After nearly a year of celebrating 100 years of art on campus and in the community, Lehigh University Art Galleries is getting ready for one more party.
On Saturday, May 9, LUAG will host “Bye for Now, Here and Now,” a free public sendoff for its centennial exhibition, Here and Now: 100 Years of LUAG, 100 Local Artists, at the museum inside Zoellner Arts Center in Bethlehem. The event runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., while the exhibition itself remains on view through May 22.
The celebration is meant to close a landmark year for LUAG, which traces its roots to the first known art exhibition on Lehigh’s campus in 1926. Over the last century, the museum has grown into a public-facing arts space with a collection of more than 20,000 works and programming designed to connect the university with the wider region.
At the center of that centennial has been Here and Now, a juried exhibition featuring 100 local artists and reflecting the range of creative work happening across the Lehigh Valley right now. Nearly 300 area artists submitted about 800 works for consideration, making the show both a snapshot of the region’s present and a statement about LUAG’s future.
“The Here and Now exhibition has been a powerful reminder of the extraordinary creative community that exists right here in our backyard,” LUAG Director Will Crow said. “‘Bye for Now’ isn’t just a closing party. It’s a proper sendoff to a historic year.”
That community focus has shaped the centennial from the start. LUAG opened the exhibition era with its September 2025 “Light Up LUAG” (video below) kickoff, a public event that drew nearly 1,200 people. This spring finale is designed to carry that same open-door spirit forward, inviting regular museumgoers and first-time visitors alike back into the galleries for one last look.
“As we reached the 100th anniversary of Lehigh University Art Galleries this year, we wanted to create moments that are both a look back at our legacy and a bold ‘cheers’ to our future,” Crow said. “‘Bye for Now, Here and Now’ is a chance for the community to come together once again to celebrate the 100 local artists who have made LUAG’s centennial year unforgettable.”
The May 9 event leans into that celebratory mood. Guests can expect music from the vinyl DJ collective Nite Liters, caricatures by George Gets Silly, artmaking activities, light bites and drinks indoors, and food trucks outside. Organizers are also promising time to mingle with artists and explore the exhibition in a more festive setting than the usual gallery visit.
“This is a joyful celebration and everyone is invited,” Crow said. “Whether you’re a regular visitor or it’s your first time at LUAG, we want you to feel included and welcome here.”
That invitation matters because LUAG’s story has always been bigger than its walls. In addition to its main galleries, the museum’s presence stretches across campus and into the community, including outdoor sculpture and public art installations that make visual art part of everyday life in South Bethlehem. The centennial exhibition, with its focus on local artists, feels like a natural extension of that mission.
For anyone who has not yet seen Here and Now, the sendoff offers a fitting entry point. And for those who already have, it is a chance to experience the show one more time with the artists and neighbors who helped define this milestone year.
“Bye for Now, Here and Now” takes place Saturday, May 9, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Lehigh University Art Galleries inside Zoellner Arts Center, 420 E. Packer Avenue, Bethlehem. Admission is free, and LUAG asks guests to RSVP in advance.
Free parking will be available in the Zoellner Arts Center garage on levels 2 through 4.
Advertisement
Email your news release to info@lehighvalleywithlovemedia.com
