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DALLAS — Students of all ages at Sue Hand’s Imagery displayed their artistic skills during the 40th annual Thanksgiving Student Art Exhibit Nov. 23-28.
The exhibit coincided with the 40th anniversary of Hand opening her business on Main Street.
The exhibit, showcasing over 120 pieces of student-made art, was the largest to date for the studio, Hand said.
“This (exhibit) is so much bigger than previous ones,” she said. “The quality is breathtaking. A lot of my students are far better than I was when I graduated (college).”
Humble beginnings
Hand grew up in Orange (Franklin Township) and, other than four years of college at Kutztown University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in art education and a couple years of teaching in Maryland following her graduation, she has lived in the Back Mountain. She now resides in Dallas with her husband, Joe, who does framing work at the studio.
She also holds an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from King’s College.
Hand was a fifth-grade teacher at the former Gate of Heaven school before she opened her art studio. Her mother-in-law owned a vacant building that once housed the former Joe’s Men’s Shop and offered the space to Hand. The rest, as they say, is history.
“When I ended school that year, I started in the art studio the next day,” said Hand. “I had about five students at first. There was no big business plan. I probably broke every business rule in the book.”’
Now enrollment varies throughout the year, but Hand currently has between 100 and 110 students. “There aren’t as many sports (in session) now,” she said. “Once the sports start up again, it drops.”
Students abound
Sue Hand’s Imagery has cultivated the artistic talents of residents from ages 5 to 90 in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties and beyond for over 40 years.
“My oldest student is Jenny Bowen,” Hand said. “She is 90 and drives down from Montrose. Sometimes, she comes with friends; one is from Binghamton (New York).”
Hand’s youngest students are in kindergarten, mastering the basic mechanics of drawing and painting while learning to develop their self-esteem.
Advanced high school students help teach techniques to younger students, she said.
The rewards for her older students far exceed the ability to create detailed images.
Helen Harabin, 82, of Chase, began taking lessons at the studio about a year ago after having lost her husband.
Harabin attends a weekly class and found she enjoyed the new friendships she formed and learned new techniques as well.
“It gives me something to do,” Harabin said.
Community spirit
Hand received with the Charles D. Lemmond Jr. Community Spirit Award earlier this year. The award is sponsored by the Dallas Post and recipients are chosen by the newspaper’s readers.
Named after the former senator who died in 2012, the award honors an area resident who demonstrates Lemmond’s commitment to doing the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons. Hand was recognized for her community spirit and leadership.
“I’m a little overwhelmed,” Hand said of reaching her 40-year anniversary in business. “Now that it’s here, I’d like to have 40 more years.”