Perhaps most eye catching and noticeable upon first entering the exhibit are several wire and wax sculptures by GA Upper Schoolers that evoke feelings ranging from science fictionesque/ extraterrestrial plant life (with a good private school education) to escaped Dr. Suess mutant fantasies that flash the imagination with alternating pulses of whimsy and despair. Equally arresting to the mobile eye are three dramatic landscapes just to the right of the entrance. Done in acrylic by PC juniors and seniors, these works are pleasantly reminiscent of their big scale cousins that were shown at the Pennsylvania Academy's "American Sublime" show last summer. In contrast to the grand gestures of the landscapes is a cooly restrained and highly disciplined quartet of black and white photographs by GA Upper Schoolers. Not to be outdone, PC photographers also created an array of arresting black and white images using pinhole cameras. As good as the black and white photography from both schools is, the use of color in numerous acrylic paintings from both schools is equally compelling, and the variety of imagery is sweeping. By the way, the paintings sweep all the way around to the bathroom and all the way out to the fire exit where an amazing big-scale PC semi-abstract floral painting and a wild GA bike wheel sculpture make the long walk to the gallery's east end completely worthwhile. If you get a chance to see the show, wander without hurry or purpose--every corner of the space features a neat surprise.

One such surpise, in the alcove near the stairs down to the Arts Center's lower level, is the beautifully decorated, by hand painting, dulcimer collection made by PC sixth graders. These are on a table just a few feet away from three wonderfully plastic abstract sculptures made of nylon. These PC pieces have the feel of some of the big scale Dubuffet sculptures, but are ingenuously without his self doubt and angst. The nylon sculptures are among show's most attractive, but they are rivaled by several GA collages that are elegantly sophisticated. Less sophisticated, but less by virtue of youth not talent and potential are numerous works by the Lower Schoolers from both schools. The works by the younger students are charming, but at the same time they offer visual proof of how dramatically student artists develop in just a few years.