December 2008

Tomorrow evening Akron will celebrate the arrival of the new year as First Night Akron 2009 lights up the downtown streets and buildings.

This year’s button was designed by Liz Remmel, of Immix Studio, whose playful image evokes the feelings of community and fun. Buttons are worn for admission to First Night venues - eighteen individual sites this year.

Once again we’ve been busy at Summit Artspace and volunteers are ready to welcome revelers. Kaleidoscope 2008, a juried exhibit, is still on display in the gallery for one last weekend. Votes for the People’s Choice award will be tallied and the winning artist awarded a kaleidoscope created by glass artist, Bob Pozarski. Also in the gallery will be musicians Jim Gill and Brian Lisik while Mark Soppeland’s Return to the Land of the Midnight Sun, a black light installation, should completely engulf the upper meeting room.

Maggie and Ben created fluorescent magnet designs on the metal doors and put together glow-in-the-dark paper chains. Throughout the evening more artwork will be added to the room until the whole place is glowing!

For over twenty years the old spring rocking horse has been in the far corner of the attic crawl space. Santa had delivered the Wonder Horse to me on a Christmas in the early 1950s, but after two generations of riders, a paint job from the 1970s and half-finished repairs the tired little pony needed a makeover. This year the wooden horse came downstairs with the boxes of holiday decorations. Following a few weeks of cleaning, sanding, priming, painting (6+ coats of bright red paint), along with new hardware and detailing, the Wonder Horse was ready for Christmas - just in time for generation three to bounce along the range!

The original spring horse was designed/invented by William Baltz when he removed the rockers from his children’s rocking horse and attached it with springs to a wooden framework. A resident of Pocahontas, Arkansas, he named it after his state’s early nickname, ‘The Wonder State.’ Manufacture of The Wonder Horse began in 1945 at the Wonder Products Company in Collierville, Tennessee. Popularity waned when companies began producing the more realistic looking molded plastic horses. The original, along with a couple of the traditional red horses, can be seen here in a photo from the Randolph County Museum in Arkansas.

“. . . appreciate the simple things - a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight . . .”  

from Marley and Me by John Grogan

Denise and Pam at Clip Art have decked the salon with lots of art for their Holiday Open House this Sunday, December 7, from noon to 5. Stop by for refreshments and good cheer, along with door prizes and free gift wrap.

About a month ago Denise visited my studio and picked a selection of block prints and monotypes, some new and some old favorites, along with several blackbirdboxes, that will share the space with outstanding work by other area artists.

Clip Art is located at 1165 East Tallmadge Avenue, Akron, Ohio.

This is the lucky thirteenth time Bob Yost has hosted a holiday open house and sale at his clay studio on the first weekend in December. Bob and Trisha and 29 ‘friends of Bob’ will have a variety of work available through the weekend at Yost Pottery, 1643 Massillon Road, Akron, Ohio. Further information is available here.

Recent pieces in the BlackBirdBox series will spend the weekend at Bob’s in hopes of going to new homes for the holidays.

The Haunted Artspace was spirited away nearly a month ago, but, since it was videotaped, it may never completely disappear. Couldn’t resist posting the video of the installation at Summit Artspace, a project of the Akron Area Arts Alliance with the support of Summit County. Open for only two weekends following a successful patron preview party, the Haunted Artspace was filmed by the University Park Alliance, whose sponsorship provided funding for participating artists.

And the hounds are still howling. . .

Haunted Artspace video