Featuring 18 Ohio artists from communities throughout the state, Celebration of Creativity brings together a diverse range of work that honors 25 years of Ohio Arts Council (OAC) support to individual artists.

Fellowships are one of the ways the OAC supports artists. Now called Individual Excellence Awards, these grants are awarded to artists to help develop their body of work. A panel of arts professionals reviews portfolios for these highly competitive fellowships, which are awarded once a year. The awards are based on the review of work previously created, not on a proposal for a project or future work. Celebration of Creativity comprises artists who have earned at least one OAC grant during their career and have continued to develop their work and contribute to Ohio’s cultural landscape.

Curators Dennis Harrington, Kay Koeninger and Kitty McManus Zurko assembled the collection by reviewing portfolios and visiting artist studios before making the difficult choice of narrowing down the field of participating artists. Each curator took on a different region of the state.

“Ohio boasts a truly remarkable wealth of artistic talent,” said Dennis Harrington, director of the Weston Art Gallery, who selected artists from the southern region. “It has always been one of the favorite aspects of my job to conduct studio visits and enter the artist’s inner sanctum. This project introduced me to new artists in areas I hadn’t explored, and I was able to revisit artists with whom I have worked with in the past.”

Kay Koeninger, an assistant professor of art at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, chose artists from the central Ohio region. As she made selections for the exhibition she found a common thread among the work. “These artists are investigating the essence, the true substance of a thing, whether it is isolating the essence of an object as James Friedman does in his Interior Design series or exploring the essence of a medium as Sean Wilkinson does in his photographs.”

“The work from the northern region varies widely, from small-scale sculpture by Kate Budd to inkjet on canvas digital ‘paintings’ by Gregory Little,” said Kitty McManus Zurko, director and curator of The College of Wooster Art Museum. “Fundamentally, each of the artists creates an intervention with the world that asks us to consider pertinent contemporary issues.”

Celebration of Creativity includes work by: Andrew Borowiec (Akron), Kate Budd (Akron), Cole Carothers (Milford), Johnny Coleman (Oberlin), Alan Crockett (Columbus), Ana England (Felicity), James Friedman (Columbus), Brian Joiner (Cincinnati), Lori Kella (Cleveland), Ron Koutrel (Athens), Gregory Little (Bowling Green), Thomas Macauley (Dayton), Paul O’Keeffe (Cleveland), Todd Reynolds (Portsmouth), Dennis Savage (South Bloomingville), Karen Shirley (Yellow Springs), Lowell Tolstedt (Columbus), and Sean Wilkinson (Dayton).

Celebration of Creativity opens Thursday, July 26 with a reception from 5 - 7 p.m. The three curators will give a free guided tour of the exhibition to the public on Friday, July 27 from noon – 1:30 p.m.

The Riffe Gallery will host a free family workshop on Sunday, August 5 from 2 - 4 p.m. Children ages five to 16 will learn how to build a three-dimensional place that is important to them. Materials are supplied and children will be able to take their artwork home. Registration is required as space is limited. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Register online today at http://www.riffegallery.org/. The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery is located on the first floor of the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, 77 S. High Street, downtown Columbus.

Gallery summer hours are Tuesday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday noon – 4 p.m. (Summer hours are July 26 – September 27. Hours after September 27 can be found http://www.riffegallery.org/.) The gallery is closed Monday and state holidays. Admission is free.

The Riffe Gallery is supported by the Ohio Building Authority. Media sponsors include Alive, CityScene, Ohio Magazine and Time Warner.

The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery showcases the work of Ohio’s artists and curators, exhibitions produced by the Ohio Arts Council’s International Program and the collections of the region’s museums and galleries. The Riffe Gallery’s Education Program seeks to increase public appreciation and understanding of those exhibitions.

Visit http://www.riffegallery.org/or call 614/644-9624 for more information.

Governor Strickland Appoints OAC Board Member

Governor Ted Strickland has announced the appointment of Barbara Gould to the Ohio Arts Council Board.

“We are very pleased with Governor Strickland’s appointment to the Ohio Arts Council Board, said Julie Henahan, OAC Executive Director. “Barbara will add a great deal of talent and energy to the board.”

Barbara Gould, of Cincinnati, will serve a term ending July 1, 2009. Gould has worked in fashion, interior design and music. She has a life-long interest in the arts and especially enjoys providing access to the arts for the underserved and expanding the audience and appreciation of the arts through innovation. She is retired and has served on numerous cultural arts boards in the Cincinnati area, including the Cincinnati Opera, the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Arts Association, the Cincinnati Ballet, and the Arts Consortium of Cincinnati. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Michigan.

The Building Cultural Diversity Initiative is a new program initiative reflecting the OAC’s belief that public investment in culturally diverse arts organizations and emerging art professionals ensures that Ohio citizens can experience a rich, diverse and vibrant cultural life. The Initiative supports the development and viability of arts organizations whose mission, programs and staff are representative of Black/African American, Appalachian, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, or other culturally specific perspectives. The program also supports arts organizations in the training of emerging minority arts administrators.

The OAC supports this work by providing current information and resources when appropriate; maintaining a searchable database of screened, preferred consultants; and remaining as flexible as possible with our assistance. The grants are competitive and the OAC recommends that organizations contact their regional program coordinator before submitting an application. To find your regional program coordinator go to the Organizational Services and Community Development of the OAC staff page.

Artist Express

OAC’s Arts Learning Program introduced a new funding opportunity. The Artist Express mini-grants support a one- or two- day artist visit for schools and organizations that have never had an OAC Artist in Residence or for experienced residency sponsors wishing to expand learning opportunities though an art discipline that is new for the site. This grant program is designed to broaden access and stimulate exploration of an art discipline with an experienced professional artist.

Schools, nonprofit arts organizations and other community organizations incorporating the arts in their mission are eligible. Grants awarded to the sponsor cover three-fourths of the artist fee. The sponsor is responsible for the remaining fourth. Potential applicants should contact the OAC Office of Arts Learning to notify it of their intention to apply and receive directions on how to access and complete the application. For more information on the program contact Joanne Eubanks at joanne.eubanks@oac.state.oh.us.