December 2016

Two Shows at Wave Pool: “Everything Is Nothing with a Twist” and “Domus Candela”

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in *, December 2016

Two Shows at Wave Pool: "Everything Is Nothing with a Twist" and "Domus Candela"

December 3rd marked the opening of two new exhibitions at Wave Pool: the group show Everything Is Nothing with a Twist on the ground floor and a solo installation Domus Candela by Erin Taylor upstairs. The ground exhibition, all by artists inspired by minimalism, contained works that were bound by their physical form, whereas Domus […]

Best Fiction of 2016

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in *, December 2016

Best Fiction of 2016

2016 has been one of the best years for fiction in quite a number of years.  The ongoing globalization of literature continues, with superb writers now emerging from all over the world.  The range of subject matter and writing styles has rarely been as varied as this year’s, and, although I am limiting my list […]

The Big Chill: “Roe Ethridge: Nearest Neighbor” at the Contemporary Arts Center, October 7, 2016-March 12, 2017

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in December 2016

The Big Chill: “Roe Ethridge: Nearest Neighbor”  at the Contemporary Arts Center,  October 7, 2016-March 12, 2017

My place to start thinking about Roe Ethridge’s work and sensibility is his “Thanksgiving 1984 (table)” (2009). It captures the artist’s love of surface, an almost obsessive attention to the glimmering outsides of things unmatched, in some ways, since baroque and rococo paintings of the 17th and 18th centuries. The picture sees it all: Thanksgiving’s […]

Making the Specific Universal – A Review of ‘Je danse et je vous en donne à bouffer (I Dance and I Feed You)’ by Radhouane El Meddeb

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in December 2016

Making the Specific Universal - A Review of ‘Je danse et je vous en donne à bouffer (I Dance and I Feed You)’ by Radhouane El Meddeb

I’m perched on the kitchen counter, watching my mother cook. It’s dark outside, the company will arrive soon and the air is weighted with smell. The scene is hazy with steam that floats past and is illuminated by our kitchen lights. Sweeping and sashaying across the wooden floor, my mother’s movements are made of mystery […]

Implosions of Significance

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in December 2016

Implosions of Significance

As I reflect on my experience of this year, two dates stand out: June 14 and August 16. On those days, Riviera hotel and casino buildings exploded on the Las Vegas Strip, disappearing in seconds before the eyes of hordes of onlookers including me. All pales in comparison to those events crystallized ablaze in my […]

On Arts Education and Our Current Political Climate

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in December 2016

On Arts Education and Our Current Political Climate

Throughout my youth, my mother dragged me to more museums than I wished to attend. But in doing so, she instilled in me an understanding of art’s capacity to impart change. Works by artists such as Barbara Kruger, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat didn’t just inform me about pressing issues of the time, but they […]

How We Play, or Don't Play: Julian Lorber and Nicole Pietrantoni at Nicole Longnecker Gallery

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in December 2016

How We Play, or Don't Play: Julian Lorber and Nicole Pietrantoni at Nicole Longnecker Gallery

Adults are often admonished for losing our appreciation for “play”; we find it childish, something we leave behind, and scientists often tell us that our brains are worse off for it. The two artists on display at Nicole Longnecker Gallery in Houston now encourage or suggest play in two different ways, and art collectors would […]

"Provocateur" by Tyler Shields

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in December 2016

"Provocateur" by Tyler Shields

Provocateur, Tyler Shields’ new book of photographs, is a weighty publication. Close to a square foot in shape and about an inch and a half thick, it comes in at between six and seven pounds on my kitchen scale. So – best looked at opened on a table. Shields sets out to surprise and engage […]

12 Nazi Concentration Camps: Photographs by James Friedman

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in December 2016

12 Nazi Concentration Camps:  Photographs by James Friedman

Photographs by James Friedman of 12 Nazi concentration camps opened in October 2016 at the Cincinnati Skirball Museum at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in partnership with The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education. The photographs are on view through January 29, 2017. The Columbus, Ohio resident traveled to Europe in 1981 and 1983 […]

“Tapped”, “Texas” & “Minnesota” at MANIFEST GALLERY Dec 2016

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in December 2016

"Tapped", "Texas" & "Minnesota" at MANIFEST GALLERY Dec 2016

Cincinnati’s Manifest Gallery opens a number of exhibits at its Walnut Hills locale this week. “Tapped” is a unique annual exhibition exploring the relationship between art students current and past and their professors. This is the 7th exhibition featuring 16 artists from 9 states, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio and Texas. Works […]

Pageant of The People

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in December 2016

Pageant of The People

As we welcome the holiday season, most high fashion brands are focused on transitioning their buying clientele from fall / winter to resort collections and preparing for the debut of their newest runway collections in February. This time of transition is the perfect opportunity to reflect on collections we may have missed amid the hustle […]

Fran Watson Tribute Exhibit and Sale Jan. 8

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in December 2016

The children of Fran Watson will host a tribute exhibit and sale of Fran’s best paintings Sunday, January 8, 2017, from 2:00 – 5:00 at Sandra Small Gallery, 124 West Pike Street, Covington, Ky. Two dozen paintings will be exhibited and sold on a first-come-first-served basis. These paintings have a retail value that is commensurate […]

Fotofolio – Craig Barber

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in December 2016

Fotofolio - Craig Barber

                                  “Working the Land” Craig’s statement: As our society turns increasingly towards industrial agriculture there are still those who continue a close relationship with the land and all it has to offer, be they hunters, farmers, woodsmen, gardeners, or […]

A Conversation with Colin Klimesh

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in December 2016

  Colin’s devotion to detail results in considered work that is in conversation with contemporary culture. His objects are at home wherever they are and serve their function with honesty. Colin’s incomparable craft and ceramics know-how allows him to craft attentive, desirable objects that will last lifetimes.   Colin is a professional artist (www.colinklimesh.com) who […]

Maxwell’s Poetry Corner

December 17th, 2016  |  by  |  published in December 2016

The Hayloft   The rickety hayloft door, like terrible drumming against its tattered track, was our barrier between the thunderous swarm and blusterous squall. The night was our journey. Two of us could move hay bales from stack to stack to form a fort of towers, a malleable playground to jump from apex to cavern […]