Coburn Goes Small

The Coburn Gallery at Ashland University would like to announce the awards for the 2013 national juried exhibition titled “Coburn Goes Small,” which features 33 artworks that are 20” x 20 “ or less including the frame. This year, 86 artists entered the Coburn Goes Small competition, with a total of 168 works considered for inclusion in the show. The juror for the exhibition was Jessica Somers and she was responsible for selecting the artworks and the awards for the exhibition.

Best of Show award went to Manuela Holban’s oil painting on panel entitled Mirror Reflections receiving a $600.00 award.

Romanian born Manuela Holban went on to study art and art history at the Fine Art High School and Fine Art Institute in Bucharest, Romania. Her studies were followed by extensive travels. Manuela Holban immigrated to United States and presently lives in Maryland. She is represented by Gallery Chiz in Pittsburgh, Pierogi 2000 in Brooklyn, New York, Muse Gallery in Columbus and Maria Pestana, Madrid, Spain. Her work can be found in many private collections in United States, France, England and Australia. Central to her work is the human figure as voyager and explorer of time and space. Brought back in time, as from a magic lantern are figures, invented or real who invite the viewer to unravel a never ending story.

The following artists received $125.00 honorable mention awards: Justin Playl’s sculpture entitled Table Adaptation of Printing Press ( Exploring Incompleteness Between Original and Copy ) , Sigrid Zahner ceramics work entitled Family and Dog and Keith Wilde’s acrylic on panel entitled Hostage to a Divine Cascade.

of Fine Arts in sculpture from Bowling Green State University in 2011.  Justin currently lives in Cleveland.  By day, he poses unconvincingly as a sculptor in order to keep his super-powered alter-ego secret from his enemies, and at night he fights evil and saves the innocent.

Justin Playl is a time-traveling superhero, here from the future to save the world.  He earned his Bachelor 

Sigrid Zahner was born and raised in London, England, and is the head of the ceramics department at Purdue University. She raised two boys to adulthood, and it nearly killed her. Being an artist and a mother diverted her abilities to work in a fully-focused way in either arena, and as a result she made work with fragments of both material and time.  Zahner now sees this as a metaphor for the structure of life, full of seemingly disjointed and unrelated pieces that together actually make up a cohesive whole.

Clay is not only the most transmutable of all materials for Zahner, she  also uses  it as a political statement: a material that is often relegated to the 'craft only' arena, it seems to carry the same sort of stigma that is assigned to the lower echelons of society. This dismissal of such a prosaic yet multi-faceted material, that is often so easily dismissed in the world of fine art, is a reminder of our sometimes unequal treatment of each other according to our origins, and to what is fashionable within or toward a certain demographic at the time.

Her goal as an artist is to supply the audience with a source for thought and personal speculation rather than present a didactic point of view; an attempt on her part to allow the audience (and herself) to experience the poetics of ambiguity.

Keith Wilde is an artist and art educator living in Athens, OH.  He holds degrees in Studio Art from Kenyon College and Art Education from the University of Minnesota - Duluth.  This summer he will be teaching printmaking and video production at Circle Round the Square, a youth art camp in Nelsonville, OH.  At the same time his work can also be seen at the Mansfield Art Center, Mansfield, OH and at the Paper Circle, Nelsonville, OH.

“When sensation becomes meaning, that is the art I most admire.”

“My paintings use the language of realism but also allow the media to make its own statement.  Within the intersection of subject and media I strive to convey inescapable sensations.  Sensation is a language that we tend to understand quite naturally.  It is the language of dreams, faith, and love.  Dreams can speak volumes with just a few half-realized impressions.  That is the art I wish to pursue.” Keith Wilde

The Coburn Gallery is open Monday-Friday from 10am-5pm and 12noon-4pm on Saturday/ Sunday.   The Coburn Goes Small exhibition closes on Sunday June 16, 2013. For more about the Coburn Goes Small exhibition  at Coburn Gallery, visit www.ashland.edu/coburngallery or find us on FaceBook.

