BETHLEHEM, Pa. — With hotel lobbies turned into galleries, heavenly Tiffany windows, film premieres and poetry champions, 2025 unfolded as a vibrant year for the arts across the Lehigh Valley.
Here’s a month-by-month look at the stories that shaped the region’s creative pulse.
Instagrammable art, Super Bowl bling
The year began with the January opening of the Moxy Hotel in downtown Allentown,featuring carefully curated guest rooms, a chic Bar Moxy and other cozy first-floor, dimly lit rooms that can double as workspaces.
The concept behind the art and décor — a tribute to the Vaudeville era (from the 1880s through the early 1930s) and beloved regional attractions such as Dorney Park, the Great Allentown Fair, and the city’s once-thriving fashion district — was led by Jane Heft, design director for developers City Center Group and Allentown Mural Arts.
Throughout the space, each area boasts its own distinct artistic personality, from the carousel tiger that welcomes guests at the entrance to the back wall, opposite the bar, where a lively collection of paintings captures circus scenes infused with playful, whimsical details.
It was a big win in February, as Whitehall High School alum and Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley shattered running-back records during the Birds’ Super Bowl LIX victory.
Yet another local win was also unfolding off the football field.
Barkley’s mother — Whitehall Township resident Tonya Johnson, affectionately known as “Mama B” — turned heads in a custom, blinged-out jacket designed by Bethlehem fashion designer Lara Bly.
Mama B proudly cheered on the Eagles in the statement piece, which sparkled with hundreds of shimmering sequins and featured the words “Run Son” stitched across the back.
March delivered a powerful staging of "Fences," which played on select dates through mid-April at the Pennsylvania Playhouse.
The production of August Wilson’s award-winning drama was directed by Adam Newborn, who spoke about the intentional search for local talent to bring the play’s iconic characters to life.
“Sometimes it’s hard to find artists of color in the area, particularly male artists,” Newborn said at the time.
“One of the great things happening right now around diversity, equity and inclusion in many theaters is the more inclusive work being done — not only to bring artists of color onto the stage, but also to welcome people of color into the theater and expand the audience as well.”
And March also saw the opening of Archer Music Hall, a downtown Allentown state-of-the-art music venue that opened with a crowd of dignitaries cutting a ribbon.
It had its first official show March 8 with a concert by Cavalera, a gold-record-selling heavy metal band from Brazil.
Tiffany Windows, star poet
In late April, the Allentown Art Museum unveiled its highly anticipatedTiffany Windows — a pair of 14-foot, transcendent stained glass memorial pieces created by Louis Comfort Tiffany and Angus Northrup.
The gorgeous windows, part of a permanent display and designed in the early 1900s, need to be seen in person to capture the detail and multi-layers that both Tiffany and Northrup were known for.
In their original setting, the windows were transformed by the weather and time of day. Now, in the museum, the windows are presented with a periodically changing light program to let visitors see the color changes.
An ecstatic senior had much to celebrate in May: Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts senior Isavel Mendoza, won the 2025 Poetry Out Loud Championship — and the $20,000 prize that came with it — held in Washington, D.C.
In an interview, Mendoza said he was inspired by poet E.E. Cummings and rapper Tupac Shakur, while his teacher, Diane Wagner, recalled she wasn't surprised he took home the top prize.
"I think it struck me, as I was watching these final performances: This kid was born to stand in front of people and share these beautiful things," Wagner said.
Mendoza was among 157,000 high schoolers who participated in Poetry Out Loud in 2025, and one of nine finalists.
'Rooted' in Bethlehem, Ace Frehley
June brought the debut of the documentary "Rooted: A Story of Artists Embracing Place," a film filled with stories of the creatives who sprang into action to revitalize the city after the decline of Bethlehem Steel.
The stars, and forces behind the film are Doug Roysdon of the Mock Turtle Marionette Theatre; Dave Fry of Godfrey Daniels folk music club; Bill George, co-founder of Touchstone Theatre; and George's wife, Bridget, of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem and Touchstone Theatre.
