Apr 22, 2015 2 min read

In conjunction with the National Road Festival, the Frank L. Melega Art Museum will present the 2015 Artist of the Pike exhibition, “The Half Time Show,” by painter Laurie Longenecker.

The paintings are larger-than-life portraits of fans of Pittsburgh sports teams. The title refers to the number of paintings in the show. The 11 paintings are the first half of a planned series of 22. The diverse faces of Penguins, Pirates and Steelers fans come in all shapes, sizes, colors and levels of income.

The paintings show that when you’re a Pittsburgh sports fan, none of these things matters. This was the first thing Longenecker, a fine art painter and award-winning graphic designer, noticed when she moved back to Pittsburgh from California.

A free “Meet the Artist” reception will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. May 16. The exhibition will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. May 17, and during regular museum hours until July 19. Hours are weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.; and by appointment.

During the National Road Festival, the museum will give away a door prize each day, and tours will be conducted by Frank R. Melega, son of Frank L. Melega, from 2 to 3 p.m.

Door prizes are signed original posters by Longenecker. The poster, “Brownsville,” depicts some of the noteworthy features of the city, including the First Cast Iron Bridge, Nemacolin Castle, St. Peters and the historic Flatiron Building. The poster was created for the event and is on display with five other poster designs depicting the uniqueness of the region.

In 2014, Longenecker was awarded Best of Show at the National Road Festival Juried Exhibition.