Trustees Art Event & Charity Auction

EXTENDED POSTMARK DEADLINE

EXTENDED POSTMARK DEADLINE-The Coburn Gallery at Ashland University announces a regional juried exhibition entitled Ohio-All Media, a juried exhibition created as a showcase for Ohio artists working in any media, traditional or experimental. $1000.00 in AWARDS. Open to artists at least 18 years of age residing in Ohio. A maximum of three entries for $25.00 are allowed per artist. The exhibit runs from June 30 through July 31, 2013. There will be an opening reception on Sunday, June 30, 2013, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm with awards presented at 3:00pm. Juror: Robert E. Peppers. All entries must be postmarked by May 28, 2013. NO LATER .http://www.ashland.edu/documents/pdf/ohio-all-media-exhibition-prospectus-0

Art Center Names May Show Winners

Despite winning Best of Show in last year’s May Show at the Mansfield Art Center, Jennifer Winkler wasn’t too sure about this year’s entry, a large sculpture titled “Reflection Rejection.”

In it, a life-sized human figure dressed as a dog looks into a medicine cabinet mirror.

“I really thought I didn’t get in,” the West Salem resident said.

So finding out she had been awarded top honors for a second year in a row was “a wonderful surprise.”

The artist, who graduated from Ashland University in December, said she used to be a painter, but switched her focus to sculpture in 2010. She said she has no specific plans for the $1,000 prize that accompanies the honor, but “I do have to pay off college loans and things like that.”

Gordon Lee, professor of art at Columbus College of Art And Design, judged the show, selecting 110 pieces out of the 230 submitted to be in the exhibition.

“‘Reflection Rejection’ is so whimsical and brutally honest that it forces the viewers to see the expression on the furry monster’s face when it sees itself in the mirror,” Lee wrote in his judge’s comments. “She has successfully connected a private moment in the bathroom of an unlikely furry friend with a very human-like disappointment.”

Other winners, who each received $250, were: Margaret Twitchell Swank Award for Painting, Sally Tharp, Ashland, “The Congregation;” Excellence in Craft Award, Brian Engelbach, Mansfield, “1916 Motorbike;” and Sid Yellen Award for Photography, Hannah Barnhill, Ontario, “Serenity.”

“Having juried many exhibitions around Ohio, I am impressed with the quality of work presented by artists for this show,” Lee said. “It is unusual to see this high level of work being done by so many artists.”

The yearly May Show has been one of the most popular at the Art Center for more than 40 years. It includes works in many categories — painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, assemblage, ceramics, glass and textiles.

The show remains on display at the Mansfield Art Center, 700 Marion Ave., until June 16. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is free.

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20130505/LIFESTYLE/305050006/Art-Center-names-May-Show-winners?nclick_check=1

Coburn Goes Small

The Coburn Gallery at Ashland University will host a national juried exhibition titled “Coburn Goes Small,” which will run from May 17 through June 16, 2013. An opening reception will be held on Friday, May 17, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with $1,000 in awards announced at 6:30 p.m.

The exhibition features 33 artworks that are 20” x 20 “ or less including the frame. This year, 86 artists entered the Coburn Goes Small competition, with a total of 168 works considered for inclusion in the show.

From the entries received, 33 works were chosen by juror Jessica Somers for the exhibition. The exhibition includes local artists Nancy Booth, Barbara Nell Morejon, Paul Keske and Dana Sherburne, all of Ashland County.

Other exhibiting artists include Jenny Dowd, Alpine, Wyo.; Carol Adleman, Luck, Wis.; Sally Alexandres, St. Cloud, Fla.; Martha Schlitt, Portland, Ore.; Zane York, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Mary Weidner, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Werner Sun, Ithaca, N.Y.; Barbara Simcoe, Omaha, Neb.; Justin Playl , Cleveland, Ohio; Sigrid Zahner Lafayette, Ind.; N, Etty Yaniv, Alpine, N.J.; Keith Wilde, Athens, Ohio; Paul Wilbur, Columbus, Ohio; Sky Shineman, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Roy Pekoc, Cleveland, Ohio; Cynthia Brinich-Langlois, Milwaukee, Wis.; Damon McArthur, Kewanee, Ill.; Martha Lois, Cleveland, Ohio; Hallie LeBlanc, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Al Denyer, Salt Lake City, Utah; Bonnie Cutts, Cedar, Minn.; Steven Labadessa, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Angelina Kidd, Redmond, Wash.; Richard Jurus, Dayton, Ohio; Julie Elman, Athens, Ohio; Manuela Holban, Bethesda, Md.; and Barbara J. Dombach, Holtwood, Pa.

The juror for the exhibition was photographer Jessica Somers. Somers’ work has been exhibited nationally, has been published in various periodicals and the second edition of The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes by Christopher James. She currently teaches photography throughout Connecticut and at the Art Institute of Boston.

