An opening reception for "Edgar S. Baum: For the Love of Painting" will be held 6 - 8 p.m. Feb. 20, David E. Rodale Gallery, The Baum School of Art, 510 Linden St., Allentown.

Dr. Edgar S. Baum (1916 - 2006), was a physician, artist and resident of Allentown. The exhibition features paintings that he created during five decades. His father, Walter E. Baum, was the well-known Pennsylvania Impressionist and founder of The Baum School of Art.

Edgar was a prolific and creative painter who also expressed himself through the use of dyes, sculpture, poetry and wit.

Everyone who knew him agreed, "To know him was to love him." His gift was to express not what we commonly see, but rather those things that we do not see. Every spare moment of his busy life was dedicated to creating hundreds of objects of art.

His steadfast love of The Baum School of Art, the students, teachers, and administration played an important role in the growth and success of the school. The Edgar S. Baum exhibition is in recognition of the recent endowment gift from the Holt Family Foundation, made in memory of Edgar and June Baum.

An opening reception for "The Paintings of Edith Roeder" will be held 6 - 8 p.m. March 6 in the Rodale Family Gallery at Baum.

The exhibition feature 22 works of the 92-year-old local painter. Roeder began painting in oils when she retired after 25 years of teaching English at Northern Lehigh High School.

Her subjects include shoppers at the Allentown Farmers' Market, West Park band concert, and Art in the Park.

She is a member of the Lehigh Art Alliance, Bethlehem Palette Club Parkland Art League. Her paintings are on display at Palmerton Hospital, Lehigh Valley Hospital, Westminster Village, Phoebe Home, The Heritage Center, Parkland High School, McCaskey High School in Lancaster and many private collections.

Information: 610-433-0032