I had heard that Holly Foy of Bellefonte had experienced a busy and varied career. By the time we finished our conversation, my mind was busy trying to catalogue the many areas in which she excels.
Foy was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and lived there until the age of 12. She finished high school while living in the Chicago suburbs, earning both her art degree and her art education master’s degree from Illinois State University.
Arriving in Centre County in 1994 with her husband, who was earning a PhD at Penn State, she took a job teaching art at State High and taught there until 2012. From 2010 until she retired in 2016, she taught in the Delta program.
Although she had many extra activities and responsibilities while teaching full time, she really caught fire with ambition after she retired.
“I’ve coordinated the Italian Street Painting during Arts Fest since 2001 and become more active in other areas also,” said Foy.
Throughout the world, pedestrians may see a patch of sidewalk or pavement decorated with chalk or pastels. Sidewalk painting is believed to have started in Italy in the 16th century by vagabond artists who mostly painted religious pictures directly on the earth or paved public squares, using chalk, brick, charcoal or colored stones as their medium.
“I have seen some amazing artists show their talents there in my two decades coordinating the Italian Street Painting,” Foy said.
As a high school art teacher, Foy involved her skilled and motivated students in the chalk art. Several dedicated student artists, such as Abigail (Abby) Gliexner Cramer, a State College freshman in 1999, began painting the 4-foot by 6-foot chalk street pictures during their high school years.
“Abby has drawn on the pavement each year except one for 20 years,” said Foy. “She was studying art in Italy in 2005 with the PSU Art Education study abroad program and missed the Italian Street Painting that year. In 2006, I offered her a promotion, to become one of the featured artists creating the coveted 12-foot by 12-foot picture.”
Cramer and her new husband even cut their honeymoon short to attend the Arts Fest so she could accept the new role.
Cramer is now an art teacher outside Philadelphia.
“Another former student I worked with is Corinne Grissinger Webster. I met Corinne when she was in high school,” said Foy. “She does beautiful work. During her recovery from an automobile accident, when she still had mobility difficulties, her father made her a cart on wheels so she could sit and roll on it to do her chalk drawing. Street painting is hard work. Doing these chalk drawings in the hot sun is a little like doing hot yoga and twister with thousands watching.”
Another role for Foy is that of musician. Since 2010 she’s played guitar, banjo and bouzouki with Callanish, a band that plays Irish and Scottish music and performs mostly in Central Pennsylvania.
Foy has studied with Mary Coogan, guitarist of Cherish the Ladies, Daithe Sproule of Altan, Matt Heaton and others. She plays hammered dulcimer in the renaissance duo known as Ancient Echoes. Foy and her Callanish bandmate, Patty Lambert, have traveled three times to Ireland collecting tunes and stories.
Coming up for St. Patrick’s Day are performances by Callanish at Duffy’s in Boalsburg, on Friday, March 13, at the Shamokin Knights of Columbus on March 14, at Wellspring at Juniper Village on March 15 and on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, at both Gigi’s Southern Table and at Foxdale Village.
Foy attends Irish sessions twice a month that had their beginning at Cool Beans in Bellefonte in 2004. Lambert, leads those on the second and last Thursday of each month. On the second Tuesday, they meet at Big Springs Distillery and on the last Thursday of the month, they meet in their homes. These are open sessions, which means they are informal gatherings where people play traditional Irish music on flutes, fiddles, guitar, hand drums and other folk instruments. For more information see State College Area Irish Sessions on Facebook.
As an artist in another area, Foy is president of the Potter’s Guild at the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania. There are 35 members of the Pottery Guild and they share the studio space at 818 Pike St., Lemont. Her line of pottery is called Ancient Echoes, which she enters in a few shows a year. She is currently concentrating on functional pottery such as mugs and bowls.
