ArtsOhio Blog

A Creative Collaboration Unfolds on Stage: Music and Live Artmaking Combine at the Fitton Center

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 20:43:00 GMT

What color would you make a major chord if you were to hang it on a gallery wall? How would you transpose an artist’s sketch onto a music staff?

These questions aren’t silly riddles meant to puzzle and perplex. Instead, these are possibilities the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra and visual artist Billy Simms aimed to explore during a collaborative performance at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts on Feb. 1.

In celebration of the opening of its Shifty exhibition, which featured “large-scale abstract and narrative artworks” that played with perception through “shifting spaces, absurd moments, and woven walls,” the Fitton Center brought together visual and musical arts to stage a live printmaking presentation set to a special orchestral composition.

Following the gallery opening, guests enjoyed a concert by the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra that began with a 22-minute piece called “With Eyes That Hear and Ears That See.” Composed by the orchestra’s music director emeritus and composer-in-residence, Paul John Stanbery, and inspired by the artwork in the show, the music accompanied the creation of a brand-new print by Simms, who completed his work on stage while the orchestra played.

“I have never done anything quite like this, so it is really exciting,” said Simms, who resides in Hamilton, Ohio, in an pre-performance interview. “I know there have been times where things like this have been done, where people create works on stage along with some sort of stage performance, but I’ve never heard of one like what we’re doing, where the music was composed in response to the artwork, and then I am in turn responding to the music.”

For Stanbery, the composition process required that he reflect on the visual artworks in the show through notes, rhythms, and musical motifs. While structuring his piece and determining instrumentation and themes, Stanbery aimed to convey his impressions as a viewer of the pieces in the Shifty exhibition.

“As I was looking at these works of art, I began to make a list of words that popped into my mind,” Stanbery said. “As a result, when I would start to write the music, I would simply look at those words and try to emulate that emotion, whatever the emotion might be—it could be anger, it could be chaos, it could be love. Each of the artworks had its own particular list of words, and that became the impetus for the music that I wrote for each one."

Footage from a dress rehearsal of the collaborative performance.
Video by the Fitton Center for Creative Arts

Those in the audience got to see how Stanbery’s artistic interpretation matched up with their own thoughts when images of the pieces were displayed digitally as the score progressed. He said he thinks the piece encourages others to be open to experiencing art in new ways through a combination of the senses.

“So, the first things you use (when viewing art) are your eyes. And then, as a musician, how do you respond to that? That’s sort of the first half of the title, “With Eyes That Hear,’” Stanbery said. “And then ‘With Ears That See’ is the flip side of that. Those ears are really Billy’s ears, and then he is creating something on the spot that we all can see. To me, it kind of encompasses the entirety of the effort.”

Simms said he thinks the most exciting aspect of the performance was the infusion of spontaneous creative elements into his print. Using a mono-type printmaking process, a departure from the woodcuts he typically employs, he was able to work quickly and adjust his design in response to dynamic factors such as the orchestra’s sound and the crowd’s energy.

"Having the live music and then being able to see the musicians, being able to look over at Paul as he was conducting, and then looking up at the art on the screen, it really did add an element of kind of feeling all of those things while working on the piece," Simms said in a follow-up interview. "In theatre, they call it 'the illusion of the first time,' where every time you perform something, it should seem like it's the first time it is happening. And I kind of had that feeling. It felt really fresh and alive to me."

At intermission, Simms’ completed print was displayed for audience members to view up-close in the lobby.

"People really seemed to enjoy it. You know, when you do something different, you never know what people will think, but I think the response was really strong in that they thought it was a really fascinating and unique thing to experience," Simms said. "They just enjoyed the process and enjoyed that way of working."

The rest of the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra concert followed, with the orchestra under the direction of guest conductor Scott Woodard and featuring works by Franz Schubert, Max Bruch, and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Stanbery said his composition and the accompanying experiment into live collaborative artmaking gave the community the opportunity to celebrate an evening of the arts in Hamilton and throughout Butler County.

“To speak as one voice is the goal of the piece, Billy’s print, as well as the work by the artists in the exhibition. I think that’s the whole premise that makes this so unique,” he said. “That is what excites me about all of this.”

Both the Fitton Center and the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra are Ohio Arts Council grantees, with the Hamilton-based Fitton Center most recently receiving a Mid-sized Organization Sustainability grant and the Orchestra receiving an ArtSTART grant.

For more information about the Fitton Center, visit fittoncenter.org.

Keep up to date with news from the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra at butlerphil.org.

ABOUT THE OHIO ARTS COUNCIL

The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. Connect with the OAC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or visit our website at oac.ohio.gov.

###

Featured photo: Printmaker Billy Simms and the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra rehearse their collaborative performance of "With Eyes That Hear and Ears That See," an original composition by Paul John Stanbery that celebrated its world premiere at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts on Feb. 1.

