Toledo loves its artists, and the Art Supply Depo on S. St. Clair St. has found a great new way to show it. Working with local artists, businesses, and representatives of the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, Depo owners Jules Webster and Dana Syrnek have put in some serious work to create the 2013 Toledo Artists calendar. Featuring works by the region’s notables, the calendar offers a way for Toledo art enthusiasts to help up-and-coming artists as the sale proceeds benefit the Edith Franklin Youth Arts Fund.
Franklin, a legacy in the Toledo arts community, passed away earlier this year. She established the fund in the final years of her life using proceeds from the sale of her works. The fund provides valuable opportunities, scholarships and other financial support for Toledo-area youth With her passing, Webster, Syrnek, Michelle Carlson, Programs Coordinator at the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo), and other local artists saw an opportunity to foster developing young artists with the calendar. “The money was always going to go to charity,” Webster says of the proceeds, adding that the calendar provided a great way to involve local artists in preserving Franklin’s work.
“We had a hard time finding a good day to get everyone together,” Webster said. “But once we selected a date, we just went into the back studio [of the Depo] and made art for a day.” The artists, seven or eight strong throughout the day, each produced works utilizing their individual styles. While some of the work from that day made it into the calendar, some artists brought stronger pieces from their home collections. On top of the marathon art day, the Depo invited more artists to submit works to be considered, to allow the high levels of skill possessed by Toledo artists to be exemplified.
The “local love,” as Webster puts it, only got stronger as the project progressed. When it came time to produce the calendar, Metzger’s Printing stepped up and offered a local option that proved nearly 20 percent less expensive than shipping the job out of town. Add in paper, from Commerce Paper, and the final product is one that the Depo girls are eager to brag about. “Everything went so much better than we ever expected,” Webster said. “I think that when people see this calendar, they will really be impressed.”
At $15, tax included, the Toledo Artists calendar comes in at a healthy three bucks below your typical cute-kitten wall calendar and highlights work from Anthony McCarty, Michelle Duni, Michelle Junod Carlson, Michelle Smith, Mr. Taylor, Jules Webster, Mary McColough and Mary Gaynier. The Toledo Artists Calendar is available only at the Art Supply Depo, 29 S. St. Clair. All proceeds benefit the Edith Franklin Youth Arts Fund. But be quick! The first print run is almost gone! (There will be a second printing, up for pre-order at the store, if you miss out. So don’t panic, yet.)
