This exhibition takes a fresh look at the American Impressionism movement through the paintings of 31 artists born or raised in the Midwest and working between 1890 and 1930. In addition to bringing attention to the often overlooked talent of Ohio, Illinois and Indiana; Midwestern Visions of Impressionism explores where these artists fit within the larger context of American Impressionism and how their regions informed their painting.

Artists in the exhibition include: John Ottis Adams, George Adomeit, George Ames Aldrich, May Ames, Otto Bacher, L. Clarence Ball, Karl Albert Buehr, V.J. Cariani, William Clusmann, Frank Virgil Dudley, Maude Eggemeyer, William J. Forsyth, Alexis Jean Fournier, Marie Goth, Frederick Gottwald, Carl Graf, Louis Oscar (L.O.) Griffith, Lucie Hartrath, Emil Jacques, Karl Kappes, Lewis Henry Meakin, Pauline Palmer, Louis Ritman, Ada Walter Shulz, Adolph Shulz, Otto Stark, Theodore Clement (T.C.) Steele, John Henry Twachtman, Will Vawter, Abel Warshawsky and Edward K. Williams.

Midwestern Visions of Impressionism: 1890 – 1930 opened July 31 with a tour of the exhibition by curator Christine Fowler Shearer.

The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery is located in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, 77 S. High St., Columbus, OH.

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 August 1 – September 30.) The gallery is closed Mondays and state holidays. Admission is free.

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Free group tours are available Wednesday through Friday throughout the run of each exhibition. To schedule a group tour contact Riffe Gallery Director Mary Gray.

The directory contains detailed information about arts and crafts festivals and competitions, including dates, activities, number of spaces available for artists to display work, fees and contact information. It is organized by date and location and includes alphabetical indexes of festivals by name, city, region and sponsor.

Organizers or promoters interested in listing their arts festivals or competitions in the 2009 Ohio Arts Festivals and Competitions Directory should fill out the questionnaire found at http://www.maildogmanager.com/link.html?url=55&client=ohioartscouncil&campaign=188&email=##L@##H.

A new component of the program this year is Star Projects. Applications qualifying as a Star Project go beyond the general eligibility requirements of the program by engaging performing artists from the Midwest, deepening participation with community-based residencies, or providing cultural access to specific populations, such as people with disabilities, tribal communities, immigrant communities, at-risk youth, or veterans.

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