Upon entering the Fort Hayes Shot Tower, I was struck by the airy spaciousness and simplicity of the environment. There was artwork hung up on the walls carefully, while the light shining in from the windows made its own art on the polished wooden floor. The Ohio Art League is here for its Fall Juried Exhibition.
The Ohio Art League was formed in 1909 by graduates of the Columbus College of Art and Design. It is a way for a wide range of artists, from emerging to professional, to come together and create opportunities.
“The organization is old and rich and has had a lot of amazing artists in exhibitions,” says Kimberly Webb, OAL’s new Executive Director.
The show was very impressive, and filled to the brim with amazing pieces. It was curated in such a fantastic way, allowing you to stand really in any spot on the floor and look across the entire room. Certain walls had multiple pieces on them, making it aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but a little difficult to decipher which artist made which piece. Searching for this took your focus away from the art briefly.
But other walls just had one individual piece, spaced out between windows. So as you were walking, it was very easy to really focus your attention on those works.
The art featured was so diverse, you never ran into pieces that were similar. The art ranged from paintings, on a vast variety of surfaces and sizes. There were ceramic pots, sketches, even fabrics and textiles. It was inspiring to be in a room filled with so much creativity and originality.
“We want to make art accessible to everyone,” says Webb. There seemed to be art there that would appeal to a vast majority of tastes. It would be hard to leave the show and not have felt connected to at least one piece, which is always a great feeling.
The Ohio Art League gives artists opportunities to showcase their work, and to get their creativity out to the public. The League has a very bright future ahead filled with new and exciting art and exhibitions.
“People being excited and believing in something really allows it to grow,” adds Webb. “We are all on the same mission.”
The OAL Fall Juried Show runs through October 15th. For more information, visit www.oal.org.