Ohio Arts Council Board Approves More Than $14.7M in Arts Grants

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 20:47:11 GMT

The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) board has approved $14,733,107 in grants to support Ohio artists, organizations, students, educators, and public arts programming during its initial and major state fiscal year 2020 funding round.

The board approved 743 grants when it met publicly on July 17 for its summer board meeting.

OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins said the grant awards help arts organizations, educators, and artists throughout the state strengthen Ohio’s creative economy and enrich communities through the arts.

“We are honored to award these grants to the phenomenal arts organizations, art educators, and artists who work to champion the arts in Ohio,” she said. “Our state is rich in artistic ingenuity, creative collaboration, and passionate individuals who know firsthand the positive impact of the arts.”

The 743 grants awarded during this funding round are an important step toward the fulfillment of the agency’s ongoing commitment to directly fund arts and culture initiatives taking place in all 88 Ohio counties, something it has been able to do for the past two biennia.

Collins said a commitment to providing statewide support of the arts is more important than ever following the announcement of an historic $34.5 million allocated to the OAC through the 2020-21 state budget—a $5 million increase in funding from last biennium.

“We are very grateful to Governor Mike DeWine, and members of the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate, for their support of public funding for the arts through the state budget’s appropriation to the Ohio Arts Council,” she said. “As we conclude a grant application cycle that saw a record-setting number of requests for funding, we are thrilled that support from our state’s governor and legislators ensures that more public dollars will be spent over the next two years on grants for the arts in Ohio.”

For a complete, filterable list of grant recipients, download the Excel spreadsheet here. To view all grants awarded this funding round as a PDF, click here.

Operating Support

Sustainability supports ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres. Awards support the largest and most administratively sophisticated organizations in the state's arts and culture ecosystem. This four-year funding supports a wide range of the state's arts providers that are positioning Ohio as a national leader in creativity, artistry, and cultural wealth.
- Large Organizations: 40 grants totaling $7,616,964
- Mid-Sized Organizations: 264 grants totaling $4,126,315

Arts Access supports ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres that broaden opportunities for the general public to participate in the arts. This flexible two-year funding provides general operating support for small organizations.
- 51 grants totaling $156,926

Project Support

ArtSTART provides accessible funding to help organizations complete short-term projects. Most awards support the programming of new or emerging organizations, first-time OAC applicants, and organizations in areas not served by other arts providers.
- 156 grants totaling $370,020

ArtsNEXT provides competitive funding for innovative and experimental projects. These forward-looking projects help define Ohio as an exciting, cutting-edge place to make, consume, and experience the arts.
- 55 grants totaling $422,889

Arts Learning

Arts Partnership supports arts education projects that address the needs of individual learners and their communities. By supporting these projects and programs, the OAC aims to strengthen arts education locally, regionally, and statewide.
- 79 grants totaling $797,979

TeachArtsOhio brings schools and community organizations together with teaching artists to share engaging, personal, high-quality arts learning experiences.
- 50 grants totaling $880,800

Individual Artists

Traditional Arts Apprenticeships provide support for master artists to work with apprentices to build understanding and proficiency in folk and traditional art forms. These awards support the teaching and sharing of important cultural traditions and enrich the lives of Ohioans.
- 14 grants totaling $35,997

Ohio Artists on Tour

The Ohio Artists on Tour program enables Ohio organizations to tap into the creative potential of performing artists and ensembles to enrich their programming and the vitality of their communities.
- 28 grants totaling $113,008

Statewide Arts Service Organization Support

Statewide Arts Service Organizations (SASO) are qualifying organizations that provide statewide professional services to arts and cultural organizations. These organizations often serve as critical partners as they, along with their members or constituents, support the OAC's mission to strengthen Ohio communities through the arts. Statewide Arts Service Organizations are eligible to receive OAC support in a way that honors their unique and valuable contributions to Ohio’s arts sector.
- 6 grants totaling $212,209

ABOUT THE OHIO ARTS COUNCIL
The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. Connect with the OAC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or visit our website at oac.ohio.gov.

###

Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist

Traditional Arts Apprenticeship: Sharing Appalachian Fiddle Tunes and the Stories They Carry

Thu, 18 Jul 2019 18:34:43 GMT

Dale Farmer ended his Traditional Arts Apprenticeship showcase in Oxford, Ohio, with words of sincere thanks for his mentor, Warren Waldron.

“Thank you,” he said, “for changing the course of my life.”

Over the last three years, Farmer has studied with Warren and Judy Waldron, supported by the Ohio Arts Council’s (OAC) Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program, to learn around 100 Appalachian fiddle tunes that have circulated throughout North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. Warren Waldron explained that instead of “lessons,” he called their time together “sessions,” since they involved both learning to play tunes and sharing the stories that travel with them. We in the audience also got to experience this process: for each song that they played, the Waldrons and Farmer took the time to share where the tune came from (as far as they knew) and how it had traveled and transformed with the artists who carried it.

