The Archives will open a number of must-see exhibitions for the 2024 fall season. We start off in September with The Beauty and Influence of Appalachia, a large survey exhibitionof artistscurated by Lisa Kenion. Her hope as curator of this exhibition is that the influence and beauty of the region can be appreciated through the art created by those who currently live in, or are descended from the people of this diverse, underrepresented, and often misunderstood region of our country.

Kenion writes about the shaping of the culture of the Appalachian region based on the diversity of its ecosystems, geology, and the various groups of peoples that settled there. She expresses the sentiment that “the merging of these influences is what gives the region its resonance.” Native Americans; African Americans; and waves of European immigrants from several different countries; Scottish, Irish, English, and German culture among others, have all left their mark on things like food, music, and many other aspects of contemporary American culture. Because the influence of the Appalachian people has now gone beyond its boundaries to become a part of the culture of mainstream America, Kenion took a wider perspective on the geographic parameters of the region when selecting artists. The final exhibition includes the work of fifteen representative artists drawn from Ohio, as well as neighboring states like Pennsylvania and as far south as North Carolina. Their interests range from the depiction of the sheer beauty of the landscape to history, folklore, social commentary on the impact of climate change, drug addiction, and inequality. A shared commonality between all the artists is the inspiration and appreciation derived from either the land or its people.

A major part of The Beauty and Influence of Appalachia are the musical traditions, which will be the focus of a number of programs taking place throughout the exhibition. Live music performed by Joe Thrift & Mark Olitsky will happen during the opening reception, followed by a violin-making demo by Thrift the next day. Later in October, Olitski will perform again with Cary Moskovitz. Mark Olitsky is widely regarded for his unusual, driving clawhammer banjo style. Mark has given many workshops at festivals and music camps and won ribbons at old-time conventions throughout the South. Joe Thrift has been making fine violins, violas and cellos since 2016 using the highest-quality European wood, and his own varnish and color. Trained in England, he has memberships in the Violin Society of America and the Southern Violin Association, and currently teaches violin-making at Surry Community College in Mount Airy, North Carolina, where he instructs students on making copies of the Italian Masters. Cary Moskovitz is a multi-instrumentalist and singer who has performed solo and in bands over the past forty years. He has a unique four-string banjo style and has won many competition ribbons. If you are a fan of old time bluegrass, folk, or banjo and fiddle music, don’t miss any of these programs.

Kenion herself holds a personal interest in the Appalachian region. She was born and grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, and attended East Carolina University, earning a BFA in painting in 1982. She moved to Ohio after graduation, and in 1983 began attending graduate school at Kent State University. After earning her MFA in painting, Kenion began working as a contractor casting bronze at the Studio Foundry, here on Cleveland’s East Side. Eventually she and three associates bought the foundry, which has been a successful casting facility hired by many sculptors for both private and public commissions. Lisa’s own award-winning works have been shown extensively throughout Northeast Ohio, as well as North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and New York.

In September, The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve (AAWR) is proud to present the NewNow 2024, one of Northeast Ohio’s (NEO) premier competitive art exhibitions. Previously a biennial exhibition, this will be the eighth year we have partnered with Tri-C East to hold this AAWR satellite exhibition in their beautiful Gallery East, located on the Highland Hills campus. Since its inception in 2014 the NewNow has been a vastly different exhibition each year, based on the jurors’ selections. Each year a different juror is selected from outside of the Cleveland metropolitan area, and each year the exhibition of around 75 works provides an outstanding example of the quality and diversity of the art being done here in NEO. The NewNow was conceived as a means to highlight and celebrate this variety for the world to see, and it continues to do so.

This year’s multi-media show was juried by George Whitten, who is currently the executive director of the Mansfield Art Center, a position he has held since 2014. In addition to being an active community leader of the arts, Whitten is also a well-respected practicing artist and teacher. He received his BFA at Florida Atlantic University and earned his MFA at Wichita State University. Whitten’s ceramics, sculptures, and paintings are represented in national and international private, corporate, university and museum collections. Whitten recently received the Ohio Designer Craftsmen’s Outstanding Achievement Award for his support of artists across the state and region and for engaging the community in the arts.

We round out our fall exhibitions with a solo retrospective for new Archived Artist George Kocar, and an exhibition Kocar has curated, Funny Stuff, based on his own personal collection of artworks by regional artists.

Funny Stuff includes painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media and much more. The show explores distinct aspects of humorous art, from whimsical to dark, and ironic to plain silly. Artists in the show are Angela Oster, Justin Will, Chuck Wimmer, Gary and Laura Dumm, Ron Hill, Victor Melargo, Leslie Humez, Terry (T.P.) Speer, Deborah Banyas, Gerry Shamray, Scott Pickering, Will Wilson, Laurel Herbold, Nina Vivian Huryn, Justin Brennan, Ed Raffel, Gwen Waight, Billy the Robot, Marvin Jones, Annie Becker, Donna Coleman, PJ Halliwell, Scott Kraynak, Pat Sandy, Eric Rippert, Gail Trunick, and Melissa Bollen.

George Kocar is an award-winning artist who has had over fifty solo shows and has been in over five hundred invitational and juried group shows across the United States, and internationally in Paris and Tokyo. A native of Ohio, Kocar received his BFA from Cleveland State University and his MFA from Syracuse University. In addition to a lengthy career working for American Greetings, he was commissioned to do illustrations for Playboy, Esquire, The New York Times, and numerous others. He is listed in Who’s Who in American Art, and has work in many museum and private collections. Kocar has completed several books of his work including, The Flying Banana published in 2019. The man has a lot of credentials, and his work is distinctive, and highly recognizable. He uses his original cartoon imagery combined with art historical references, and a mash-up of styles, to make dark, satirical commentary on society, politics, and the general absurdity of life and people. He is an artist who draws or paints every day of his life, as is evidenced by his mad technical skills. His solo exhibition will feature works from the Archives permanent collection, combined with works on loan from the artist.

ARTISTS ARCHIVES OF THE WESTERN RESERVE
1834 East 123rd Street

Cleveland, Ohio 44106

artistsarchives.org

216.721.9020

EVENTS

The Beauty & Influence of Appalachia, September 6–November 2. Opening reception 5:30-8pm Friday, September 6. Live music during the reception provided by Joe Thrift & Mark Olitsky

Art Bites–Professional Practices: Musician & luthier Joe Thrift will host a violin-making demo at AAWR 1-2:30pm Saturday, September 7. FREE, but RSVP required at artistsarchives.org

NewNow 2024, September 12–October 17. Opening reception & awards ceremony 6-8:30pm Thursday, September 12. Exhibit held at Gallery East on the Tri-C Eastern Campus, 4250 Richmond Road, Highland Hills

Art Bites–Performances: Musicians Cary Moskovitz & Mark Olitsky, 8-9pm Saturday, October 12. FREE, but RSVP required at artistsarchives.org

Funny Stuff & George Kocar Retrospective, November 14, 2024–January 11, 2025. Opening reception 5:30-8pm Thursday, November 14. Funny Stuff curated by Archived Artist George Kocar will coincide with a solo exhibition featuring Kocar as a new Archived Artist.

Art Bites–Curators Talk: George Kocar, 1-2pm Saturday, November 23. In-person in the AAWR Gallery. Register on artistsarchives.org.