March 2, 2002 - July 7, 2002

In conjunction with the 250th Anniversary of Berks County, the Reading Public Museum will exhibit Reading: The Way We Were - Historical Paintings of Berks County by John Dusko. This exhibit will feature 12 of Dusko's original paintings including Neversink Mountain Hotel, The Thrill of the Symphony, and Trolleys, Theaters and Times Past. The exhibit will run through July 7, 2002 and is included with regular Museum admission of $4 adults, $2 children 4 to 17. Members and children under 4 are admitted free.

John Dusko is originally from Pottstown, PA, but has spent the last thirty plus years in Reading, PA. As a young boy he always knew his calling was to be an artist and started studying art at the age of 10 with well-known local artist George "Bucky" Walters. He continued his studies in fine art and painting throughout his high school years and eventually graduated in 1954 from the prestigious New York School of Visual Arts with a degree in Illustration and Graphic Design. Dusko credits much of his early and present success in the arts to his college teacher and mentor, internationally know artist Burne Hogarth, who at the time Dusko was attending college, was creating the drawings and illustrations for the "Tarzan" character. The influence of Mr. Hogarth can be evidenced in all of John's remarkable "true to life" work.

After college and a stint in the Army, Dusko returned home to work in advertising. As an Art Director, he designed magazines and Christmas cards, created original illustrations, and accepted numerous personal commissions from clients. His original works can be found in personal collections up and down the East Coast.

In 1994, Dusko began a series that has captured the hearts and memories of Berks County residents. Donald Fishburn and Michael Fasig asked John to create a series of historical prints of Reading and Berks County that would be published in limited edition form and signed and numbered. The Reading Railroad Outer Station was the first print in the series and was an immediate success. That print was followed by the extraordinary Trolleys, Theaters and Times Past a print of famous Penn Street, circa 1941. Then came The Thrill of the Symphony, an original oil painting created for the Reading Symphony Orchestra (RSO). A special limited edition was reproduced and the original was donated to the RSO 1996. For Reading's 250th Anniversary, John created By the Railways which is now available as a print.
John and his wife Ann have five children and reside in West Lawn, PA.

Robert Metzger, Ph.D
Director, CEO, Chief Curator Reading Public Museum