BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The spirit of Christmas, as seen through the eyes of late artist Frank "Wyso" Wysochansky, will fill Bethlehem Town Hall's Rotunda Gallery beginning this weekend.
“Christmas in Bethlehem,” a posthumous collection of paintings and drawings by Wysochansky, is presented by Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
An opening reception will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9, with a gallery talk by the exhibition's curator, Steven J. Lichak.
Lichak is the founder of the WYSO Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Wysochanksky's estimated 5,000 works.
The collection will be on display through Dec. 19 at the gallery, at 10 East Church St.
A voice for the working class
Wysochansky, who was born in 1915 in Blakely to Ukrainian immigrant parents, passed away in 1994.
Though he left school after seventh grade, he became a self-taught artist.
A son of a coal miner (his father, Joseph, was killed in a tragic mining accident when he was 21 years old), Wyso's first job was a freelance cartoonist for the "United Mine Workers Journal" — a position he held 1946-69.
His artistry expanded as he began to experiment with different materials — watercolors, crayons and ink.
He is known for his multimedia paintings and drawings — along with sculptures — that explore themes such as mining and miners' lives, religious subjects and scenes from the Lehigh Valley and Northerneastern Pennsylvania.
The WYSO Foundation
Lichak, who was chosen a 2025 Tribute to the Arts honoree by the Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission, was a friend of Wysochansky and his brother, retired the Rev. Walter Wysochansky.
After Wyso's passing, it was Walter Wysochansky — along with Wyso's 11 siblings — who suggested to Lichak, senior producer at Lehigh University’s Library and Technology Services, that he catalog their brother's pieces.
Since then, the foundation has organized more than 20 exhibitions showcasing Wysochanksy's works.
"Christmas in Bethlehem" will feature some of Wyso's winter scenes and art inspired by his family and their Ukrainian Christmas traditions.
The Rotunda Gallery is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
