George Mauersberger, Curly, charcoal on paper

Paper Routes 2000, on display at the Ohio Arts Council's Riffe Gallery August 9 through October 7, is the first in a series of four Riffe Gallery exhibitions that will celebrate Ohio's diverse and talented artists as part of the Year of the Artist, July 2001-July 2002. Organized by the Southern Ohio Museum in collaboration with the Ohio Arts Council's Individual Artists Program, the exhibition features more than 90 works on paper by 13 OAC Individual Artist Fellowship recipients. An opening reception will be held Thursday, August 9, 5-7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Curator Sara Johnson reviewed thousands of slides of work, looking for a variety of works on paper encompassing a wide range of visual arts disciplines including photography, printmaking, computer-generated art, collage, drawing, painting and artist books. The artists in Paper Routes 2000 are diverse in age, background, education, gender and race. Their work differs in style, technique and concept, but all have two things in common: using paper in their work and receiving at least one Individual Artist Fellowship.

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QUILT EXHIBITION TELLS THE
STORY OF UNDERGROUND
RAILROAD IN OHIO

Threads of Freedom: The Underground Railroad Story in Quilts is on view at the Firelands Association for the Visual Arts through August 26. The exhibition illustrates Ohio's significant role in the Underground Railroad and Abolitionist Movement. The quilts, dating from the early 1840s to the present, represent the culture and legacy of the fugitive slaves and abolitionists. The earliest quilt, Abolitionist Quilt, was made by the Hadley family, a Quaker family that supported emancipation despite opposing views by other Quakers. The genealogical Todd Family Quilt uses embroidered text and pictures to trace the route their ancestors took to freedom. Another quilt made by Oberlin senior citizens, including fifth generation descendants of fugitive slaves and abolitionists, documents Oberlin's involvement in the Underground Railroad. The exhibition is sponsored in part by the Ohio Arts Council and the Ohio Humanities Council. For more information call 440/774-1700 or email FAVAGallery@aol.com.