Traditional art forms often serve as cultural resources to comment on contemporary issues and local histories. The Waldrons and Farmer played songs like “Waterbound” and “Jimmy in the Swamp” while talking about the wet spring and summer that we’ve been experiencing in Ohio (which is having a serious impact on our state’s farmers). Other songs were transformed to fit local contexts. Warren Waldron explained that he learned the song “Goin’ on Downtown” as being about “Lynchburg Town” in Virginia, but that when he plays it, he sings about “HamilTown,” a shout-out to nearby Hamilton, Ohio. The topic of the song – bringing goods to market – still fits with Butler County histories of canal commerce that allowed farmers to sell their goods to urban markets like Cincinnati.

Throughout their apprenticeship, the Waldrons pushed Farmer to develop a broad repertoire of tunes. They explained that most old time tunes are played in the keys of G, A, or D, but that it was important that Farmer also learn songs in the key of C, which often better suit women’s vocal ranges. Farmer expressed some trepidation as he was about to play a waltz, which tests a player’s intonation because the notes are held longer. Warren Waldron explained that for this reason, waltzes are always featured in fiddle contests.

Judy Waldron also had some words of advice for any musicians who might be trying to count along with their “crooked” tunes (which feature variable time signatures): “Don’t bother!” Warren explained that since a lot of traditional fiddle tunes were played for the pleasure of musicians and their friends, changing up time signatures was not a problem if it felt right (it’s a different story, of course, if you’re playing for a dance).

Before playing their final tune together, Farmer told the audience that he would hold the last note as long as he could, since it would sadly mark the end of his apprenticeship with Warren. But fortunately, their relationship will continue – Farmer said that they’re like family, and they will be playing together in the Waldrons' group, the Jericho Old Time Band. Their collaboration has also transcended art forms: the Waldrons appear in Farmer's upcoming movie The Mountain Minor, a feature-length film that he wrote and directed based on his family’s migration story from Eastern Kentucky to Southwest Ohio, told through the traditional music that they carried with them to their new home.

Watch the trailer for The Mountain Minor:

Video by The Mountain Minor film.

The OAC's Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program provides support for master artists to work with apprentices to build understanding and proficiency in folk and traditional art forms. By pairing exemplary practitioners of traditional art forms with dedicated apprentices, this program allows for concentrated study and cultural exchange through awards that support the teaching and sharing of important cultural traditions. Find more information about Traditional Arts Apprenticeships here: rebrand.ly/oac-traditional-arts-apprenticeship.

###

Article by Cristina Benedetti, Ohio Arts Council Folk and Traditional Arts Contractor
Featured Photo: Dale Farmer and Warren Waldron practice for their Traditional Arts Apprenticeship showcase performance in Oxford. Photo courtesy of Judy Waldron.

National Endowment for the Arts Awards More Than $1 Million to Ohio Arts Council

Wed, 15 May 2019 19:29:58 GMT

The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) has received a state and regional partnership agreement grant exceeding $1 million from the National Endowment for the Arts. This has been an agency goal for the past few funding cycles.

OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins announced the news at the 2019 Arts Day and Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio luncheon held May 15 at the Columbus Athenaeum.

The OAC will receive $1,007,950 to help support arts initiatives throughout the state. This is the fifth-highest National Endowment for the Arts grant awarded to the OAC in the agency’s 54-year history.

It also marks the 10^th year in a row that Ohio has received one of the three largest grants for state arts agencies in the country from the NEA, securing more grant funding than larger states including Florida, New York, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.

“We are always grateful for our partnership agreement grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and continued federal support of the arts in Ohio,” Collins said. “Receiving more than $1 million this year is an exciting accomplishment for the Ohio Arts Council—and a recognition of Ohio’s renowned arts organizations and artists.”

The NEA allocates grant money based on each state’s population and the merit of the work done by its state arts agency. In Ohio, all federal funding is reinvested as grants to help individuals and organizations pursue artistic endeavors.

“Every dollar we earn from the National Endowment for the Arts is invested in the arts statewide through our grantees,” Collins said. “Given the size of our award, that means more of our federal tax dollars are being put back to work and reinvested in the Buckeye State.”

In addition to the state partnership grant, the NEA also awarded a total of $403,000 in direct grants to 15 arts-related organizations in Ohio.

