Fire Sculptures
5 p.m.- midnight; Central Parklet.
First Night State College Fire Sculptures will allow you to reach closure with the New Year's resolutions made for 2007. Audience members are provided wooden pieces on which to write their old resolutions and then toss them into the fire sculptures. The Fire Sculptures provide a fun way to start 2008 with a ‘clean slate' and warm fingers.
First Bells
Noon - midnight; Central Parklet
First Bells is a sound sculpture installation made of old bells, gongs, cymbals, and even a Javanese glockenspiel. You can make a joyous noise as you ring in the New Year.
The Burning Man
Sponsored by Appalachian Ski & Outdoors
State College Municipal Building Lobby
Inspired by the performance art festival of the same name, the Burning Man Resolution Sculpture makes his fourth appearance at First Night State College. He collects our wishes, regrets, and resolutions we didn't keep. The Burning Man will live up to his name when we ignite him at 11:15 p.m. in Central Parklet. On his short journey from wood and fabric to charcoal, he'll dispose of all of our loose ends from the past year. Designed and built by Bruce Bigatel, Martha Carothers, Phyllis Kipp and Pam Lautsch.
 Edison's Clothesline
Sponsored by statecollege.com
Noon - midnight; South Allen Street
In the words of artist Robert Villamagna:
During my teenage years my family lived in a row house in a small town on the Ohio River. The houses had been built for employees of a now defunct steel mill. The back yards butted up against one another and most of the yards contained clothes lines. The clothes lines consisted of four sections of rope stretched across two T-shaped poles made from iron pipe.
The hanging of laundry to dry had a strong social aspect to it as women talked across the yards to one another while hanging their clothes. In addition, you got to see all the neighbors' wardrobes. I duplicated this design in my sculpture, replacing wet clothing with resolutions written on silvery paper discs. I used the white lights as a symbol of hope for the New Year. As the women of my home town shared news while at the clothesline, we share resolutions for the New Year at our updated clothesline. As my old neighbors could see everyone's laundry, today we can see, enjoy, and learn from everyone's resolutions for the New Year.
The Energy Tree
Sponsored by Schaedler Yesco Distribution
State College Municipal Building Lobby
The Energy Tree installation brings the community together to express creative ideas concerning saving energy and addressing issues like global warming. On recycled paper, the viewing public will write their solutions on how they can do their part to conserve energy. These written messages will then be added to The Energy Tree installation and become part of the overall sculpture. Inspired by this concept of conservation, the Pittsburgh artist Bill Godfrey will fabricate the entire piece from discarded cloths, scraps and recycled objects.
The Tent of Light
Noon - midnight; South Allen Street
The tents and yurts used by Nomadic Cultures from around the world were the inspiration behind Bill Godfrey's "Tent of Light".
Nomads are people who travel around from place to place without having one settled place where they live.
So, as a First Night State College traveler, please feel "welcome" to enter the "Tent of Light", where you'll experience a "friendly oasis" from the "dark, cold winter landscape".
Once in the "Tent of Light", you'll "glow" in a series of lights, special effects and interactive sculptures, exiting "transformed" for the New Year ahead.
Bill makes his studio in a refurbished industrial building in Western Pennsylvania near the banks of the Allegheny River. He considers this open loft space "ideal" for creating the large-scale banners, fabric sculptures and wood murals that he is known for.
Working with Alcoa, Bill helped design and fabricate a Children's Education Maze which toured the United States, Europe, the Middle East, South America and Asia.
Bill has a long and extensive history of exhibiting his work. Clients that have commissioned pieces include corporations, museums, restaurants, hospitals, universities, churches, synagogues, art festivals and private collectors.
Resolution Mug
2000 Degrees
202 West College Avenue
B + $ Dec. 31, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Decorate a bisque mug that you'll treasure long after your New Year's resolutions are forgotten. 2000 Degrees provides almost everything you need to immortalize your new year's resolution in ceramics. You provide the missing piece----the creativity!
After you add the creativity, the staff will fire your work and in a couple of days you'll have a beautiful hand-painted reminder to fill with your morning beverage of choice.
$6 per person, with 2008 First Night® button. This activity is not appropriate for unsupervised and small children. Last seating on Dec. 31 is at 9 p.m.
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