Work created by nine Ohio artists in residencies will be on display at the Ohio Arts Council's Riffe Gallery January 29 through April 1, 1998. A Change of Place: Ohio Arts Council Artist Residencies is the first exhibition of work by artists in residency programs sponsored by the Ohio Arts Council at Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, Califonia, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Curated by Holly Blake, residency manager at the Headlands Center for the Arts, A Change of Place showcases work created by Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship recipients during or as a result of their residencies. Each artist in A Change of Place takes a different approach to visual art but all share an openness toward change and a willingness to allow their work to be influenced by their environments.

Artists participating in A Change of Place 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; Walter Zurko, Wooster.

The Ohio Arts Council's partnership with out-of-state institutions provides professional development opportunities for artists who have received Individual Artist Fellowships. Each of the artists in A Change of Place participated in a three-month residency and was provided living space, studio space, stipends and, most important, an uninterrupted period of time to concentrate on their work.

These Ohio Arts Council residencies give artists time to develop quality work, and a place apart from the everyday world for exploration and reinvention. They are designed to break up routines and suggest new patterns. Residency programs help artists gain broader perspectives and a deeper engagement with their work. Many artists' work changes radically after they are exposed to a different kind of light, a different environment, a different culture.

Since 1983, 43 artists have participated in residency programs at the Headlands Center for the Arts, Fine Arts Work Center and P.S. 1 in Long Island, New York. The OAC offered P.S. 1 residencies between 1983-89. Through the years much of the work generated or conceived during those residencies has found its way into gallery exhibitions, performances and public presentations - enriching Ohio's arts community. Through these opportunities, artists share their experiences, then return to Ohio with new insights gained from their stays.

The nine artists selected for A Change of Place continue to enrich their home communities by sharing their renewed energy and vision. Living and working outside Ohio gives artists opportunities to display the diversity and strength of art work being produced in our state. These residencies also allow artists to serve as ambassadors of Ohio and contribute to the nation's wider artistic life.

The Riffe Gallery, operated by the Ohio Arts Council, showcases the work of Ohio's artists and the collections of the state's museums and galleries. The gallery is in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, State and High Streets, Columbus, OH. Hours are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday and Friday 11a.m.-7:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 12-4 p.m. Admission is free. For information or to schedule a tour call the Riffe Gallery at 614/644-9624.

The Ohio Arts Council, a state agency established in 1965, builds the state through the arts-economically, educationally and culturally-preserving the past, enhancing the present and enriching the future for all Ohioans. The Council believes the arts should be shared by the people of Ohio. The arts arise from public, individual and organizational efforts. The OAC supports and encourages those efforts.

Riffe Gallery : Current Exhibition | Education | Past Exhibitions