A complete list of Ohio NEA grant recipients in this funding cycle follows:

Statewide

Ohio Arts Council: $1,007,950

Akron

National Center for Choreography at the University of Akron: $20,000

Cincinnati

ArtWorks: $50,000
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: $10,000
Contemporary Arts Center: $35,000
The Manuel D. and Rhoda Mayerson Foundation: $25,000

Cleveland

Cleveland Clinic Foundation: $88,000
GroundWorks DanceTheater: $15,000
Morgan Conservatory: $20,000
Playhouse Square Foundation: $20,000
The Dancing Wheels Company and School: $15,000

Dayton

Dayton Performing Arts Alliance: $10,000

Toledo

Toledo Museum of Art: $30,000
Toledo Opera Association: $10,000

West Chester

Women of Color Quilters Network: $40,000

Westerville

Otterbein University: $15,000

For more information about these recipients and their projects, click here to download a complete, filterable list of awards.

To see a full list of all grants awarded to all states or U.S. jurisidctions during the NEA’s FY 2019 spring grant announcement, click here.

For more information about the National Endowment for the Arts’ grant programs, visit arts.gov.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more.

###

Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist

Governor's Awards 2018: Dr. Ricardo Averbach, Individual Artist Award Winner

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 14:50:00 GMT

Celebrating his 16th year as director of orchestral studies at Miami University, Brazilian conductor Ricardo Averbach has also served as president of the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA) and guest conductor of orchestras all over the world. His concerts have been broadcast on radio and television in more than 50 countries. As a dedicated advocate of contemporary music, Ricardo has performed and recorded several world premieres for major labels, which have sold more than half a million copies around the globe. The American Prize has recognized his work in the College/University Division in many different categories, including the American Prize in Conducting, which he won in 2010.

A resident of Oxford since 2002, Ricardo has been promoting the arts in the state of Ohio by collaborating with world-renowned artists, participating in multidisciplinary projects, taking his students on tours nationally and abroad, commissioning Ohio composers, and serving on the Committee for the Arts and Innovative Thinking of the Ohio Department of Education.

ABOUT THE GOVERNOR’S AWARDS FOR THE ARTS IN OHIO
Since its beginning in 1971, the Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio has recognized individuals and organizations who have been vital to the growth and development of Ohio’s cultural resources. Each year, the public is invited to nominate individuals and organizations in eight award categories. The program is presented by the Ohio Arts Council and the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation, a nonprofit arts organization.

###

Video by the Ohio Channel

Ohio Arts Council Board Approves More Than $12.6M in Arts Grants

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 17:18:58 GMT

The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) board has approved $12,620,446 in grants to support Ohio artists, organizations, students, educators, and public arts programming during its initial and major state fiscal year 2019 funding round.

The board approved 679 grants when it met publicly on July 25 for its summer board meeting.

For a complete, filterable list of grant recipients, download the Excel spreadsheet here.

“Thanks to the Ohio governor and legislature’s prioritization of arts funding in the state budget, the Ohio Arts Council continues to invest in Ohio’s creative economy,” said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “With these awards, Ohio’s arts sector will engage our citizens, undertake innovative projects, and lead our state to a bright, shared future.”

Grant funding was awarded in the following areas:

Operating Support

Sustainability supports ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres. Awards support the largest and most administratively sophisticated organizations in the state's arts and culture ecosystem. This four-year funding supports a wide range of the state's arts providers that are positioning Ohio as a national leader in creativity, artistry, and cultural wealth.
- Large Organizations: 35 grants totaling $6,359,375
- Mid-Sized Organizations: 245 grants totaling $3,750,082
Arts Access supports ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres that broaden opportunities for the general public to participate in the arts. This flexible two-year funding provides general operating support for small organizations.
- 31 grants totaling $89,526

Project Support

ArtSTART provides accessible funding to help organizations complete short-term projects. Most awards support the programming of new or emerging organizations, first-time OAC applicants, and organizations in areas not served by other arts providers.
- 172 grants totaling $424,244
ArtsNEXT provides competitive funding for innovative and experimental projects. These forward-looking projects help define Ohio as an exciting, cutting-edge place to make, consume, and experience the arts.
- 60 grants totaling $521,548

Arts Learning

Arts Partnership supports arts education projects that address the needs of individual learners and their communities. By supporting these projects and programs, the OAC aims to strengthen arts education locally, regionally, and statewide.
- 62 grants totaling $717,014

TeachArtsOhio brings schools and community organizations together with teaching artists to share engaging, personal, high-quality arts learning experiences.
- 41 grants totaling $641,700

Artist Programs

Traditional Arts Apprenticeships provide support for master artists to work with apprentices to build understanding and proficiency in folk and traditional art forms. These awards support the teaching and sharing of important cultural traditions and enrich the lives of Ohioans.
- 10 grants totaling $37,425

Ohio Artists on Tour

The Ohio Artists on Tour program enables Ohio organizations to tap into the creative potential of performing artists and ensembles to enrich their programming and the vitality of their communities.
- 23 grants totaling $79,532

In addition to approving the grants, the OAC board also affirmed the selection of Westlake musician Hasu Patel for an Ohio Heritage Fellowship Award. The OAC annually awards Ohio Heritage Fellowships in recognition of the significant impact an individual or group has had on the people and communities of the state through their work in the folk or traditional arts.

