What's Happening Blog

A week after Good Friday and a few days before the IRS blitz, folks will be itching to kick up their heels, have some fun and hopefully buy that one-of-a-kind treasure. And, Art is Alive is the destination to deliver. This year, 85 artists will be displaying their wares, from the fantastic to the funky, on Friday, April 9 and Saturday, April 10 at The Cultural Center for the Arts in downtown Canton (1001 Market Avenue North).

Vendors from four states will line the Great Court and the Canton Museum of Art with original jewelry, paintings, prints, glass, ceramic, wood, knitwear and things that we can’t even begin to define. The Friday, April 9th event (from 5 – 11 p.m.) is an all-out street party, themed around the Holiday Inn / Stuckey’s kitsch called “Greetings from Art is Alive.” Vendors will be dressed as tourists, waitresses and goodness knows what else, as the evening sparks with fun, food, libations and a full throttle of music from area entertainers. Saturday’s show (from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) is more of the same – with admission from Friday (a reasonable $3) getting folks back in on Day 2.

Live Paint! – featuring Joseph Close, Joe Martino, Erin Mulligan, Steve Ehret and David McDowell is a new “draw” this year, as artists will create pieces on Friday night and Saturday and offer them for SILENT AUCTION, from 3-5 p.m. on April 10. Proceeds split between the artist and ArtsinStark.

Complete details for Art is Alive, including the line-up of vendors and performers, is available on www.ArtisAlive.com.

Art is Alive is hosted by ArtsinStark in cooperation with the Canton Museum of Art.
Friday, April 9: 5:00p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 10: 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
$3 admission includes FREE Parking

The Canton Museum of Art recently opened several exciting new exhibits which will be on display through March 7, 2010.

Something from Nothing: Contemporary Recycled Sculpture from America’s Rustbelt
Over the past few decades North America has seen an explosion of creativity in an art form using recycled materials as its medium. Its origins can be traced back to American folk art, but contemporary artists have progressed well beyond traditional folk art genre, inspired by such predecessors as Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Ed Kienholz.

The Canton Museum of Art explores this genre with Something from Nothing: Contemporary Recycled Sculpture from America’s Rustbelt. Curated by local sculptor, Pat Buckohr, the exhibit features 13 artists living and working in the area of the United States known as the Rustbelt — extending from Minnesota to New Jersey. This unique offering demonstrates the Museum’s commitment to contemporary artists, and the latest trends in art and sculpture. The work is eclectic and sophisticated, as manifested in the manipulation and reassembly of such diverse materials as scrap metal, wire, pipe and discarded objects. Pieces range from whimsical creations to powerful social and cultural messages.

Curious World: Art from Fabric, Photographs and Found Objects
A working artist for more than 25 years, Jane began creating art quilts in the early 1980’s, after assisting the Canton Museum of Art with a major exhibit of historic and contemporary quilts. Her early work explored the dynamics of color and composition. Later she began incorporating pictures, paint and embellishments, which give her art quilts a sense of the passage of time. Jane’s assemblage constructions also convey a sense of history. Boxes, drawers or frames provide a stage for carefully assembled scenes, incorporating collage, mixed media, natural materials and found objects. Using multiple layers of materials, she conveys many layers of meaning and character through these intriguing vignettes.

45: New Works by Terri Kern
Cincinnati ceramic artist, Terri Kern, turned 45 this year and marked the event with 45 new pieces and an exhibit of the same name. Terri’s wheel thrown, slab built and carved earthenware pieces reflect her daily influences. Vivid painted imagery defines Terri’s work, drawn from a personal experience, or inspired by an animal or object in her home. She achieves a unique depth and richness of color through meticulous layering of under glazes – sometimes 15 to 20 coats.

Mix of Style & Function
Northeastern Ohio enjoys a rich history of ceramic arts. In the early 1990’s, with a sizeable ceramic collection already in place, the Museum decided that contemporary ceramics, 1950’s and forward, would be a focus of our Permanent Collection. Mix of Style & Function, an exhibit of ceramics from our Permanent Collection, will be in our galleries through May 16th. This exhibit features a broad mix of ceramic styles from some of the most notable ceramic artists in the country, including: Ralph Bacerra, Larry Calhoun, Michael Chipperfield, Willis “Bing” Davis, Ken Ferguson, Rebecca Harvey, Karen Karnes, Don Pilcher, aka Georgette Ore and Toshiko Takezu.

For more information visit: www.cantonart.org