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Grid Furnishings Exhibits CCAD Students’ Award-Winning Work
Mixed-media sculpture by Erin McKenna, paintings by Taylor Hawkins, winners of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio Award for Excellence, on display May 1-June 30.
Grid Furnishings, a modern furniture gallery in the Short North, 944 N. High St., will open an art show, Medium Rare, May 1, 2012, featuring the artwork of Erin McKenna and Taylor Hawkins, graduating seniors at Columbus College of Art and Design and two of six winners in the fifth annual Award for Excellence in the Visual Arts competition sponsored by the Association of Independent College and Universities of Ohio (AICUO).
The art show, celebrating works by McKenna, a mixed-media sculptor, and Hawkins, a painter, will continue through June 30, 2012. An opening reception will be held May 5, 2012, during the Short North Gallery Hop. McKenna and Hawkins will install large-scale work thought Grid Furnishings’ 1,600-square-foot showroom, which features modern furniture lines designed in North America. Each of the artists’ pieces will be available for purchase.
Works by McKenna and Hawkins
“I am exploring materials and their relationship to the body. The materials I use are personal and included fabric, jewelry, panty hose, nail polish, lint, and hair,” said McKenna, a Columbus native, of her mixed-media sculptures. McKenna, whose work won her the 2012 Grand Award in the AICUO competition, also was nominated for the Windgate Fellowship Award and the International Sculpture Center Outstanding Student Award.
“Mass media has given young artists like myself a chance to see art from all aspects of the world reflecting our different cultures, therefore making it a constant race, a race that I have indulged myself in while realizing that there are multiple ways to paint a picture,” said Hawkins, of Louisville, Ky. He recently won the Workman Prize and has had one of his paintings displayed in the Ohio Governor’s Office.
paintings by Hawkins
“In addition to its modern furniture lines, Grid Furnishings features works by independent furniture makers and artists and other regional artists, so sponsoring the art show is an extension of our commitment to art and design,” said owner and design veteran Timothy Friar, who also was a judge in the AICUO competition. The art featured in Medium Rare can be viewed online at http://www.GridFurnishings.com.
For the AICUO competition, independent colleges statewide nominated two outstanding senior artists; Ohio independent art colleges were able to nominate three senior artists. To see work of the six winnings artists, visit http://www.aicuoartaward.com. Other Short North galleries exhibiting winning artwork May 5 are the Sharon Weiss Gallery, Sherrie Gallerie, Studios on High and PM Gallery.
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