Ohio Valley Art League Henderson KY

Metalpoint Exhibit

2010-01-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

An exhibit presented by Ohio Valley Art League featuring contemporary metalpoint drawings will open February 4, 2010 in the Rotunda Gallery at Henderson County Public Library.

The exhibit, titled “The Luster of Silver: Contemporary Metalpoint Drawings,” is on loan from the permanent collection of the Evansville Museum.

Co-curated by participating artists Koo Schadler and Jeannine Cook, the project explores a subtle and lesser known but incredibly beautiful drawing technique. The medium referred to as silverpoint is the technique of drawing with a metal stylus. Although it has been used to inscribe surfaces since Classical times, silverpoint — or as it is more generally called "metalpoint" — was expressly employed in drawing from the late 14th century up to the early 17th century and was particularly favored in the Renaissance period in Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany. Master artists Raphael, Durer, Holbein, Rembrandt, and Rubens all used silverpoint in drawing studies.

Koo Schadler, co-curator writes, "The ubiquitous pencil (a piece of graphite placed inside a hollow tube of wood) wasn't an option for a Renaissance draftsman — it hadn't been invented yet. Instead most early artists learned to draw using a nib of metal stuck in a stylus. Copper, gold, lead, and other metals were used, but a silver point was the most popular."

Through the concerted efforts of a growing number of contemporary artists, this medium is today enjoying its own Renaissance, as realist artists are finding new ways to explore, refine and make it their own.

There are 19 artists from 11 states and Canada featured in the exhibit that will remain on display through March 1, 2010 during library hours.

The metalpoint drawing exhibit replaces “Aqueous USA” on OVAL’s winter exhibit schedule. The Kentucky Watercolor Society has discontinued the traveling portion of its national exhibit.

Area Artists to Display Works During Henderson's First-Ever Gallery Hop

2009-11-11T15:48:00.001-06:00

Henderson’s first-ever Gallery Hop will be held Friday, November 13th. Six locations in downtown Henderson will house exhibits by 18 area artists from Kentucky and Indiana.

Artworks in multiple media will be displayed, including works in oil, fiber, mixed media, watercolor and pastel. This is free and open to the public. Gallery hours will vary from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Visitors and invited to explore the following galleries in the historic district:

Image One, 114 N. Main St.: “Six Painted Ladies” Iris Gentry, Marka Kroeger, Jan Fraizer, Susie Rideout, Cathe Hedgespeth, & Sandy Barry

Hughes Building, 213 N. Main St.: “7 @ 213” Janice Greene, Julieta Higgins, Barbie Hunt, Jule McClellan, Gregory Powell, Cynthia Watson and Dianne Wham

Riverbend Academy, 145 Main at Corner of Main & Second Streets: Guest artist, Cathe Hedgespeth

Bernstein Building, 303 1st St.: “Berges on First” Carl Berges

308 1st. St.: “Chris Thomas Studio” Chris Thomas

108 2nd. St.: “Modern Matter Art” Brodie Wright & Lisa Condi

For information or a map contact the Henderson County Tourist Commission at 1-800-648-3128 or info@hendersonky.org or Jule McClellan at (270) 827-3600 or jule@ohiovalleyart.org.

"The Optimist"

2009-05-19T05:00:00.000-05:00

"The Optimist" by Don Gummer is made of cast stainless steel with a bronze base. It measures 7 ft. high, 4 ft. deep and 5 ft. in width and is mounted on a six ton Indiana limestone base.

This sculpture is placed at the entrance of the Henderson Fine Arts Center in Henderson KY.

About the Artist
Don Gummer was born in Louisville, KY, in 1946. Don attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston from 1966-70. He graduated with a BFA, MFA from Yale University school Fine Arts, New Haven, 1973.

Don resides in Taconic, Connecticut, with his wife of twenty-three years - actress Meryl Streep and their four children. Don's sculptures are in collections worldwide.

"Fear and hate are no match for love and optimism" - Don Gummer --September 30, 2001-Quote from speech at dedication and unveiling ceremony.

Art Supporters In Kentucky

2009-05-18T18:58:00.001-05:00

The National Endowment for the Arts is likely to see a new head in coming weeks -- and playwright Tony Kushner said it was the best news for the US arts community since the birth of Walt Whitman!

The NEA is also providing another year's funding for the Kentucky Arts Council, which just published its annual report. And Kentucky Congressman Yarmuth's speech on the importance of the arts is now available online (see below).

Only with your support can state and national leaders continue to provide this kind of help to Kentucky artists and arts organizations. Please thank them!

