Explorations of Different Cultures
Transform Lives of Ohio Artists

Todd DeVriese, New World Order: Flag, 2000 collage on paper, 36" x 48"

Connections: Ohio Artists Abroad is on display at the Ohio Arts Council's Riffe Gallery through July 7. It is the final exhibition in a series of four at the Riffe Gallery celebrating the YEAR OF THE ARTIST, July 2001-July 2002. Curated by Susan Channing, director of SPACES in Cleveland, Connections is about the transformation artists undergo when they interact with a different culture, making art that reflects experiences unique to their location.

The artists in Connections spent five to eight weeks in countries where the Ohio Arts Council organizes cultural exchanges ­ Prague, Czech Republic; Dresden, Germany; Herzliya, Israel ­ and on international projects supported by the OAC in the Netherlands, Italy and India. The OAC¹s International Program is committed to bringing together individuals from diverse cultures to encourage greater cross-cultural understanding through the arts.

Artists in the exhibition are: Mary Jo Bole, Columbus; Kathleen Browne, Ravenna; Malcolm Cochran, Columbus; Todd DeVriese, Columbus; Claudia Esslinger, Gambier; Susan Ewing, Oxford; Ann Hamilton, Columbus; Masumi Hayashi, Cleveland; Steven Litchfield, Ravenna; Kelly Novak, Cleveland; Christopher Pekoc, Cleveland; Aminah Robinson, Columbus; Wendy Collin Sorin, Cleveland Heights. (con't page 2)

OAC Introduces New Fellowships in the Folk and
Traditional Arts


Each year, the Ohio Arts Council will award up to three $1,500 Ohio Heritage Fellowships to individuals whose work in the folk arts has had a significant impact on the people and communities of the state. The folk and traditional arts grow out of particular cultures and are recognized as the artistic expressions of ethnic, linguistic, occupational or regional groups. The fellowships will honor Ohio master folk and traditional artists who carry forward the folk traditions of their families and communities through practice, teaching or community service.
Awards will be given in up to three categories: Performing Arts, Material Culture (folk art, folk crafts, folk architecture), and Community Leadership. Self-nomination is not permitted. Nominees must be Ohio residents. Deadline is July 1. Nominations are reviewed by a panel of experts in the folk and traditional arts.

Awards will be announced by late spring of the following year. For more information or to receive a nomination form contact Barbara Bayless at 614/466-2613 or e-mail barbara.bayless@oac.state.oh.us.