"There was time to follow through, time to realize, time to get some return out of the investment of creative energy," Columbus artist Gretchen Stevens Cochran said when she returned from Headlands Center for the Arts in California.

Now the public can view the interest paid on the Ohio Arts Council's investment in a creative time-out for nine OAC Individual Artist Fellowship winners. A Change of Place: Ohio Arts Council Artist Residencies will be at the Ohio Arts Council's Riffe Gallery through April 1. It is the first exhibition of work by artists in three-month residencies sponsored by the OAC at Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, California, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Artists participating in this exhibition are Gretchen Stevens Cochran, Columbus; Malcolm Cochran, Columbus; James Duesing, Cincinnati (currently resides in Pittsburgh); Gilda Edwards, Columbus; Sean Foley, Columbus; Elise Mitchell Sanford, Athens; Karen Snouffer, Shaker Heights; Kay Willens, Columbus; and Walter Zurko, Wooster.

Residencies sponsored by the Ohio Arts Council provide living space, studio space, stipends and, most importantly, uninterrupted time for artists to concentrate on their work.

The exhibition demonstrates how offering artists a place apart from the everyday world can encourage creative exploration and invention, which are goals of the OAC program. Many artists' work changes radically when they are exposed to different surroundings. And by showcasing their talents out of state, the residency participants served as ambassadors of Ohio, contributing to the nation's wider artistic life.

The nine artists in A Change of Place use a range of media and take different approaches to visual art. They were chosen for this exhibition primarily because they share an openness of attitude and a willingness to allow their artistic practice to be influenced by their environments.

The Riffe Gallery, in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, across from the Statehouse on High Street in Downtown Columbus, is open free every day. For information, gallery hours or to schedule a tour call 614/644-9624. Visit us on the Internet at www.oac.ohio.gov.