Starting today, the Palmer Museum of Art will be taking a bite out of the Big Apple's art scene.

A new exhibition titled New York Cool: Painting and Sculpture from the NYU Art Collection kicks off today. The entire collection has been borrowed from the Grey Art Gallery at New York University -- essentially, it's a taste of New York City, right here in State College.

The exhibition focuses on the oft-overlooked art from the late 1940s and early 1960s that was produced in lower Manhattan.

"This is an incredible opportunity for students and community members to see examples of art from this time period," said Joyce Robinson, curator of the museum. "You would usually have to drive a far distance to see these artists that are usually not well represented here."

Between the "hot" Abstract Expressionism of the late 1940s -- think Jackson Pollock's wild, action painting -- and the "colder" Pop and Minimalism scene of the mid-1960s, a la Andy Warhol's art, lies New York Cool.

"In terms of hot and cold, Pollock was all about throwing paint, all about movement," Robinson said. "His work was hot, emotional, heroic, very monumentally scaled."

After Pollock, a transition period occurred, which Robinson described as an evolution rather than a reaction.

"This was all moving into the cool, minimal, pop aesthetic of Warhol," she said.

The exhibition comprises 75 sculptures, drawings and prints that feature major works from artists such as Helen Frankenthaler and Kenneth Noland. Artists such as Conrad Marca-Relli and Norman Bluhm, are also represented.

Pepe Karmel, an associate professor of art history at NYU, is the curator of the collection and will be at the Palmer on Oct. 30 to present a

lecture about this time period in the art world.

It was special to find a collection based upon such an overlooked and multifaceted era, and Robinson said the Palmer immediately knew its intrinsic value.

"This was a show we knew we wanted to have," she said. "I am incredibly excited for this."

Acquiring such a collection is no small feat, but it's also important to gather an audience for the works of art. In terms of demographics, the Palmer is trying to capture more of the student audience, said Dana Kletchka, curator of education.

"We're working really hard at making students feel comfortable in the galleries," Kletchka said. "I've heard people say, 'There's real art in there?' I don't know what they thought was in here -- art by the faculty, student art, prints of art?"

That was the mindset of Natalie Hammond (sophomore-animal bioscience and pre-veterinary medicine), who figured student art was featured in the museum. Though she added, "I've always wanted to go into the museum and see for myself."

To draw students into the gallery, Kletchka has planned an opening reception aimed at students, complete with a jazz trio and food. The reception will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18 and will incorporate a bit of a twist.

"So many receptions for students offer such an informal setting, with pizza and wings. We're going to have crab cakes and chips and salsa -- mango salsa," Kletchka said with a laugh.

Kletchka said the normal audience of the Palmer is spread among retirees, families and students who come for projects or out of curiosity. However, she is always trying to encourage more students to visit the gallery. For this exhibition in particular, she has been using the more student-oriented Facebook to get the word out.

"This exhibition seems so hip and cool," she said. "There's no question about it -- it's New York Cool. It's going to be a good exhibition and a good time."