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    “Off the Wall” is Out of the Ordinary at the McConnell Arts Center

    The Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center  latest exhibit by the Ohio Art League, “Off the Wall,” is an eclectic mix of sculptures, installations, robots, and three-dimensional paintings that explores the definition of today’s art. The exhibit demonstrates “how something is done, rather than what it is” and challenges guests to come to their own conclusions on the definition of art. The term “art” has had multiple connotations throughout the centuries and today, “Off the Wall” proves only the individual has the capability of answering the longstanding question, “What is art?”

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    When viewers first enter the gallery, they are stricken with a sense of bewilderment as they take in the extreme uniqueness of the show and variety of artwork within one area. In the distance, the industrial robot design, “One Way of Doing Something” by Nate Ricciuto can be heard grinding away, clashing with the vocals of Tatiana Svrckova’s “Coalescence.”

    Behind a wall, the viewer discovers the childhood bedroom of artist Timothy Jude Smith, an installation justifiably named “Re-Inhabitation” where he displays how children “curate” their personal space just as artists do with their work as an adult. These choices are representative of personal style and an individual’s cultural choices throughout the entire life process.

    Timothy Jude Smith, "Re-Inhabitation"

    Stephen Takacs also joins the past and present with his “Victrola Obscura,” a reinvented music-making device that now creates images. An interactive piece, viewers are invited to trace the image projected from the device and hang the final product on the facing wall, creating an ongoing artists project while the exhibit is on display.

    Stephen Takacs, “Victrola Obscura”

    Perhaps one of the most aesthetic pieces, Denise Buckley’s “Sumo Man” exudes tranquility and meditative spirituality while speaking of a strong, aggressive culture far beyond that of today. Her purposefully wrought imperfections blend with the undulating rods to complete the essence of this mysteriously beautiful sculpture.

    Denise Buckley, “Sumo Man," left and Tyler Bohm, “Gnosis,” right.

    “Off the Wall” exudes the continuous debate between life’s simplicity and intricacy. Many of the pieces exemplify the contrasts of life’s beauty and rawness with its harshness and imperfections, while others show the connection between human life and technology. There is a guarantee the viewer will step out of the gallery still thinking about the artwork they just witnessed and trying to decide for themselves how exactly “art” can be defined.

    Off the Wall” displays the work of 13 Ohio Art League artists, juried by Mary Jo Bole, a professor in the Fine Arts Department at the Ohio State University. The exhibit will be on display in the McConnell Arts Center’s main gallery through January 8, 2012. Admission is free. The McConnell Arts Center is located at 777 Evening Street, Worthington, OH 43085. Tel. 614.431.0329.

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