FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

McConnell Arts Center Teaming Up With Worthington Resource Pantry

Worthington, OH ( September 22, 2015) – The Worthington Resource Pantry is dedicated to not only feeding people but providing them with resources and comfort when they are going through a rough time. This Saturday, from 11 A.M. to 1 P.M., the Worthington Resource Pantry will host Mary Pat Turner, an instructor at the Peggy R. McConnell Art Center. She will provide a craft to engage children and foster their creativity.

The Worthington Resource Pantry offers a food pantry and other resources that include clothing, furniture, and tax and legal help.

Mary Pat Turner has both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Fine Art and Painting from the University of Dayton and Clemson University. She has taught multiple art classes, both as an adjunct professor at Lipscomb University and Belmont University, as well as instructor at the McConnell Arts Center in Worthington.

The Worthington Resource Pantry is located at 6700 Huntley Road, Columbus, OH 43229.

For those interested in other free events, the Carpe Diem String Quartet will be offering a free concert series. It will be held on Sundays at 1 P.M. at the McConnell Arts Center in the Bronwynn Theatre. Upcoming dates are October 11th, November 22nd of 2015 and January 31^st. This multi-genre quartet is “a boundary-breaking ensemble that has earned widespread critical and audience acclaim for its innovative programming and electrifying performances.”

By: Alexis Wolfe, Writing Intern and Holly Wiencek, PR Intern

Unique Opportunities!

Want to try some different classes that are off the beaten path? Why not try one of these two classes at the McConnell Arts Center: Pysanky: Batik Decorated Eggs and Leather Tooling.

Leather Tooling

Anyone interested in learning techniques of how to work with leather should take this class. The instructor will demonstrate how to stamp a design into the leather, how to dye it and how to finish the piece with stitching. The art of leather tooling dates back hundreds of years and is useful for making a multitude of objects, from shoes to book covers. This class will be held in the Master Classroom of the MAC on Thursdays from October 1^st – 22nd from 1-4 p.m. Click here for more information.

Pysanky: Batik Decorated Eggs

A pysanka is a Ukrainian decorated egg that has various traditional folk symbols and motifs drawn on it with beeswax. Batik refers to the method that used to apply the wax. In this class, the student will learn how to create a design, apply it to the egg and dye with various colors. You’ll be proud to display your finished product. Even if you gain nothing else, when someone asks how you made your masterpiece you’ll now have a chance to legitimately say, “It’s none of your beeswax!” That’s totally worth it! This class will be held on every Thursday from November 5th – December 3rd at 1-4 p.m. Click here for more information.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pysanka; http://www.mcconnellarts.org/wp/archives/18218; http://lifeasahuman.com/2011/feature/pysanky-the-art-of-the-magical-easter-egg/; https://www.pinterest.com/pin/379639443562997437/

By: Alexis Wolfe, Writing Intern

Fall breeze brings excitement

This week the MAC saw a lot of activity! New classes started this week: Oil painting, acrylic, photography, and my little art class. The two acrylic classes, abstract and expressionism, are brand new to the MAC lineup!

Thursday was busy, buSY, BUSY. The lobby and main gallery hosted an amazing exhibit called Portraits of Love through the Hope and Liberation Coalition.

At the Portraits of Love art exhibit, sponsored by @OhioCTF and @OhioAntiHTrfk. @worthingtonarts pic.twitter.com/lJFeX2FufU

— Ben Johnson (@CbusBenJohnson) September 10, 2015

After weeks of sessions, the Acoustic Roots Music Ensemble had their show! There was a great turnout, the students showcased their skills, and it was a great performance!
Sign up for fall’s 8 week session (starting next week) or November’s 4 week session before they sell out! Watch a fun video of the show!

On Sunday, The Song Writing Workshop saw traffic all day with adults, young and old, attending the workshop!

Columbus Songwriters Workshop

This week is very busy as well! Don’t forget to look at our upcoming events and classes this season on our website!

By Holly Wiencek, PR Intern

Exhibition on Screen: Impressionists

As the weather gets cooler, are you looking for something to do inside that is interesting and fun? What do you know about important and famous artists such as Monet, Degas, Cezanne and Renoir? 
Many people know the names, but not much else. This is your chance to fix that. To get to know more about these artists and the Impressionist style in general, watch the Exhibition on Screen: Impressionists series, presented by the McConnell Arts Center in Worthington.

