York College of PA marks Nov. 8 First-Generation College Student Celebration with art exhibition

York College of Pennsylvania will mark the national First-Generation College Student Celebration on Nov. 8 with the opening of an art exhibition featuring photographs by first-generation and first-year college students at Marketview Arts, 37 W. Philadelphia St., York. “STORIES” will open with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. and run from Nov. 3-15.  The exhibition and reception are open to the public free of charge.

Two York residents—York College first-year Fine Arts major Aminta Garcia Mundo and artist Rosa Luz Catterall—will share their first-generation stories through paintings.

The exhibition is a collaboration with the Cultural Alliance of York County’s Arts in Education program, which allowed local photographer Carla B. Long to work with a First-Year Seminar class at York College.

“Being the first person in their family to attend college meant my students had to pave their way, learn from their mistakes, ask questions, and keep working hard to achieve their goals,” said Adrienne Brenner, professor and adjunct faculty fellow at York College’s Center for Faculty Excellence who teaches a First-Year Seminar to first-year students. “Carla, who is also a first-generation college student, was able to help them communicate the story they wanted using the ‘Creative Process.’ There are many ways to communicate: verbally, in writing, and visually. It was fun to see them share their story in an image."

Support for this collaboration was provided by the Cultural Alliance of York County in regional partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, community EITC donations, and in conjunction with the York College of Pennsylvania. Visit www.culturalyork.org to learn more.