Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, New Castle, has moved its teachers out of the classrooms and into the galleries.

The Hoyt Teacher Invitational showcases the work of photographers Erin Antognoli and David Marino, painters Jocelyn Beatty and Nancy Behm, ceramic artists Cindy Fiorini-Billiris and Nancy Sontich-Lenhart and stained glass lamp maker Robert Schoenberger.

The show has a two-fold purpose: to highlight the teachers’ work as artists and give potential students the chance to see the kinds of things they might learn if they take the classes.

"A lot of times you hear about the teachers but never get a chance to see what they do," said Hoyt office manager Tracey Sizer.

But the show is not a mismatch of styles. Themes recur in the works of different artists and many pieces appear to belong together.

Ms. Beatty, of Shenango Township, and Ms. Behm, of New Wilmington, are watercolor painters who paint similar subjects, but their styles are different.

Ms. Beatty is a more exacting painter, and her brushstrokes are more controlled. Her watercolors are more akin to oil paintings with a strong sense of drawing.

Her work is appreciated no more strongly than by her students.

"Her classes fill up the fastest," Ms. Sizer said.

Ms. Beatty paints barns, animal scenes, landscapes and still-lifes. Highlights include "Bear Hugs" showing three Teddy bears on a quilt; "I Haven’t A Thing To Wear," showing a colorful garment and a dozen hangers discarded on a floor; and "Summer Song," with a duck floating on shadowed water against a brightly lit background.

Mrs. Behm applies her watercolors more freely. Her brushstrokes are more visible and there’s an air of abstractness, although each subject is easily recognizable.

Mrs. Behm also favors rural, outdoor subjects, and breaks tradition with the baseball scene, "Stan Belinda -- Bottom, of the Ninth."

Both included paintings of laundry hanging out to dry, which can be compared with Marino’s series of the same subject.

Marino uses a toy Holga camera that leaks light, does not sharply focus and has a distorted lens, giving an otherworldly look to his scenes, which are otherwise normal.

Marino, of New Castle, sometimes manipulates his photos, such as cutting an image in two and separating it to reveal the same image underneath; hand-painting and penciling.

In a silver gelatin mordancage series, which use photo contact prints and other media, Ms. Antognoli, of Neshannock Township, employs a technique that mostly fades out recognizable images, leaving abstract scratches, blotches and blocks of color.

Schoenberger, of Connoquenessing, crafts Tiffany-style lamps with floral designs and jeweled beads of glass.

Ms. Fiorini-Billiris, of New Wilmington, and Ms. Sontich-Lenhart, of Youngstown, add their perspective to the standard repertoire of ceramic artists, such as vases, jars and platters. Ms. Fiorini-Billiris finds animals appealing in a series of fish whistles and an elephant.

"It gives you a new appreciation for the teachers," said Ms. Sizer. "They’re always perfecting what they do. It made me want to sign up for every single class we have."

The show runs through April 20. The Hoyt’s classes in ceramics, children’s art, painting, dance, language, music, photography, stained glass, bridge and Tai Chi begin Tuesday and run through June 2. A series of one- and two-day workshops on numerous topics also are planned. Information: 652-2882.