titled A Fine Line by Michael S Good combined small tiles, string and various collage items into an interesting package, while a humorous oil painting, titled A New Beginning by Carol Lauer presented a mostly blank canvas with a hand and arm projecting from the lower right corner. The hand, holding a small brush, was depicted placing a 3-inch line of red on the pristine surface. A coloured pencil piece titled Big Bang Expansion/the Rose of the Universe by Irina Diatlikova offered a labour-intensive view of a spiralling flower superimposed over a calm sea with a suggestion of mountains in the background. Another coloured pencil drawing, by Scott Munroe, titled Psychedelic Sunshine took us back to the 1960s with its swirling letters and dramatic colours. Both drawings were nicely done. The Berks Art Alliance began in November 1941 as The Art Haven Guild of Berks County and changed its name to the Berks Art Alliance in 1947. The first annual membership exhibition was held in March 1944 and continues to this day at the Alliance’s present home: the Yocum Institute for Arts Education. The Berks Art Alliance is a fellowship of artists, both professional and amateur, with the common goal to encourage artists by providing educational, inspirational, and exhibition opportunities for both members and non-members. The first annual membership exhibition was held in March of 1944. Published in Daily Times, March 8th 2019.