Famed Outsider Artist, Mr. Imagination, Dies

World-renowned intuitive artist, Mr. Imagination, who left his mark while he lived in Bethlehem, dies in an Atlanta hospital. He was 64 years old.

  Famed outsider artist Gregory Warmack, better known to his friends and fans in Bethlehem and across the world as Mr. Imagination, has died in an Atlanta hospital, according to The Chicago Sun Times. Mr. I, as he was often called, became well-known for fanciful creations made of discarded items like paint brushes, ping-pong paddles and lots and lots of bottle caps. A Chicago native, Warmack moved to Bethlehem in 2002 “to get more peace and green in his life,” according to the Facebook page of Intuit, the Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art in Chicago. Artists like Mr. Imagination are known as "outsider" or "intuitive" artists because they have had no formal arts education or training. Mr. I became a fixture in the local arts community, …

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40-Foot Glass Sculpture Dedicated at SteelStacks

'The Four Elements' sculpture includes 900 custom-made glass pieces, weighs 3,700 pounds and was produced by Banana Factory artists.

  As the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks prepares for its first anniversary celebration later this month, the contemporary performing arts center located on the former Bethlehem Steel plant is also celebrating another milestone, the completion of the building with the installation of the “The Four Elements,” a stunning glass sculpture that features hundreds of pieces of handmade glass and stands 40 feet tall. Located in the center of the ArtsQuest Center’s three-story-tall spiral staircase, The Four Elements is a dynamic work of art that features more than 900 custom-crafted glass pieces, each one made at ArtsQuest’s Hot Glass Studio at the Banana Factory, the only hot glass studio in the region. The work of art, dedicated during a special…

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Hurricane Irene

Storm Forces Closure of SteelStacks Sunday

Banana Factory will also close, while ArtsQuest Center will shorten Saturday schedule.

Less than two weeks removed from a Musikfest upended by rain and flood, ArtsQuest has been forced to close the Banana Factory and the SteelStacks campus on Sunday because of the anticipated effects of Hurricane Irene, according to a release issued by the nonprofit arts organization. ArtsQuest has also shortened its schedule of events on Saturday in anticipation of the storm. That means that free concerts planned at the Levitt Pavilion on Sunday – Moona Luna at 5 p.m. and HuDost at 7:30 p.m. – have been cancelled. Also cancelled is the Saturday night Musikfest Café concert featuring Mr. Ho’s Orchestrtotica, a 23-piece Esquivel band, we previewed in our weekly Get Out feature. The show will be rescheduled and ticket-holders will be contacted…

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5 Things to Know Today

"The Soundtrack Comes Alive" at SteelStacks for First Friday.

Good morning, Bethlehem. Here comes the weekend.

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Get Out: BBQ celebration at First Friday

Also, stress management, a historic house tour and music at Godfrey Daniels.

The first week of June has crept up so quickly, bringing with it First Friday festivities on the South Side. Don’t miss the BBQ celebration and, afterwards, take a short walk to Godfrey Daniel’s for some jazz.  If show tunes are more your thing, the Gay Men’s Chorus of the Lehigh Valley will be performing their extravaganza tribute to Oz.  For some family fun, try Spring Fest in Coopersburg to benefit the Lower Milford Elementary School PTA. Speaking of PTA, the end of school is coming and it could be a perfect time to attend a stress management workshop so that you can relax this summer.  This Saturday, Feel the Heat at the Hunt for History at the Moravian Museum and, while you’re in Historic Bethlehem, hop on the Annual Rooms with a View…

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