CSPAN || KY Rep. John Yarmuth Speaks for the Arts
Watch an online video of Kentucky Representative John Yarmuth advocating for the arts on National Arts Advocacy Day, March 31, 2009. Courtesy of the Kentucky Arts Council.

Kentucky Arts Council provides some funding for Ohio Valley Art League.

Future Exhibits Hosted by Ohio Valley Art League in Henderson KY

2009-05-13T05:00:00.000-05:00

The 2010 Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibit will open on September 16 and end November 5, 2010.

Aqua Venture sponsored by the Kentucky Watercolor Society and hosted by Ohio Valley Art League will open in the Henderson Fine Arts Center on October 23 and end Dec 11, 2009

“My Soul To Keep” An Exhibition of Paintings and Contemporary Ethnic Dolls of Barbara Tyson Mosley

2009-05-09T17:02:00.001-05:00

Ohio Valley Art League is proud to host this exhibit. in conjunction with the W. C. Handy Festival, June 10, 2009 to August 1, 2009. The exhibit will be at the Henderson County Public Library in Henderson KY.

Please read the artist interpretation below:

The tranquil paintings and unusual doll images in “My Soul To Keep” are just a sample of the way in which artist Barbara Tyson Mosley approaches canvas and needle to create works of art inspired by the unexpected twists and turns of life circumstances, while celebrating cultures of the world.

Barbara began working with fabrics nearly 20 years ago following an operation, which confined her to her bed for several weeks. Wanting to work on her art, yet unable to leave her bedroom, she began playing with fabric scraps of various weights, textures, and colors, overlapping and hand stitching them into loosely formed shapes, flexible enough to become the foundation for non-wearable art kimonos. They were readily accepted as part of the Evans-Tibbs Collection and presented in a number of exhibitions at The Evans-Tibbs Gallery in Washington, D.C. and then throughout United States, as part of the Smithsonian Institutions Traveling Exhibitions (SITES).

Inspired by the reception of her work, and later seeing the non-traditional dolls of artist and long-time friend, Liani Foster, she began toying with the idea of creating a non-conventional doll, taking her fabric art to yet another level. Using an upside-down triangle, elongated and topped with a circle, this shape became the premise for an armless doll waiting for public embrace.

The dolls soon became a comforting reminder of the need to hold on and gently cling to an age-old object while celebrating the ritual magic and spiritual tradition of ethnic dolls from around the world. The “contemporary ethnic dolls”, as she calls them, do not belong to any one specific category, or group of people, but capture the ceremonial tradition of Native American, Inuit, African, Asian, and African-American peoples.

The subtle yet vibrant nature of Barbara’s landscape abstracts harmoniously emphasize the relationship between earth, sea, and sky. However you view them, you visually see a connection and kind of interplay between them, often fooling the eye while arousing question in the mind of the viewer.

You see the sky from shore or the shore from the sky. You see an horizon line and yet do not know if in fact it is a horizon line when you turn the painting in an upside down direction. The sea becomes the calming factor throughout each work, as reflections of light dance amidst ribbons of color.

Light changes in the western skies of Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania were the primary inspiration for these paintings. Working in assembly-line fashion, Barbara quickly works on the canvas, manipulating the color changes as quickly as the light changes from her visual memory (or from photographic stills taken at every degree of change in the sky).

Once, while in Johnson, Vermont, she photographed multiple, minute-by-minute light changes for nearly an hour, non-stop, until the suns light faded into the darkness of dusk.

Another example of playfulness on the canvas is found by turning the paintings vertically. Totally removing the idea of earth, sea, and sky, an illusion of textile patterning is obvious and suggestive of Middle Eastern or African style and design, thereby, forcing the eye to see something totally unexpected.

The “Tranquility Series” reflects the serenity of a sunset, the excitement of nature’s palette, and the vibrant color interaction of harmony and light.

OVAL Kitchen Tour 2009

2009-04-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

April 25, 2009 10am - 3pm

Visit six homes on the tour with a chef in each kitchen preparing a recipe. Each participant will receive a sample.

Tickets - $20
Available after April 1 at:
Matt’s News - Henderson, KY
Maxine’s Café & Bakery - Evansville, IN.

Artist: Iris Gentry, Wilson Home

Guest Chef - Jeff Dixon

Home of Reid & Sarah Wilson
616 North Main Street

Guest Chef - Shanon Greenwell

Home of Bill & Peggy Fidler
6360 HWY 41-A

Guest Chef - Lawry Keach

Home of Brad Hazelwood & Lois Wilson
622 Merritt Drive

Guest Chef - Vickie Deep

Home of Herbert Lane & Ronald Shelton
638 North Main Street

Guest Chef - Donna Hatfield

Home of George & Cindy Link
140 South Elm Street

Guest Chef - Rodney & Liz Thomas (Rookies)

Home of Eric & Cara Stinson
8942 HWY 41-A

The Artist Within: Disabling the Myth

2009-03-01T04:00:00.000-06:00

March 7, 2009 to April 2, 2009
Opening March 8 - 2-3pm

Rotunda Gallery, Henderson County Public Library Artists from Hugh Sandefur Training Center share their beautiful gifts of creativity unique to each of them, Susie Rideout is the art instructor.

