artHound

2 galleries – 3 shows

November 18, 2012 in artists of rubber city, hanging around town, summit artspace | No comments

The 2012 exhibition schedule for Summit Artspace Gallery and the BOX gallery is now complete. New shows opened in both galleries on Friday, November 16, and will run through First Night Akron on December 31.

Kaleidoscope, the Alliance for the Visual Arts annual juried exhibition, features 68 pieces selected by jurors, Marina Mangubi and John Smolko. On the building’s third floor, the BOX gallery has two exhibits on view: Change in Common, collage by Shirley Ende-Saxe and painting and sculpture by Katina Pastis Radwanski in the ‘big box’ along with On Pins & Needles, cut paper dimensional work by Kristi Wall in the ‘little box.’

a workshop a day. . .

October 9, 2012 in artwork, hanging around town, miscellany | No comments

Each day during American Craft Week Don Drumm Studios & Gallery offers an afternoon workshop for anyone who wants to try a new medium or learn new techniques. First up was the Monotype Workshop, held on a very chilly Monday. After a brief intro on relief printing by hand, the enthusiastic participants gave monotype printing a try. Despite the falling temperatures and the temperamental ink everyone enthusiastically embraced the unpredictable nature of the medium and went home with an impressive selection of prints.

photo courtesy of Don Drumm Studios & Gallery

The monotypes below are among new work printed before the workshop.

Windflowers
monotype (Createx ink)

Autumn
monotype (Createx ink)

Other workshops included Feather Earrings with Renee Armstrong, Felted Flowers with Paula Singleton and Creating with Found Objects with Shannon Casey. American Craft Week at Drumm’s ended with the 4th Annual Light-UP Lantern Festival on Saturday evening.

out + about for Child Guidance & Family Solutions

September 30, 2012 in artwork, hanging around town | No comments

In recent years Child Guidance & Family Solutions, a behavioral healthcare agency in Summit County, chooses work by a local artist for its annual report. Rephrasing that: artwork is chosen for a poster – with the annual report printed on the back. What a super idea! The original artwork, if donated, is auctioned off at their fundraising event, Growing Up Akron. The posters/annual reports are distributed to their many supporters and associates.

For 2012 I created a new mixed media piece in the Imprints series just for CG&FS. In keeping with the agency’s mission and this year’s theme of community, I included a bit of childlike imagery and used a bright palette to keep things upbeat.

Imprints/Out + About
mixed media
2012

Child Guidance & Family Solutions poster (detail)

postcard pup

September 30, 2012 in artists, hanging around town | No comments

The first time I saw the gallery dog image was before photographer Robert Dill decided on his choices for last summer’s photo show, Life’s a Beach, at Summit Artspace. Although I thought he captured the feeling of life’s a beach, he went with a more traditional grouping of his photographs. Little did I know that he would print up a 4 x 6 version for The Postcard Show – and I must confess that it was the very first postcard sold. (There are advantages to being gallery coordinator!) I am in love with the gallery pup in the window – art and dogs, what can I say?!

Postcard art can find its way into even the smallest niche: here it is in the company of books, framed to sit in the bookcase.

Akron Bound from The Postcard Show

September 30, 2012 in artists, hanging around town | No comments

The Postcard Show, a celebration of the first decade of Summit Artspace, was a success on many levels: artists enjoyed supporting the gallery while trying their hand at some (very) small art; patrons enjoyed the variety of artwork and hoped that their favorites hadn’t already acquired a red dot; Summit Artspace benefited from the generosity of both the artists and the patrons; and, those of us lucky enough to purchase work are now able to enjoy it daily.

I was immediately drawn to Kathleen Harrington’s tiny painting, Akron Bound. Visit Kathleen’s site to see more of her expressive work.

Little did I know that I already owned the perfect frame for this piece. Akron Bound is displayed beneath an untitled photo by Charles Szabla. The two were made to hang around together!