The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and is free and open to the public. For more information about the opening reception or the exhibition, call 419.289.5652 or visit the gallery on Facebook.

Summer Art Experiences for Young Artists-Coburn Art Gallery

Join the Coburn Art Gallery on the Ashland University Campus for our summer art experiences for young artists.  This year we are offering three sessions-Summer Art Camp, Messy Media and Digital Dynamics. Art Camp offers a one-week session June 24-28 from 9am-12pm for young artists ages 7-13. The young artists will learn how to use a variety of media and experience activities in this jungle themed art camp. They will develop a cultural appreciation and aesthetic awareness as they explore different art forms as well as developing their own talent for self expression. Summer camp fee is $65.00 per child.  All materials are provided. ART DAYS-July 9 & July 29. The July 9 session is entitled -Messy Media for ages 4-6 from 10am-11:30am. Cost for this one day experience is $10.00 per child. On July 29 the art experience is entitled -Digital Dynamics for ages 10-14 from 9am-12pm. Cost of this one day session $10.00 per child.

Enrollment is limited. For more information or to register your child for our summer art experiences, call 419.289.5652 or email coburngallery@ashland.edu.

Faculty/Student Collaboration Continues Post-Graduation

5/7/13 ASHLAND, Ohio – A collaboration between Dr. Jeffrey Tiel, associate professor of philosophy at Ashland University, and Ashland University art student Joshua Risner, who graduated in 2012, has resulted in the two working together on two books published by Tiel.

Following the release of his supernatural thriller, “The Search for Melchizedek,” Tiel desired to give a more artistic touch to his first philosophy text, “Philosophy of Human Nature.” So he and Risner joined forces to display Risner’s painting, “Cleansing Presence,” on the cover of Tiel’s “Philosophy of Human Nature.”

Risner and Tiel then collaborated on the cover of Tiel’s forthcoming book titled “Faith & Reflection.” Risner provided the graphic design as well as the artwork, “The Contemplative Virgin,” which he completed back in 2010 and offered as a gift to the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University in Rome, Italy.

Tiel began collaborating with Risner prior to his graduation from Ashland University. Risner studied under Art Professor Charles Caldemeyer, who provided thoughtful guidance and direction, encouraging Risner in the sincere pursuit of artistic discovery.

According to Tiel, Risner’s painting also received inspiration from the classical philosophical ideas of Plato and Aristotle as well as Renaissance painters such as Da Vinci and Raphael and the sculptor Bernini.

In the summer of 2011, Risner joined Tiel on a tour of major art museums throughout Italy, including the Uffizi in Florence and the Borghese in Rome. Risner and Tiel also collaborated on a metaphysical theory of beauty that influenced both Tiel’s writing and Risner’s art.

Prior to his years at Ashland University, Risner worked as a commercial sign painter, before developing an interest in the computerized side of commercial art. His interest in computer art motivated him to teach himself graphic design and computer programming.

Before enrolling at Ashland University, Risner had owned and operated a small freelance graphic design business. But Risner’s real love has always been fine art, so he came to Ashland University and poured himself into his painting.

Following his graduation from Ashland University in 2012, Risner received a fellowship to attend Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Mich. He held his first solo show and also was invited to participate in a group show in the summer of 2012, where he sold several large works.

Risner currently resides in Grand Rapids, Mich., with his wife of 10 years, Dr. Jill Risner.

Tiel, who joined Ashland University in 1998, previously taught at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., as well as Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. He is an award-winning teacher, known for bringing ancient ideas to life. In addition to “Philosophy of Human Nature,” Tiel has also published a supernatural thriller titled “The Search for Melchizedek,” both available exclusively at Amazon.com. He is set to release “Faith & Reflection” later this year.

Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s National Universities category for 2013, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students. ###

http://www.ashland.edu/news/2013-05-07/current-students/facultystudent-collaboration-continues-post-graduation

OHIO-ALL MEDIA 2013 Accepting Entries

PLEASE SHARE WITH OTHER OHIO ARTISTS-Call for Entries
The Coburn Gallery is accepting entries for our regional exhibition entitled OHIO-ALL MEDIA. Over $1000.00 in awards. See our website for the prospectus or request one by emailing the coburngallery@ashland.edu. 
ENTRIES postmarked by May 25, 2013.
http://www.ashland.edu/documents/pdf/ohio-all-media-exhibition-prospectus-0