This year, Patel, a world-class artist who performs classical music on the sitar, was selected for the Performing Arts category. In addition to receiving a $5,000 award, she will be recognized at a community event and ceremony later this year.

###

Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist

Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery Opens Women to Watch Ohio - 2018 through July 7

Thu, 24 May 2018 15:03:11 GMT

Women to Watch Ohio - 2018, on view at the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery, was organized in partnership with the Ohio Advisory Group of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. This exhibition, curated by Ann Bremner and Matt Distel, features 10 Ohio women artists who work in metal: Mary Jo Bole (Columbus), Carol Boram-Hays (Columbus), Carmel Buckley (Cincinnati), Susan R. Ewing (Oxford), Tracy Featherstone (Hamilton), Llewelynn Fletcher (Cincinnati), Leila Khoury (Cleveland), Kelly Malec-Kosak (Columbus), Marissa Saneholtz (Bowling Green), and Olga Ziemska (Cleveland). The artworks in Women to Watch Ohio – 2018, while varied in scale and technique, present a collective look at an enduring material not often associated with women. In truth, despite being underrepresented in major exhibitions and auction houses, the era of postwar contemporary art is flush with women working with metal such as Lynda Benglis, Louise Nevelson, Louise Bourgeois, Mona Hatoum, and Ruth Asawa, to name only a few. Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women, 1947-2016, organized in 2016 by Hauser, Wirth and Schimmel (Los Angeles), examines the massive impact that women had within the often male-dominated field of sculpture. It is a wonderful starting point to consider the larger context of contemporary sculpture that can provide greater appreciation for the artworks featured in Women to Watch Ohio – 2018. Additionally, further reading about women’s place in art history can be found in art historian Linda Nochlin’s comprehensive essays, compiled in her 2015 book, Women Artists: The Linda Nochlin Reader.

Carmel Buckley, Untitled, 2017-18

The variety of material and processes on display in Women to Watch Ohio - 2018 is remarkably flexible, featuring exceptional examples of manipulating metal, ranging from decorative enameling to structural welding, from bronze casts to fine jewelry. Boundary-crossing material explorations, a hallmark strategy of contemporary practice, abound in this exhibition, most notably in Carmel Buckley’s installation. Buckley’s Untitled (2017-18) consists of a cast bronze reproduction of a human head supporting a teeter-totter-like wood board. A neat stack of drawings rest on top of the board with a carefully placed, playful arrangement of miniature aluminum heads. The board is balanced with a heavy sheet of steel, and additional groupings of heads are scattered across the floor. Mary Jo Bole also utilized casting to produce Good Bye (2008), a gnarled wall relief assemblage of a human head made from cast iron and copper. In both instances, the formal properties of cast metal (pouring molten metal into a fabricated mold) yield an enduring character that is both grotesque and somber, yet capricious.

Mary Jo Bole, Good Bye, 2008

In addition to a variety of material processes, size is an important factor in Women to Watch Ohio – 2018, which can be seen in the extreme jumps in scale of Susan R. Ewing and Olga Ziemska’s artwork. Both artists move seamlessly between private and public space, creating work as small as Ewing’s jewelry and Ziemska’s cast fingertips topped with tiny dollops of iron shavings—and as large as their monumental public sculptures. These jumps in scale are a compelling facet of the exhibition, which showcases the variety of ways metal can be worked.

Left: Olga Ziemska, LUNA (detail) 2017
Right: Susan R. Ewing, Lead Pearls (detail), 2014

In Lead Pearls (2014), Ewing creates a delicate composition from a cascade of small lead beads carefully dotting a single line of steel cable. The piece functions doubly as a wall sculpture that produces an equally beautiful shadow that could also be worn as a necklace were it not for the toxic lead “pearls.” In the free exhibition brochure, which was produced with support from the Ohio Advisory Group of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, curator Ann Bremner notes that Ewing creates jewelry as though it were another form of public art. Also on view in the gallery are a series of maquettes and small studies for StarSphere (2010), Ewing’s monumental sculpture. Permanently installed outside the journalism building on the campus of Kent State University, it is a sly nod in support of the First Amendment.

Susan R. Ewing, StarSphere, 2010

Similarly, Ziemska has created a deep roster of large public works, many of which utilize reclaimed natural materials paired with industrial materials like metal, installed at numerous sites internationally in places such as South Korea, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Mexico, and regionally across the Midwest. Women to Watch Ohio – 2018 features photographic documentation of many of Ziemska’s public works, including Feather Point, her 2017 steel sculpture permanently installed at Thaddeus Kosciuszko Park in Dublin, Ohio. Ziemska’s material choices and subject matter underscore the driving force behind her work:, to examine the relationship between the natural and man-made world.

