The Pop Shop Gallery (www.popshopgallery.com) in Lakewood is having an opening reception from 6-9 on Saturday, Sept. 4 for its upcoming group show, “Let’s Go”. This will be my first time exhibiting (with seven pieces) at this really cool, hip gallery and I’m excited! Dress for the reception is casual, expect a crowd and the party continues two doors down at Mullen’s. Hope to see you there!
Me with Alex Nicholis, curator and interim executive director of the museum
… attended the opening reception of my exhibit at Studio M in the Massillon Museum on Friday night, supporting me with their presence, kind words and/or purchases. The exhibit is open until September 19; museum hours are Tuesday-Saturday 9:30-5, Sun. 2-5; free admission. 121 Lincoln Way East.
When I think of gargoyles, I think of the ones guarding Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. So I was very surprised that many of the displays in the Phipps Conservatory “Gorgeous Gargoyles” exhibit were based on Gothic-style buildings found in Pittsburgh. I never know what to expect from the Phipps’ special shows – they are always so clever the way they work art into the gardens. And although there were a few “wow” gardens this time around, overall my husband and I were a bit disappointed with the current show. The gargoyles were interesting — such unique expressions! — but in most cases the stones were just set into greenery, making it not very colorful or creative. Some rooms didn’t even have gargoyles at all, leaving my husband and I to worry if we had missed them. I’d say 20% of the show was really really good; the other 80% was average. But “average” at Phipps is still pretty good, and I look forward to their next show …
You’re invited to the opening reception of my newest show at Studio M in the Massillon Museum of Art, Friday the 13th of August from 6 to 8 p.m. There will older pieces, brand-new pieces, items for sale at special prices, plus food and drink! Hope you can make it!! (If you can’t make it to the reception, the exhibit runs until September 19. Free admission; visit www.massillonmuseum.org for details.
… but on a 90+ degree summer day, not so much. The good news is we got in free, thanks to our reciprocal Stan Hywet membership. And, the gardens were really big and lovely and featured a new canopy walk through the trees, an exhibit of glass sculptures of oversized fruits and vegetables scattered throughout the gardens, and fountains where the kids could cool off in the Children’s Garden (fortunately I knew about this and came prepared with their swimsuits). What a beautiful respite for Atlanta residents. Note: Walking from the Arts Center MARTA station provided a look at some gorgeous homes as well as a taste of Piedmont Park. However, this stroll would have been more enjoyable had we not been melting in the Hotlanta sun.
June 7-July 4 in downtown Akron
“Creatures” is the theme of my solo exhibit at Akron’s Metro Intremodal Transit Authority Center on South Broadway, otherwise known as the “cool new bus terminal.” The fun 12-piece exhibit is a mishmash of different media and includes my two newest pieces, “Caterpillars 3″ and “One Crazy Summer”.
Artists can be as “green” as anyone else: for proof, check out the Artists Archives of the Western Reserves’ upcoming juried show, “Seeing Green: Creating Art in an Era of Sustainability.” Two of my new “FoUNd & Fresh” pieces were accepted into the show (yay!): That Girl and Missed Again, so my husband and I are planning to be at the opening reception this Friday, June 11 from 5-8 (regular gallery hours are W-F 10-4 and Saturdays 12-4, 1834 E. 123rd St.) The gallery is a stone’s throw away from the heart of University Circle, so before the opening, my husband and I are going to try to do the “A Little Afternoon Music” thing at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. Every Friday until August 27 from 2-5 you can enjoy live music, made-to-order sushi (not for me, but my husband will be thrilled!) and a cash bar on the patio (unless it rains, then they’ll move the shindig indoors). I’m looking forward to it! Those outdoor gardens are a slice of heaven!
UPDATE: Yesterday my husband and I did get to catch “A little afternoon music” at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, and it was a slice of heaven. The only problem was that we were only there a little more than an hour. My husband had never been to the outdoor gardens, and it was tough choosing between sitting on the patio listening to the fine sounds of Larry Hancock, or taking in the beauty of the gardens. We did both, not doing justice to either, but something is still better than nothing. I loved watching the people in the audience enjoy the music, the gardens, each other … and just being alive. 
Afterward, my husband and I went to the opening reception of the “Seeing Green” exhibit. The show was really good and I was very proud to be a part of it. I met some of the other artists, and quickly became a fan of Tiffany Laufer, an author and award-winning filmmaker. She wrote a wonderful children’s book called “Porch Dreams” about a dog who lives his dreams and even learns to recycle — how could you not like her? 
(bellaboobooks.com)
My FoUNd and Fresh show at the North Water Street Gallery in Kent has been extended through Saturday, June 5. That’s the day of Kent’s big Wine & Art Festival (http://www.mainstreetkent.org/artandwine.pdf), running 12-10, so after you check that out, you can come say “hi” to me during my show’s closing reception from 3 to 5. The gallery is open Thursday through Saturday 1-5; free admission.
Akron's "Grizzled Wizard" P.R. Miller and me
but I thank all who came to the opening reception of my FoUNd & Fresh show at the North Water Street Gallery on Saturday night. It was great to visit with old friends and meet many new ones! Standing Rock Cultural Center’s Facebook page is doing a great job of promoting the show which runs Thursdays-Saturdays 1-5 through May 29:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kent-OH/Standing-Rock-Cultural-Arts-Events/371908693875
You can, at COSI in Columbus. Why they taught rats to play basketball, I don’t know. But it‘s a very popular show, judging by the crowd Audrey and Elizabeth (the rats) attracted today. Our family traveled down to the museum today, taking advantage of the reciprocal admission we get as being members of the McKinley Museum in Canton (that saved us well over $50). We hadn’t been there in 3-½ years and none of the kids even remembered anything about it. I admit, despite their promotion as being rated as Parents Magazine #1 Science Center in the Country, my husband and I just don’t like this museum (which is why we hadn’t been there in 3-½ years). If we’re going to travel 2 hours to get to a science museum, I’d rather go to Toledo or Pittsburgh. The kids, however, declared the museum “so awesome,” weren’t ready to leave after four hours and want to go back during spring break (that won’t be happening). For me, other than finding myself strangely into the rat basketball game, the best thing about going to the museum today was finding a great, inexpensive Chinese restaurant on the way back to Akron (Little Dragons, in a strip plaza on Morse Road).
By the way, in a couple weeks the Titanic exhibit will be coming to COSI. My husband and I saw the exhibit when it was in Baltimore in December 2001. I was so disappointed and disturbed by the presentation. For example, when you enter the expensive exhibit you are given a “boarding pass” with the name of someone who was really a passenger or crew member. As you exit the exhibit, you can check your name against the list of survivors on the wall. What was intended to be a somber experience became a mockery by visitors. “Did you die? Ha ha I didn’t!” I thought of how a relative might feel if they heard people joking about the fate of their great-grandparents. Or, press a button to make the Titanic split in half and sink. How fun. Or, how long can you stand to touch an “iceberg” that’s the same temperature as the water that all those people died in. Ho ho, what a riot (you get to walk away when you get too cold; they didn’t). Tacky and tasteless is how I viewed many of the exhibit’s features. It’s a fascinating subject, I know, and in many respects the exhibit does personalize the tragedy in many ways. I just think some of the features could be rethought.
