Böcker av Michael Barton

This history of the Art Association of Harrisburg is both a factual accounting of the story of the region's most venerable fine arts organization and also an often-amusing romp through the personal reminiscences of author Carrie Wissler-Thomas. The Art Association was founded by cultured civic leaders who were passionate about the visual arts, and it has continued to survive and prosper throughout eight decades due to the dedication and support of both artists and committed patrons. The history of The Art Association in many ways mirrors the history of Harrisburg, reflecting the vicissitudes of the City's economy and development, the Renaissance of the 1980s and '90s, the construction of the Hilton and other prominent downtown buildings, the re-development of Reservoir Park, and the emergence of Restaurant Row. The Art Association was founded during the heyday of The City Beautiful Movement, and like The Harrisburg Symphony and Theatre Harrisburg, the organization continues to provide cultural enjoyment and opportunities for art-lovers and practitioners of all ilks."As the Paint Dries" is a phrase coined by the author's husband Scott Thomas as the humorous title of the on-going AAH daily soap-opera. The Art Association of Harrisburg is a family, a reality show, a visual feast, and a very human comedy. The AAH story is a rich tapestry, filled with serious episodes, punctuated by incredible-but-true anecdotes. Most of all, the AAH story is the story of the people who have made it what it is today, and who continue to guide it into the future.

On a journey from the comfort of his familiar surroundings into the hectic environment of London, Michael Barton observes the world around him from the rational perspective of someone on the autism spectrum, complete with quirky illustrations and humorous anecdotes about contradictory signage, hidden meanings and nonsensical figures of speech.

Harrisburg was the capital of an increasingly urban and progressive Pennsylvania at the turn of the twentieth century, with the remnants of an older, more diverse city thriving in its midst. As the streets were paved for the first time and the new state capitol building rose over a humming industrial city ready to embrace change, Harrisburg's Eighth Ward clung to its rambunctious past. When the Old Eighth stood in the way of the new Capitol Park, one journalist asked his readers to take a stroll through the streets one last time.J. Howard Wert's Passing of the Old Eighth articles-awash in images of decrepitude and vice-appeared in the Harrisburg Patriot in 1912-1913 and introduced readers to such cheats, fools, and boozers as Harry Cook and Billy Jelly. This volume presents the complete series of 35 articles chronicling the adventures of people who lived through some of the most sweeping changes in American history. More than 100 photographs-most never before published-evoke Wert's tales of a turbulent Harrisburg now long gone. Through the captivating, rarely objective voice of turn-of-the-century journalism, readers visit vanished churchyards, stroll the halls of forgotten hotels, and walk with the ghosts of gangs through crumbling alleys to brothels, gambling dens, and speakeasies. No history of Harrisburg can match this one for detailed stories of the successes and scandals of the city's good old days.Noted educator, journalist, and Civil War veteran J. Howard Wert's articles bring to life the colorful characters and day-to-day grit and drama of his time. By turns pious, hard-nosed, and folksy, Wert's prose veers wildly among literary modes but never fails to entertain. A melding of nineteenth-century moral sensibility and modern appreciation for progress makes this work as accessible to today's readers as it was to Wert's contemporaries.