The Art of Belonging: A Festival, A Community, A Legacy

Linda and Blake Gall with the 2025 Arete Best of Show Award

When Linda and Blake Gall arrived in State College from New York City in the spring of 1985, they didn’t expect to find a piece of their soul in a sidewalk sale. But then came July, and with it, the magic of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. 

“We had just moved,” Blake recalls. “And suddenly, this vibrant, joyful celebration appeared right outside our door. It felt like a welcome home.” 

Over nearly six decades, Arts Fest has become one of the nation’s premier juried art fairs and an iconic tradition in Centre County. Held each July in downtown State College and on Penn State’s campus, the festival draws more than 125,000 visitors, with 37% arriving from out of state, filling hotels, shopping downtown, and boosting local restaurants and small businesses. The economic ripple is undeniable. But to Linda and Blake, the Festival’s most lasting impact lives in the lives and works of the artists themselves. 

What began as a dazzling introduction to a new town evolved into a lifelong love story, with the community, the arts, and the people behind them. Today, Linda and Blake are not only loyal attendees, they are quiet visionaries helping shape its legacy through two endowed funds at Centre Foundation. 

The Arete: Best of Show Award, which they have funded since 1998 and endowed in 2008, was born from something ancient and personal. “Many (many!) years ago, when I was studying Biblical Greek,” Blake says with a smile, “I came across the word Arete, which is the pursuit of truth, virtue, beauty, the continual striving for excellence. It just stuck with me. When the opportunity arose to support the Arts Festival’s Sidewalk Sale, we thought: That’s the name.” 

What started as an annual prize grew into an endowment. “We decided to create something permanent,” Linda says. “And thanks to Centre Foundation’s expertise, the value of the award has more than doubled over the years. We’ve been amazed and delighted by what that investment has made possible.” 

In 2018, they created a second endowment called the Mitch Lyons Award of Excellence in memory of a friend and artist who exhibited at the Festival for over two decades. “Mitch was the only artist to win the Arete award three times,” Linda reflects. “He was soulful and generous, and his work still fills our home.” 

That connection to art and artists runs deep. “We don’t just give the awards,” Blake says. “We meet the artists. We learn their stories. We live with their work.” 

Every year, the Galls walk the Sidewalk Sale early Thursday morning, before the crowds arrive. “It’s like a private gallery stroll. We get a good look at all the offerings and begin to dream about what we might add to our growing collection. And then I get to indulge in some festival food I probably shouldn’t eat,” Blake laughs. 

They’ve shared Arts Fest across generations, from daughters dancing on the Festival Shell stage to grandsons discovering the wonder of Children’s Day. “It’s become part of our family’s story,” Linda says. 

When asked what they’d say to someone considering giving back, Blake answers simply:
“If you love your community and you love the arts, what could be better than supporting them both, right here?” 

In the Galls’ story, generosity is not performative. It is personal, joyful, and enduring. It’s a form of artistry in itself: honoring what is beautiful and true, and leaving behind a legacy not just of giving, but of heartfelt belonging.  

Behind the Scenes: Festival Champions 

While thousands experience the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts as visitors, there’s another group of people who help ensure the event continues to thrive; those working behind the scenes, like the Galls and others committed to its future through philanthropy. 

The Festival itself showed its long-term commitment by opening the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts Endowment Fund at Centre Foundation as part of our 40 for 40 campaign. With this fund, the CPFA is investing in its own sustainability, helping to ensure the event’s success for generations to come. 

Another fund created at Centre Foundation, the Sharon McCarthy Award Fund, was created by John McCarthy to honor his late wife’s extensive involvement with the Festival. Sharon was a longtime volunteer, Images Exhibition chair, and board member whose passion for the arts lives on through an annual Award of Merit supported by this fund. 

These gifts reflect a strong sense of ownership and pride from those closest to the Festival.  

If you would like to open a fund at Centre Foundation contact Kerry Tolton, Development and Stewardship Director, at 814.237.6229 or kerry@centrefoundation.org.