Olga Ziemska, Feather Point, 2017

Considering the fact that Women to Watch Ohio - 2018 features only women in a field that historically fails to adequately represent their work, many works on display pointedly address contemporary political issues of gender, sexuality, and political representation. Llewellyn Fletcher, a 2017 recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award, is most notably represented in the exhibition with Shield for Queer Kin: Protection, a 2018 collaborative installation with Amanda Curreri made of a steel rectangular armature wrapped with soot-dyed cotton that is hand-stitched with colorful Japanese sashiko thread. The armature rests on the floor at an angle, a slant that Fletcher inserts into much of their work as a physical manifestation of queer politics. The blanket-like shield functions as a literal protection for an oversized carving of a fist clenched in iconic resistance.

Llewelynn Fletcher, Shield for Queer Kin (Protection), 2017
in collaboration with Amanda Curreri

Additionally, the work of Leila Khoury, who was chosen by the National Museum of Women in the Arts as the Ohio representative for their sister-exhibition, Heavy Metal – Women to Watch 2018 (on view at the NMWA, Washington, D.C., June 28 – Sept 16), functions as a memorial to her Syrian identity. Aleppo Bathhouse (Fragment) (2018) is made of 32 concrete tiles cast from architectural details from buildings in Aleppo, a site now mostly destroyed in the ongoing Syrian conflict. The rectangular structure made of welded steel stands just over 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide, like a building miniaturized to the scale of a child’s playhouse. Yet, there is no entrance and the façade, while pleasingly decorative, is entirely made of heavy, olorless concrete. It is a sobering totem of all that has been lost in the genocide.

Leila Khoury, Aleppo Bathhouse (Fragment), 2018

Women to Watch Ohio - 2018 asks viewers to consider the varied materiality, technical processes, and scale of metalwork. The exhibition presents viewers with an opportunity to pause, look, and learn from an impressive group of artists and to engage with contemporary issues filtered through the lens of an often-gendered material. Ultimately, the common presence throughout the exhibition is the enduring spirit of women, sculpture, and metal.

ABOUT THE RIFFE GALLERY
The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery showcases the work of Ohio's artists and the collections of the state's museums and galleries. The Riffe Gallery is located in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, across from the Statehouse on High Street in Downtown Columbus. Like the Riffe Gallery on Facebook and follow us on Instagram.

###

Article by Mary VanWassenhove, 2018 OAC Riffe Gallery Marketing and Exhibitions Fellow

Ohio Artists Receive Individual Excellence Awards

Thu, 03 May 2018 12:58:45 GMT

Board members of the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) approved Individual Excellence Awards for state fiscal year 2018 during a public meeting on April 25.

Individual Excellence Awards are peer recognition of creative artists for the exceptional merit of a body of their work that advances or exemplifies the discipline and the larger artistic community. These awards support artists' growth and development and recognize their work in Ohio and beyond.

During this funding cycle, applications in choreography, criticism, fiction/non-fiction, music composition, playwriting/screenplays, and poetry were accepted. Each award is $5,000.

“We are fortunate to have a creative abundance of outstanding artists in Ohio,” said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “Frank Lloyd Wright was known to say, ‘I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things I want to see happen.’ The artists earning the Ohio Arts Council’s 2018 Individual Excellence Awards have indeed been tapped for their success.”

For a complete, filterable list of grant recipients, download the Excel spreadsheet here.

A list of Individual Excellence Award winners follows:

ASHLAND

Sarah Wells (Ashland) – Non-Fiction

ATHENS

Merri Biechler (Guysville) – Playwriting
Sharon Hatfield (Athens) – Non-Fiction
Mark Phillips (Athens) – Music Composition

BUTLER

TaraShea Nesbit (Oxford) – Non-Fiction

CLARK

Mimi Dixon (Springfield) – Non-Fiction

CUYAHOGA

Michael Credico (Lakewood) – Fiction
Caitlin Dargue (Shaker Heights) – Playwriting
Keith Fitch (Cleveland Heights) – Music Composition
Mary Grimm (Cleveland) – Fiction
Christopher Johnston (Shaker Heights) – Non-Fiction
Bradley Ricca (University Heights) – Non-Fiction
Pandora Robertson (Cleveland Heights) – Playwriting
David Shimotakahara (Cleveland Heights) – Choreography
Gregory Vovos (Rocky River) – Playwriting
Megan Young (Cleveland) – Choreography