It premiered at Zoellner Arts Center on Father's Day — complete with a standing ovation — with its stars and "Rooted" director Aidan Gilrain McKenna, an independent filmmaker and graduate of Liberty High School.
In July, there were some emotional moments, and a few tears shed as the staff of the Sigal Museum were treated to a special screening of "My Mom Jayne," the HBO documentary by actress Mariska Hargitay.
Mansfield, a screen legend and once known as the most photographed woman in the world, was laid to rest in Pen Argyl's Fairview Cemetery in 1967, following her death in a car crash en route from Mississippi to New Orleans.
As part of research for the film, Hargitay visited the Easton museum and met with staff, including Howard McGinn, Sigal's volunteer researcher and expert genealogist.
In August, Musikfest returned for its 42nd year — along with our concert reviews of the festival’s main Steel Stage headliners and standout critic picks, including Megan Moroney and The Black Crowes.
That month, we also saw the return of the Great Allentown Fair, featuring Grandstand headliners likeHeart and Alabama.
Though we didn't know it at the time, it was also Ace Frehley's third-last live performance (the concert took place on Aug. 30 with headliners Great White and Quiet Riot).
After Allentown Fair, Frehley played just two more shows — five days later in Derry, New Hampshire, then the day after that in Providence, Rhode Island, to close his tour.
Frehley, 74, passed away in October at his home in New Jersey.
In Allentown, despite technical difficulties, the former KISS member performed several of the Hall of Fame band's hits like 1977 "Shock Me" — on which he originally sang lead vocals — and 1974's "Deuce."
Rest in peace, Spaceman.
'100 years of art,' 'Cocktails and Collecting'
Some of our favorite exhibitions arrived in the fall, standing out for their celebration of the diversity and talent of underrepresented artists across the region.
In September, Zoellner Arts Center held a night to remember as Lehigh University Art Galleries, or LUAG, marked a milestone with a centennial bash showcasing the work of 100 local artists.
To launch the exhibition “Here and Now: 100 Years of LUAG, 100 Local Artists,”on view through May, LUAG staff welcomed the community to a free birthday celebration inside a packed Zoellner Arts Center — so full it was hard not to bump into someone.
The lively evening featured a groovy DJ set by the Nite Liters, complimentary caricature portraits, selfie stations, food, and LUAG swag.
November brought us back to high school — if only for a visit — where artists Anthony Smith and Marie Belle debuted "Cut Loose," a dual exhibition inside Nazareth Area High School's Eagle Nest Gallery.
Smith's series of drawings, pieces he designed in college, curated perfectly with Belle's series of luminous glasswork, which takes inspiration from her homeland of West Guinea, Africa.
An equally art-worthy soiree occurred in November, and both Smith and Belle were among the crowd at the Allentown Art Museum’s 20th annual Cocktails and Collecting event.
The fundraiser brought together 31 artists — from first-time exhibitors to longtime favorites — filling two floors with displays of prints, high-end paintings, photography, sculpture, and finely crafted jewelry, including earrings and necklaces.
Closing out the year, in early December, students at Joseph P. Liberati Intermediate School participated in a schoolwide letter-writing initiative, crafting handwritten notes to share holiday cheer with members of the community.
Fourth-grader Natalie Storace's handwritten letter mentioned her guinea pigs and her siblings, Lola and Poppy, while her classmate, Jake Mehelic, 9, was hoping to pen a letter to a veteran — perhaps someone like his grandfather, who served 36 years in the U.S. Army.
Also in December, Allentown artist Rigo Peralta, alongside fellow creative Ruddy Tavera, co-curated a new exhibition, “Hyperrealism & Realism."
On view through Feb. 14, the show brings together works by a diverse roster of artists from across the United States, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
A striking and colorful collection, it pairs hyper-realistic pieces with academic realism, inviting viewers to explore the contrast in technique, approach and artistic philosophy, the curators said.