"Geisha Girl" by Sandy Kaiser

"Beach Treasures" - Collaborative

History of Ohio Valley Art League in Henderson KY

2009-02-01T14:26:00.000-06:00

Celebrating Fifteen Years of promoting
the Visual Arts in Henderson & the Tri-state.

The Ohio Valley Art League (OVAL) was founded in September 1991 to promote the visual arts in Henderson and the Tri-State. One of the first projects OVAL undertook was to add gallery lighting and a hanging system in the Henderson County Public Library’s the historic rotunda, now known as the Rotunda Gallery.

With the help of the Raymond B. Preston Foundation, OVAL’s first major project was for the learning disabled at Central Elementary School. Students made clay tiles that were fired and permanently mounted in the lunchroom of Central Elementary School.

Working with children to educate them in the visual arts has been a primary function of OVAL since its beginning. OVAL invited internationally recognized ceramic artist Don Reitz from Arizona to work with sixteen Henderson County High School art students to create a wall mural in honor of W. C. Handy. David Rodenberg, an Evansville artist/potter, assisted him on this project. This clay wall mural depicting Handy’s life is permanently installed in Henderson’s J. F. Kennedy Center.

In 1993, OVAL began bringing Native American artists to share their culture and artwork with Henderson County students. Artists from the following tribes have presented programs in the schools: Athapascan/Lakota, Acoma, Cherokee, Jemez, Mohawk Iroquois Confederacy and Odawa.

OVAL organized the first Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibit in 1994 with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources as the co-sponsor. This biennial exhibit attracts top wildlife artists from across the nation and is now considered one of the top wildlife exhibitions in the nation.

Placing the first Henderson public sculpture, “The Optimist” by Kentucky native Don Gummer, at the entrance of the Henderson Fine Arts Center on September 30, 2001 was the largest project to date by OVAL.

Working with the Hugh Edward Sandefur Center for mentally and physically challenged adults, OVAL has presented an exhibit “The Artist Within: Disabling the Myth” for four consecutive years.

OVAL has broadened its audience by forming partnerships with local organizations to present exhibits that bring attention to subjects such as the environment, recycling, wildlife preservation and to the mentally challenged. OVAL continues to find ways to support the community through the visual arts.

In 2007, OVAL will present an exhibit using the newly opened Ruby Moon Vineyard and Winery in Henderson County as a backdrop for artworks created by tri state artists.

As a non-profit organization, OVAL depends upon membership dues and contributions to underwrite these programs. We invite you to support this valuable asset to the community and state with a membership.

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Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibit 2008

2008-11-01T15:21:00.000-05:00

Exhibit Dates: September 23 to November 7, 2008

The eighth biennial Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibit opened September 27 with a reception and awards ceremony. This exhibit, sponsored by the Ohio Valley Art League and the Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, features some of the top wildlife artists in the United States. Seth Hopkins, Executive Director of the Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, GA, choose seventy-three artworks in two and three dimensions from artists representing twenty-six states from across the United States.

Awards totaling over $12,000 are presented the evening of the opening reception. This exhibit is funded in part by a grant from the Henderson Area Arts Alliance.

The purpose of the Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibit is to increase awareness for the preservation of wildlife and to recognize artists who derive inspiration and imagery from wildlife and the environment.

A performance by Grammy award-winning country and folk singer and songwriter, Nancy Griffith and the Blue Moon Orchestra followed the opening reception. This performance is presented by the Henderson Area Arts

Read Juror's Statement
Seth M. Hopkins, Executive Director, Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, GA

Go to Exhibit Slideshow

Previous Years Slide Shows

2006 Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibit - SLIDESHOW LINK

2004 Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibit - SLIDESHOW LINK

Music in Color

2008-05-01T19:03:00.000-05:00

Music in Color featured 25 award winning regional artists and opened in conjunction with the New Harmonies; American Roots Music, a traveling Smithsonian exhibit. Ohio Valley Art League invited these artists to create artworks with a musical theme. Music in Color was presented by Ohio Valley Art League, Riverbend Academy, and Audubon Museum at Riverbend Academy May 3 - June 14, 2008.

SLIDE SHOW LINK