DARKE

Myrna Stone (Greenville) – Poetry

DEFIANCE

Mary Catherine Harper (Defiance) – Poetry

ERIE

Daniel Sapp (Berlin Heights) – Poetry

FAIRFIELD

Charles Salmons (Canal Winchester) – Poetry

FRANKLIN

Marc Ainger (Columbus) – Music Composition
Jenny Deller (Columbus) – Playwriting
Darren Demaree (Columbus) – Poetry
Mya Frazier (Columbus) – Criticism
Linda Fuller-Smith (Columbus) – Poetry
Kevin Griffith (Columbus) – Poetry
Samantha Tucker Iacovetto (Columbus) – Non-Fiction
Jahir Johnson (Columbus) – Playwriting
Kris Paulsen (Worthington) – Criticism
Susan Petry (Columbus) – Choreography
Rebecca Seum (Westerville) – Non-Fiction
Maggie Smith (Bexley) – Poetry
Michael Vander Does (Columbus) – Poetry
Nick White (Columbus) – Fiction
Carmen Winant (Columbus) – Criticism
David Yee (Columbus) – Fiction

GEAUGA

Patrick Culliton (Chardon) – Poetry
Brian Macaskill (Chardon) – Criticism

GREENE

Heather Christle (Yellow Springs) – Non-Fiction
Will Clemens (Fairborn) – Poetry
Rebecca Kuder (Yellow Springs) – Non-Fiction

HAMILTON

Michael Fiday (Cincinnati) – Music Composition
Luke Geddes (Cincinnati) – Fiction
Jennifer Habel (Cincinnati) – Poetry
Ellen Harrison (Cincinnati) – Music Composition
Kristen Iversen (Cincinnati) – Non-Fiction
Matt Jones (Cincinnati) – Non-Fiction
Douglas Knehans (Cincinnati) – Music Composition
Julia Koets (Cincinnati) – Poetry
Brian Roley (Montgomery) – Fiction
Judith Turner-Yamamoto (Cincinnati) – Fiction

HARRISON

Sharon Mooney (Scio) – Poetry

KNOX

Jaquira Diaz (Gambier) - Non-Fiction
Kora Radella Feller (Gambier) – Choreography
Margaree Little (Mount Vernon) – Poetry

LAKE

Christopher Harris (Madison) – Non-Fiction

LORAIN

Elizabeth Ogonek (Oberlin) – Music Composition
Marco Wilkinson (Oberlin) – Non-Fiction

LUCAS

Jim Ferris (Sylvania) – Music Composition
Mikel Kuehn (Sylvania) – Music Composition
Eric Pfeffinger (Toledo) – Playwriting
Benjamin Stroud (Toledo) – Fiction

MADISON

Vicki Sairs (London) – Fiction

MONTGOMERY

Furaha Henry-Jones (Centerville) – Poetry
Sharon Short (Centerville) – Fiction

PORTAGE

Lora Gray (Kent) – Fiction

RICHLAND

Mark Jordan (Lucas) – Criticism

SUMMIT

Mary Biddinger (Akron) – Poetry
Robin Prichard (Akron) – Choreography
Barbara Sabol (Cuyahoga Falls) – Poetry
Stefanie Wass (Hudson) – Fiction

WARREN

Katrina Kittle (Springboro) – Fiction

WAYNE

Anthony Tognazzini (Wooster) – Fiction

WOOD

Sharona Muir (Perrysburg) – Fiction
Frank Rzicznek (Bowling Green) – Poetry
Daniel Williams (Perrysburg) – Playwriting

For more information about the OAC’s grant programs, visit oac.ohio.gov/grants.

###

Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist
---
Updated May 3, 2018: This story has been revised to include an updated version of the spreadsheet that lists Sarah Wells' current city and county (Ashland, Ashland County) and Individual Excellence Award recipient Jaquira Diaz.
Updated May 29, 2018: This story has been updated to include the correct spelling of Mya Frazier's name.
Updated June 1, 2018: This story has been updated with Daniel Williams' correct discipline (playwriting).

2018 Governor’s Awards for the Arts Winners Announced

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 17:45:05 GMT

Nine winners have been selected to receive awards at the 2018 Arts Day & Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio luncheon and ceremony on Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at noon at the Columbus Athenaeum in downtown Columbus. The 2018 award recipients and categories, including city, county, biographies, and additional information follow:

ARTS ADMINISTRATION
Howard Parr, executive director of the Akron Civic Theatre
Akron (Summit)

ARTS EDUCATION
Center for Arts-Inspired Learning
Cleveland (Cuyahoga)

ARTS PATRON
Stuart and Mimi Rose
Springboro (Warren)

BUSINESS SUPPORT OF THE ARTS (SMALL)
Heartland Bank
Gahanna (Franklin)

BUSINESS SUPPORT OF THE ARTS (LARGE)
The J.M. Smucker Company
Orrville (Wayne)

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & PARTICIPATION (co-winners)
Sierra Leone, president and artistic director of OFP Theatre Company
Dayton (Montgomery)

David Poe Mitzel, Ph.D., founder of Appalachian Hills of Ohio Territory (AHOOT)
Zanesville (Muskingum)

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST
Ricardo Averbach, DMA, director of orchestral studies at Miami University
Oxford (Butler)

IRMA LAZARUS AWARD
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company
Dayton (Montgomery)

Learn more about this year's winners here.