Artists of Rubber City Members Show

September 29, 2012 in artists of rubber city, hanging around town, summit artspace | No comments

An exhibit of work by members of Artists of Rubber City opened Friday, September 28, in the BOX gallery on the third floor of Summit Artspace. As expected from such an eclectic group, there is an incredible range of media and styles – artwork can be viewed in the album of exhibit photos on Facebook.

Artists of Rubber City Members Show
September 28 – November 4, 2012
the BOX gallery
Summit Artspace – 3rd floor
140 East Market Street
Akron, Ohio

37 days at Summit Artspace

September 29, 2012 in artists, hanging around town, summit artspace | No comments

. . . as of this writing it’s 35 days and counting . . .

37 Days
Ephemeral Sculpture
curated by Don Parsisson

September 28 – November 4, 2012
Summit Artspace

Fifteen artists are participating in the ephemeral sculpture show, best described by Don Parsisson: “Ephemeral sculpture is intended to have a short life span; in this case the duration of this exhibition. The pieces in this show are temporary in nature, some being created just for this gallery space, others self-destructing over time, and still others never to be assembled or exhibited again in exactly the same way. Check it out, day after day. . . ”

Items on the ingredients list include: feathers, paving bricks, brick gravel, yards of fine fabrics, tree roots, wood, newspapers (whole and cut), insects, a variety of electronic media, tea, muck, a tree and gelatin – lots and lots of gelatin.

photo by Diane Chambers

Don with the first day of his installation, 24-Hour News Cycle.

Akron Art Prize

September 17, 2012 in hanging around town, summit artspace | No comments

Akron Art Prize entries on the third floor of Summit Artspace

On September 1st the Akron Art Prize made its debut in downtown Akron. Modeled after similar events in other cities, notably Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Seattle, Washington, the Art Prize competition consists of 138 pieces displayed in five venues. The public is invited to vote for their favorites and determine the winners of cash prizes funded by The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation. The Downtown Akron Partnership is presenting this event as part of the new Downtown Art Works Series.

Nearly half of the artwork is at Summit Artspace. Other sites include Millworks Gallery, Red Light Galleries, We Gallery and outside the Akron Art Museum. The final weekend of first round voting is coming up – all of the galleries will be open Friday and Saturday, 5 – 9 p.m. Additional information is available at the Downtown Akron Partnership site.

The Postcard Show

September 7, 2012 in artwork, hanging around town, summit artspace | No comments

The Postcard Show has been a fun addition to the gallery – and at $10 each almost anyone can afford a small piece of original art!

Crows and trees were rainbow-rolled for the block print front of my postcard. A small envelope with the USPS crow stamp image was tied to the reverse side; a surprise awaits within the envelope: tucked inside is yet another blackbird mini-print.

The Postcard Show continues through September 15 at Summit Artspace.

summer shows at Summit Artspace

September 6, 2012 in artists, artists of rubber city, hanging around town, summit artspace | No comments

On a stifling hot weekend in late July artists took to the sidewalks, plazas and parks of downtown Akron to create works for the Streetscapes: Akron in Plein Air 2012 exhibit. Organized by guest curator Brian Shellito, the exhibit opened on August 10 and will remain in the gallery through Saturday, September 15, 2012. At the same time the tenth anniversary of Summit Artspace is being celebrated with The Postcard Show. Over sixty small artworks (4 x 6 inches) were created and generously donated by artists whose work has appeared at Summit Artspace during its first decade. Each postcard is available for sale for $10 with proceeds to benefit the gallery.

The BOX gallery, a project of Artists of Rubber City, features We the People: 2042, a sound installation by Don Parsisson and Martin Nielsen along with Nothing by Mouth, work by Emily Meister, in the ‘little box.’

All of the exhibits were recently reviewed by Beacon Journal art critic, Dottie Shinn, who wrote, “All of these are handsome shows, meticulously designed, installed and lighted. They demonstrate not only our American resourcefulness and spirit, but also that no matter the size of the venue or space, we can still create big ideas.”
The full review is available online here.

hanging around town