Penn State Altoona to exhibit artwork by VAST senior Makenzie Kunkle

ALTOONA, Pa. - "Unmuting the Noise," a body of work by Visual Arts Studies (VAST) student Makenzie Kunkle, will be on display April 30 through May 7 in the Sheetz Gallery of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts. A reception will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, in the Center's Titelman Study. The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.

Makenzie Kunkle is a Visual Art Studies senior at Penn State Altoona. Her work explores her emotions and perceptions, expressing them through nature, symbolism, and music. She received the Zoller Art Award in 2024, and her work has been featured in "Hard Freight," Penn State Altoona's literary arts magazine, from spring 2023 to fall 2025. She intends to graduate in May and plans to continue to pursue a career in art and design.

Kunkle's artwork is inspired by the feelings and emotions that surface from music. By using songs as inspiration, she communicates her obsessive thoughts and emotions through others' lyrics when she is unable to find her own words. She uses vibrant, dreamy colors and surrealist imagery to convey the world in which her artwork resides. Together, these paintings serve as a visual collection of all the chaos going on in her mind. She states, "While the noise may seem loud to me, others won't be able to hear it unless they look a little closer."

The galleries are open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For further information, call the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts at .