Letter from the Editor

The November aeqai is mostly ready–columns by Jonathon Kamholtz on the French alabaster sculpture show at The Dayton Art Institute and by Keith Banner on the Peter Halley print show at Solway  Gallery will be posted early in the week, so check those two additional columns out before you zone out on turkey.

Aeqai continues to explore all aspects of our visual arts communities, and the November issue again reflects the wide diversity of art on display now, with  more good shows coming in December.  We are pleased to see Hebrew Union College participating in the visual arts again: our old friend Abby Schwartz is now Acting Director of The Skirball Museum there.  Fran Watson reviews several offerings there, including a magnificently new commissioned sculpture on the topic of Crystal Night, the beginning of The Holocaust by most reckonings, of which this is the 75th anniversary year. Watson finds the sculpture, by the late, internationally acclaimed glass artist Maria Lugossy, particularly effective (using glass as a medium here makes eminent sense).  Watson also looks at the work by modernist sculptor Boris Schatz on display there as well.

Aeqai welcomes gallery owner and now critic Lily Mulberry to our group of writers; Mulberry’s first review is on one of the shows at Carngie Arts, work by Renee Harris and JoAnn Russo, which Mulberry finds effective and successful. Manifest, celebrating both its tenth anniversary and the opening of extensive new gallery space, is represented here with two reviews, the painting show by Kevin T. Kelly, and the watercolor (aquachrome) show by Karen Chambers; each brings a differing sensibility to the two shows.  Matt Metzger returns this month with a very thoughtful review of work by Bruce Riley at The Miller Gallery, and its associations with biomorphic abstraction and science fiction. Shawn Daniell explores concepts of insider/outsider art at Thundersky, Inc. in Northside with verve and intelligence and her usual enthusiasm and first person account of how art impacts her.  Jane Durrell’s very astute observations on new work at Covington Arts (formerly AEC), examining landscape, and guest curated by Jennifer Grote, reminds us again, in particular, of the varied talent of Celine Hawkins in particular.

Emil Robinson’s brief but pithy review of the Degas/Renoir pastel exhibiton at The Cincinnati Art Museum also shows us how a brilliant draughtsman himself looks at other draughtsmen.  Robert Wallace returns to aeqai with thoughts on his own early examination of the relationships between Melville’s Moby Dick and the art of Frank Stella, through an exhibition of works by Robert del Tredici at NKU: Wallace’s own writing is a wonderful example of critical writing that’s personal but not academic. Artist Matt Kish’s works were also on display and some of his work has been acquired by NKU as well; everything involves interpretations of Moby Dick.

Dustin Pike writes about the origins and meanings and later interpretations of what we now call Tarot cards; Pike’s grand plan seems to be to link origin myths of ancient cultures with their visual components and symbols and metaphors. Laura Hobson takes a look at the Art in Bloom work at the art museum, where volunteers pair their own floral arrangements with individual works of art in the museum’s collection, always a great favorite here.  Saad Ghosn has two offerings for us this month, an essay on “what is contemporary art”, or why contemporary art matters, which grew out of a panel discussion on the topic recently held at the art museum auditorium, the brainchild of Cincinnati artist and Art Academy professor Gary Gaffney.  Saad’s montly column “Art for a Better World” looks at the visual art of Gena Grunenberg and the exceptionally moving poetry of Mary Pierce Brosmer.  Maxwell Redder offers two new poems of his; the newly married Redder is clearly writing love poetry to/for his new wife, amongst others, which he shares with us here.

Two columns come from South of us:  Chase Martin, an arts administrator in Lexington, reviews a two-person exhibition at the very impressive Green Building in Louisville , and Chris Huskisson the work of a kinetic artist of serious gifts at Heike Pickett Gallery in Versailles.

I offer one book review, of Dave Eggers’ The Circle, a must read for this year.

Send any comments you have our way and always feel free to make a donation to aeqai, if you can: send us a note to editor@aeqai.com and we’ll let you know where to send your donation.  Have a good Thanksgiving, and we will be back at around this same time in December.

Daniel Brown
Editor, AEQAI