NEWPORT -- The Perry County Council of the Arts has a variety of events and activities coming up, spanning the visual and written media and available for participation by all ages.

The Council's Youth Art Day, a photographic exhibition and the annual poetry contest offer outlets for creativity for residents of Perry County and the surrounding area.

The 11th Annual Sophie Awards for Poetic Excellence is open to all Perry County poets as well as members of the Arts Council regardless of county of residence.

Entry deadline is Feb. 6. Contest guidelines are available on the Arts Council's Web site, www.perrycountyarts.org and at the PCCA Gallery at 1 South Second St. Call (717) 567-7023 for information.

Awards include cash prizes as well as title of Perry County Poet Laureate to a Perry County resident. In addition, the Kenneth P. Allen Award is granted for the best Villanelle, a 19-line poem of intricate form.

Sophie's Award winners will be invited to read their entries at a special award ceremony in April.

"Abandoned America," a photography exhibit by Matthew Murray, will be presented at the PCCA Gallery from Feb. 2 through Feb. 28. The exhibit offers ethereal photographs of a variety of abandoned buildings, "offering mute testimony to our country's past." Murray began exploring abandoned buildings when he was a child, fascinated by the fragments of people's lives left behind.

Fours years ago, he began a project to preserve such memories through photography, endeavoring to preserve their grace and stillness. He has photographed crumbling asylums and institutions, derelict factories, refineries and polluted power plants.

The public is invited to an opening reception to meet the artist at the Gallery on Feb. 6 from 7 to 9 p.m.

PCCA is accepting entries for its annual Youth Art Day, to be held Saturday April 25 from noon to 4 p.m. at Newport High School. The youth art showcase features visual and literary art displays and performances of music, dance and drama. Entry forms are now available from Perry County schools and from PCCA.

Students must be residents of Perry County, kindergarten through grade 12 enrolled in public, private or home school programs.

All applications, fees and entries must be received by the Arts Council by Feb. 27. Information about Youth Art Day performances and exhibits will be forthcoming.

For information about these events, call (717) 567-7023 or visit www.perrycountyarts.org.