Friday, February 7, 2025

See it Now: Art Exhibition hosted by BGSU

The BGSU School of Art is hosting the 14th annual Northwest Ohio Community Art Exhibition (NowOH). Through July 23rd, 85 works by 34 artists from five counties can be found at the Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery. The exhibit is free, open to the public during restricted hours Thursday-Sunday, and many of the one-of-a-kind works (or prints thereof) are available for purchase.

2021’s Show Juror: Ellen Mensch
This year’s art juror is Ellen Mensch, an artist, curator, illustrator and educator out of Fort Wayne, Indiana. She received her bachelor’s in fine art from Indiana University (2017) and her master’s from BGSU (2020). She is a lecturer at Purdue-Fort Wayne and the Exhibitions and Marketing Coordinator of Artlink Contemporary Gallery.

As a program graduate, she is humbled to return to Dorothy Uber as juror. Due to the pandemic, this is her first time back to the familiar space. About the NowOH exhibition, she says it is, “an excellent opportunity to view a wide variety of media, technique, and talent. From traditional techniques of oil painting all the way to honeycomb jewelry, it was a pleasure to not only view, but jury this wonderful selection of work.” 

The Art Awards
It is the juror’s role to determine the recipients of this year’s art awards. After careful consideration, Ellen chose 8 artists and 5 honorable mentions in both 2-D and 3-D mediums:

Metamorphosis
22in x 25 ½ in
Oil and chalk pastel on oxidized steel
2020

Crystalyn Hutchens won 2021’s NowOH Best in Show for her piece, Metamorphosis. For Ellen, this piece was a standout that caught her eye from the very beginning. A dual transformation takes place on the canvas and in the canvas material, a piece of discarded, rusted steel. The burnt orange of oxidized metal contrasted with the cool blue paint secured the selection of Ms. Hutchens’ work.

The BGSU School of Art Award went to Donna Marie Beauregard’s oil on canvas, Melanie’s Bruise. It manages to depict ugly and oftentimes painful subject matter in a beautiful, pastel manner, providing viewers an abstract commentary on the human body’s ability to heal physically and emotionally.

Drawn wax comb, walnut, cord – Not for Sale

The Toledo Federation of Arts Societies Award went to Tom Muir for Beekeeper’s Neckpiece, a necklace made from a drawn wax comb, walnut, and cord. It is a unique piece that displays an appreciation for the craft of beekeeping. Its simplicity is a refreshing contrast to what most people expect of jewelry. 

First and second place 2-D awards were given to M.M. Dupay and Randy A. Bennett for their respective pieces: She Was Navigating a Different Kind of Spectacle and No Parking. 3-D awards went to Amy Fell for Mossy Stones, a sculpture imitating aspects of nature, and Alyssa Radke for Unstable Vessel, a wobbly clay piece with an undersized mouth. Chloe Kozal was granted the Youth Art Award (16-18) for her woodblock piece entitled Sent with Love.

Honorable mentions include:
Emily Wigglesworth, Agency over Identity
Brennen Otersen, Vitality
Anna Yates, Until the Meter Stops Running
Jennifer Sheriff, Afterthought
Andrew Vogelpohl, Ticklish Spot

These pieces and more can be found at the gallery until July 23rd and voted on for “People’s Choice” through July 11th. For more information, a preview of the gallery, and a chance to vote for your favorite piece, visit their site: https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/school-of-art/galleries/past-exhibitions1/spring-2021/NOWOH2021.html

The BGSU School of Art is hosting the 14th annual Northwest Ohio Community Art Exhibition (NowOH). Through July 23rd, 85 works by 34 artists from five counties can be found at the Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery. The exhibit is free, open to the public during restricted hours Thursday-Sunday, and many of the one-of-a-kind works (or prints thereof) are available for purchase.

2021’s Show Juror: Ellen Mensch
This year’s art juror is Ellen Mensch, an artist, curator, illustrator and educator out of Fort Wayne, Indiana. She received her bachelor’s in fine art from Indiana University (2017) and her master’s from BGSU (2020). She is a lecturer at Purdue-Fort Wayne and the Exhibitions and Marketing Coordinator of Artlink Contemporary Gallery.

As a program graduate, she is humbled to return to Dorothy Uber as juror. Due to the pandemic, this is her first time back to the familiar space. About the NowOH exhibition, she says it is, “an excellent opportunity to view a wide variety of media, technique, and talent. From traditional techniques of oil painting all the way to honeycomb jewelry, it was a pleasure to not only view, but jury this wonderful selection of work.” 

The Art Awards
It is the juror’s role to determine the recipients of this year’s art awards. After careful consideration, Ellen chose 8 artists and 5 honorable mentions in both 2-D and 3-D mediums:

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Metamorphosis
22in x 25 ½ in
Oil and chalk pastel on oxidized steel
2020

Crystalyn Hutchens won 2021’s NowOH Best in Show for her piece, Metamorphosis. For Ellen, this piece was a standout that caught her eye from the very beginning. A dual transformation takes place on the canvas and in the canvas material, a piece of discarded, rusted steel. The burnt orange of oxidized metal contrasted with the cool blue paint secured the selection of Ms. Hutchens’ work.

The BGSU School of Art Award went to Donna Marie Beauregard’s oil on canvas, Melanie’s Bruise. It manages to depict ugly and oftentimes painful subject matter in a beautiful, pastel manner, providing viewers an abstract commentary on the human body’s ability to heal physically and emotionally.

Drawn wax comb, walnut, cord – Not for Sale

The Toledo Federation of Arts Societies Award went to Tom Muir for Beekeeper’s Neckpiece, a necklace made from a drawn wax comb, walnut, and cord. It is a unique piece that displays an appreciation for the craft of beekeeping. Its simplicity is a refreshing contrast to what most people expect of jewelry. 

First and second place 2-D awards were given to M.M. Dupay and Randy A. Bennett for their respective pieces: She Was Navigating a Different Kind of Spectacle and No Parking. 3-D awards went to Amy Fell for Mossy Stones, a sculpture imitating aspects of nature, and Alyssa Radke for Unstable Vessel, a wobbly clay piece with an undersized mouth. Chloe Kozal was granted the Youth Art Award (16-18) for her woodblock piece entitled Sent with Love.

Honorable mentions include:
Emily Wigglesworth, Agency over Identity
Brennen Otersen, Vitality
Anna Yates, Until the Meter Stops Running
Jennifer Sheriff, Afterthought
Andrew Vogelpohl, Ticklish Spot

These pieces and more can be found at the gallery until July 23rd and voted on for “People’s Choice” through July 11th. For more information, a preview of the gallery, and a chance to vote for your favorite piece, visit their site: https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/school-of-art/galleries/past-exhibitions1/spring-2021/NOWOH2021.html

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