This series discusses a new exhibition that focuses on the man who helped make the Impressionists famous: Parisian art collector Paul Durand-Ruel. He supported the Impressionists by buying many pieces of their work, as well as exhibiting paintings in galleries throughout Europe and the United States. While trying to support the Impressionists, Durand-Ruel put himself in danger of bankruptcy. He was often known to give artists stipends or loan them money. It wasn’t until 1886, in New York, that Impressionism gained a favorable review and became popular. He also helped revolutionize the techniques many modern art dealers use today. This includes having an exhibit of only one artist’s work and tailoring the work to the tastes of potential buyers. Click here and here to find out more about Paul Durand-Ruel.

Series Sponsor: Worthington Industries

By: Alexis Wolfe, Writing Intern

The Perspective of a Gallerist

As the 22 year Director of the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery, Mary Gray loves supporting Ohio artists. When she first discovered her love of art it was an immediate attraction! She vividly recalls her first visit to the Detroit Institute of Art and the moment she laid eyes on Diego Rivera’s work.

It was so profound. I remember everything. Even the clinking of coffee cups coming from the café and the bronze donkey…because it was the only piece of art I could touch.

Donkey by Renee Sintenis, 1927.

Thus began her love of the arts which continues into today. Gray graduated with a Theatre degree from the University of Michigan and started her 30-year career in Arts Administration.

Gray, and five other arts business professionals, are providing a three-part, Art Business Series at the MAC. The MAC Biz of Art series explores all aspects of the art business and each instructor offers a unique look at how to develop the tools to succeed. Learn about pricing and investing, marketing and promotions, and approaching curators and gallerists from six different perspectives.

The MAC Biz of Art Series runs Wednesdays, October 7 – 21, 6-8pm at the McConnell Arts Center. Register now.

Speaking as a gallerist, Gray’s part focuses on what she looks for in artists, how she communicates with them, and the importance of professional development.

Some tips she gives off the cuff:

• Prepare hi-resolution images. It gives artists the chance to have their images used in promotional pieces.
• Seek assistance in writing. It is important to have clear and understood artist’s statements.
• Know what/how to communicate. Be polite and courteous.
• Meet deadlines.

Are you an artist struggling with the business management side? Check back next week for another post featuring Bryn Sowash.

The Riffe Gallery’s current exhibit, Flashback to Now, is a retrospective of some of the earliest recipients of individual arts excellence awards. These 1980’s grant winners have their early work displayed alongside current pieces. This past Friday, I visited the exhibit.

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A post shared by Holly Wiencek (@halls1218)

 

My grandparents are visiting from the CA desert and wanted to experience Columbus in a unique way. We strolled through Pearl Market (running Tuesdays and Fridays, 10:30am-2pm through October), walked a block south to the Riffe Gallery, and then had lunch at a café on Gay Street. At the gallery, we all gravitated toward different art and it sparked great conversation! Flashback to Now is featured through October 18^th, 2015.

Riffe Gallery Hours:

Tuesday 10 – 4 p.m.
Wednesday and Friday 10 – 5:30 p.m.
Thursday 10 – 8 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday noon – 4 p.m.

By Holly Wiencek, PR Intern

Reel Abilities

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 25

Opening Night @

777 Evening Street

Worthington, OH 43085

Dancing Wheels Master Class: 4:00 – 5:00 pm               

Members of The Dancing Wheels Company will conduct a physically integrated dance workshop providing participants an in-depth look at physically integrated dance through adaptive translation, integrated partnering techniques, and the opportunity to try dancing in a wheelchair. Registration is required and class size is limited to 30 participants.

Dancing Wheels Performance: 6:30 pm 

Opening reception begins at 6:00 pm for all class and performance attendees.

In celebration of its 35th Anniversary Season and the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, The Dancing Wheels Company will show a preview performance of Going Up, a work of dance theater set in an imaginary elevator with theatrical, explosive movement vocabulary choreographed by Mark Tomasic. With each new floor the elevator reaches, riders and audience members come face-to-face with stereotypes and obstacles people with disabilities encounter daily.  Personal stories reveal universal truths via live and recorded text fused with a divergent range of music from EDM artist Judson Mohawke to Puccini to Antônio Carlos Jobim.

This performance is made possible by a grant from Puffin Foundation West, Ltd. 

Film Screening: Lost & Sound

8:00 pm

Made by a partially deaf filmmaker after the future of her own hearing was called into doubt, this moving and intimate documentary follows music critic Nick Coleman, dancer Emily Thornton and pianist Holly Loach over 2 years, as they journey deep into sound and silence. It combines intimate filming with original animation, a rich musical soundtrack, and new insights from the world’s top neuroscientists to tell the story of the great human love affair with music.

Click the film image to view a trailer.

Tickets	Class	Film &  Performance	Class, Film & Performance
Public	$20	$30	$45
Friends of VSAO	$15	$25	$35

 Available at the door, or purchase tickets in advance!

SPONSORS

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