Skip to main content

Canton, Cleveland, Akron - Our Past Present and Future


A graphic designer and docent's venture into mixed media assemblage arts.

The Akron Area Arts Alliance, an organization that promotes the arts and culture in Akron and the surrounding areas received entries for its biennial Out of the Box Auction this weekend. This year the Auction will be preceded by an exhibition running October 29 through November 7 at Summit Art Space, the joint community gallery project of Summit County and the Akron Area Arts Alliance. There is a chance to bid on the boxes during the gallery exhibition. Bidding concludes on the night of the Arts Alive Awards. All boxes that were donated by artists are a chance to contribute to the local arts communities since the money raised by auctioning the boxes goes to AAAA and Summit Art Space. All of this, and a chance to be included in the membership of the organization, sounded like a great opportunity to not just observe the arts in the area, but to be active in the creation of local art. So, I took my layout skills in a new direction and ventured into mixed media assemblage arts, and found it rewarding in many ways.

My concept for the box immediately went to a shadow box type of collage or assemblage art. Inspired by La Wilson and her assemblages of "treasures" I came up with a concept that was a reflection of the lives of my husband and myself in N.E. Ohio, particularly as it relates to the decades and areas that we resided in, our current life in the area, and our plans to stay in the area. In creating this concept of our lives in Northeast Ohio, I hoped that any person bidding on the piece would also find a connection to their own lives in the area, through shared associations. I've represented the past, present and future in the area, calling attention to the present in the relief of the shadow box, and wrapping the past and future around in the background. However, there is no clear separation of past, present and future; just as in life each period blends into the other.

Some of the materials chosen also came fairly easily. The background of the piece is metal; representing the industrial businesses our area is known for, similar to Don Harvey's sculpture at the Akron Art Museum. I've also incorporated newspaper as a major part of the piece for two reasons. One because it was such a major part of my life from the years working at the paper and meeting my husband there, but also because I see the papers as such an important influence to our communities; I especially saw it as a prominent community resource and pride when I moved to the Akron area. The rest of the materials are a variety of found objects ranging from tires representing the rubber industries in Akron, a plastic blue beaded tower representing the polymer industry and Chihuly sculpture at the University of Akron, to a biodegradable seed starting pot representing the future of materials and organic farming. 

An amazing thing happened as I began production on the piece. I found a great release in planning the positioning and gluing objects together; it became therapeutic. I also started to see the possibilities for other pieces in the future. What started as a one-time donation suddenly was turning into a way to combine all of my artistic interests. I especially had an idea for how to present the cemetery photos I've been wanting to take, but was unsure how to use my skills to present them in an appealing way to an audience (see my previous blog on cemetery art.) My next piece is already being planned.

I encourage you to come to the Out of the Box exhibit and view the piece for yourself to see the variety of materials and subjects covered. Some associations may come easily, some you may have your own meaning for, and some you may not know why they are there, but still they seem to fit. As I've learned as a docent I do believe as the artist I am telling you a story, however the real story is what the piece says to you. Please enjoy the exhibit and contribute to the arts through the auction or participation in our areas rich cultural opportunities.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dear Foo Fighters

We are so sorry for the loss of Taylor. And while you, his family and friends are hit the hardest, it has deeply hit us fans too. For many of us you have been the soundtrack to our lives. Your songs supported us as we hit the hardest and life-changing moments of our lives. Then your songs cheered us on with bounding rhythms as we moved onto happier lifetime moments. We’ve bought and listened to your CDs on repeat. We’ve attended concerts anxiously awaiting that rhythm that escalates into All My Life , or the slowly building glorious entrance of Everlong into fall out rock song. And if we’re lucky - maybe this show - it will be the return of For All the Cows .  You’ve been our muse at work inspiring our creativity. Our companion on long commutes, and our work safe haven, blocking out the chatter for deep focus. You’ve kept us company in hospital stays, and had preschoolers bouncing to your rhythms for their "F" show and share days. You've signed autographs, taken ph...

Time to Read Mo Books

When someone starts to say "I will.." in my household, someone else usually follows with "...eat the ice cream!" We're immersed in a new creative world, children's literature and cartoons. The past few weeks the designer in me is geeking out over Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series. Our first book, "Should I Share My Ice Cream," was a gift. A well read over and over and over gift! Then Santa brought our household a second Elephant and Piggie book, "Waiting is not Easy." Now I'm hooked! Gerald (Elephant's actual name) and Piggie are funny and cute. But it's not just that, the design elements woven into the book help to tell the story. Storytelling, ahhh, the product of all good design! Gerald and Piggie are very simplified characters, and I've come to appreciate simplified illustrations I had overlooked in the past. The simplification helps focus on the characters' situations and emotions, which the stories re...

Taking The Scenic Route

Not too long ago driving to run some errands I had to ask myself... "did I just see an albino turkey vulture? While I can only speculate if my unusual glimpse was true, sightings like these are not uncommon if you take the scenic route. I’ve come to realize that taking the scenic route is one of my stress relief mechanisms. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it! Longer, out of the way trips have become even more cathartic as we slowly climb out of pandemic social distancing. And if there's any commonality in how we're all feeling now it's A) more stressed and B) in need of a different view other than our own 4 walls. There are obvious reasons that the scenic route is a good stress reliever - nature. Nature in its beauty, rhythms, and awe can do wonders for the stresses in our modern-day life. Driving down a country road or winding parkway gives you time with nature even when you don't have time to walk in it. You're likely to spot some flowers you ...