The Governor's Awards Selection Committee, comprised of six Ohio Arts Council (OAC) board members and three members selected by the Ohio Citizens for the Arts (OCA) Foundation, recommended winners after reviewing nominations submitted by individuals and organizations across Ohio.

"The 2018 Governor’s Awards winners are true innovators and leaders in their communities. They exemplify Ohio’s creative and forward-thinking spirit," said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. "On behalf of the Ohio Arts Council, I congratulate this year’s group of individuals, organizations, and businesses on earning our state’s most prestigious artistic and cultural achievement.”

Winners will receive an original work of art by Ohio artist Carol Stewart.

The Governor’s Awards luncheon is held in conjunction with Arts Day, an annual arts advocacy event sponsored by the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation.

ABOUT THE GOVERNOR’S AWARDS FOR THE ARTS IN OHIO
Since its beginning in 1971, the Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio has recognized individuals and organizations who have been vital to the growth and development of Ohio’s cultural resources. Each year, the public is invited to nominate individuals and organizations in eight award categories. The program is presented by the Ohio Arts Council and the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation, a nonprofit arts organization.

ABOUT THE OHIO CITIZENS FOR THE ARTS FOUNDATION
The Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation, formed in 1990 as a companion organization to Ohio Citizens for the Arts, leverages support for the arts and arts education. For more information about the foundation, visit ohiocitizensforthearts.org/about-oca-foundation.

###

Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist
Photo: Design by Alan Jazak, Artwork: "Marigold" by Carol Stewart

Creative Spark in the City of Sculpture

Fri, 31 Jul 2015 17:01:07 GMT

Hamilton, Ohio, may seem like an unlikely place for creatives to flock, but with Artspace lofts, the Fitton Center for Creative Arts, a popular outdoor concert series, and hundreds of sculptures—it's clear this city's dedication to public art goes beyond the surface. The Ohio Arts Council had the opportunity to spend a day in Hamilton, and we left with a plan to return. Follow our itinerary and we're sure you will too.

Getting There

Hamilton is nestled by the Greater Miami River in southwest Ohio--a 40-minute drive from downtown Cincinnati or nearby Dayton and less than two hours from Columbus. It's worth a look if you're close by and warrants a day trip if farther away.

First Stop: Fitton Center for Creative Arts

From the reimagined theatre to a transformable ballroom, the Fitton Center for Creative Arts is poised to be a go-to arts and culture space in southwest Ohio. Add to the mix--robust studios for everything from children's art camps, to wine and pottery classes, music lessons, and curated galleries--we'll see you at the Fitton.

Special thanks to our gracious hosts and itinerary designers: Ian MacKenzie-Thurley, Executive Director, and Kim Neal, Coordinator of Public Relations, Marketing, and Performances.

Don't Miss: RiversEdge concert series An outdoor amphitheater that books local, regional, and national touring acts, with a proposed park space, and a festival under its belt. Keep up with what's next on their Facebook page.

Second Stop: City of Sculpture

So what exactly does it mean? Formally recognized in 2000, Hamilton adopted the "City of Sculpture" moniker and has been living up to it ever since. You won't miss the larger-than-life Alexander Hamilton statue when you drive into town, and then do yourself a favor and download the Otocast mobile audio app for a full tour.
Check Out: Artspace Lofts on High Street Thanks to an Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, these affordable artist apartments are slated to add another layer of vibrancy to this creative community.

Final Stop: Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum

At first glance Pyramid Hill is an ocean of meadows and forest--that is, until monumental pieces of outdoor sculpture rise out of the ground before your eyes. Permanent pieces mix in the gardens--stroll past an authentic Pioneer home, and look right to see a blazingly modern glass pyramid dot the bucolic landscape. Grab an Art Cart and explore a little.
Look For: Ancient Sculpture Museum. A 10,000-foot space on the grounds displaying Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Etruscan sculpture dating back to B.C.

In the field with the @Fitton_Center in Hamilton today. More photos and stories coming soon #artsohio pic.twitter.com/uiwWNTY0t9
— Ohio Arts Council (@OhioArtsCouncil) July 30, 2015

Final stop of our full day in Hamilton, an art cart tour of @PyramidHill #sculpture #publicart #artsohio pic.twitter.com/28d2RKOxPr
— Ohio Arts Council (@OhioArtsCouncil) July 30, 2015

###

Photo Credit: Melinda at the Beach by Bill Barrett, courtesy of Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum