Two exhibitions east of the city make for rewarding stops along a fall color drive in the Laurel Highlands. Admission to each is free, as are thoughtfully provided small illustrated catalogs.

A sampling of the range of work being done by regional artists may be seen in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Council for the Arts Ninth Annual Juried Art Exhibition hosted by the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Ligonier Valley.

Some of the region's most accomplished artists, including several from Pittsburgh, are represented among the 75, along with many less known in exhibition circles, a characteristic that gives the show definition and potential.

Juror Michael Campbell, Shippensburg University professor and Associated Artists of Pittsburgh member, selected 77 works in a multitude of media.

The strength of the show is in its two-dimensional work and in the various ways traditional media and subjects are used and interpreted. Of the sculptural entries, Ann Gravelle's "All Tucked In" is graceful and elegant. Cathy Sheffler's "On the Look-Out" has smile-inducing charm. Video, film and installation are absent.

But landscape -- which has a long and often magnificent history among regional artists -- is richly represented, at times realistic, abstracted, expressionistic, specific and generic.

Among these, three fine paintings -- Bud Gibbons' "Woods Road," Dai Morgan's "Tentacles," and William Perry's "Road Less Taken" -- may be appreciated as purely representational or as metaphysical musing. Kevin Kutz ("Hi-Way Drive In") and Richard Stoner ("Sacred and Profane, Abandoned Mines, Rowlesburg WV 2003") focus brush and lens, respectively, to comment on who we are and where we've come from.

Laudable are Kim Curinga's daring "Self Portrait," which addresses the persistent cultural vision of woman as sexual object, JoAnne Lightner's photograph of a lustrous simmering floral "Cauldron," and paintings by Robin Grass -- the enigmatic "Suspended Reality" -- and Melinda Myers Grass' detailed "Chinese Lanterns."

Also standing out are graphite works by Philip Brulia ("Transformation"), Kathleen Kase Burk ("Figure A, Figure B"), Carolyn Vaughn ("Unruly But Elegant") and Tiffany Fox's "The Dress Rehearsal," a row of little tap dancers awaiting their moment, a scene usually captured by a camera now, here lovingly rendered in colored pencil.

Particularly noteworthy are four works that arise from the contemporary moment, including Barbara Kern-Bush's sobering "Far from Home," of 2003, a pastel portrait of a soldier in camouflage dress with buzz cut sitting on the edge of a bunk, and the muted flags and clouds of Mary Kay Neff's "Shanksville Field II."

Todd Barton's bog fantasia "Homeland Security" implies a hidden menace but it's unclear whether that's terrorist or government. And while the stunned winged creature in Dorothy Forman's "A Time to Mourn" could have been inspired by a number of events, it certainly fits the current cultural mood.

There are many more discoveries to be made in this family friendly show with something for everyone.

The Annual continues through Nov. 28 on Route 711, just south of Route 30. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Information: 724-238-6015 or www.sama-art.org.

American coverlets

"Woven into History: American Coverlets," a splendid gathering of 10 mid-19th century coverlets as notable for their excellent condition as for their variety, is at The Saint Vincent Gallery, Latrobe.

They're from Foster and Muriel McCarl's large and highly regarded collection, which has been featured at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum in Colonial Williamsburg.

Usually woven by men, mostly in the mid-Atlantic and Midwest, such coverlets were often commissioned for special occasions such as weddings or births. Their bold regular patterns and bright, often patriotic, colors reflect a high level of technical skill, while variations show that there was room for individual expression within this traditional folk craft.

Particularly striking is an Ohio Railroad Coverlet, bordered by engines, that reverberates visually due to its deep navy on dark orange patterning, but each is formally stunning and historically rich.

Not all are hung full length, but all are displayed sufficiently to show distinctive qualities.

"Coverlets" continues through Oct. 10 and then Nov. 12 through Dec. 12 on the Saint Vincent College campus. Hours are noon to 3 p.m. Fridays through Sundays and noon to 3 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. Information: 724-805-2107.