Written by John Finn 330-263-2145 Email Story | Print Story

October 6, 2003

Stephen Litchfield's "Revised Standard Version #63" has been chosen to receive the juror's award on Oct. 17.

WOOSTER, Ohio - Selected works from 29 area artists will be on display at The College of Wooster Art Museum in convergence, a professional juried exhibition that opens on Friday, Oct. 17, and continues through Friday, Dec. 5. The opening reception, featuring the music of Mike Gorrell and Dave Miller, will be held Oct. 17, from 7-9 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7:30 p.m. The exhibition and reception, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Art Museum, located in the Ebert Art Center (1220 Beall Ave.) on The College of Wooster campus.

Organized by the Wayne Center for the Arts and The College of Wooster Art Museum, convergence highlights the creative endeavors of artists residing within a 40-mile radius of Wooster. Juried by Dennis Harrington, director of the Weston Art Gallery in Cincinnati, the exhibition features a range of works in such media as photography, watercolor, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, and video. After reviewing the work submitted, Harrington said he was Àreminded once again of the diversity and great wealth of artistic talent in Ohio.

According to Jarrod Hartzler, education coordinator of the Wayne Center for the Arts, "This collaboration between the College, the Wayne Center for the Arts, and regional artists brings many segments of the community together and presents an exciting proposition for everyone. Kitty McManus Zurko, director/curator of The College of Wooster Art Museum commented that "Not unexpectedly, the quality of the work submitted was quite high."

More than 200 works were entered by over 70 area artists. From those entries, 51 were selected by Harrington. Seven awards will be presented by the Wayne Center for the Arts. These awards were made possible by support from the Joseph and Helen Weltmer Charitable Fund and the Jerry and Florence Shapiro Charitable Fund at the Greater Wayne County Foundation.

The juror's award will go to Stephen Litchfield of Ravenna for "Revised Standard Version #63." Damond Howard of Gambier and Jean Kondo Weigl of Oberlin will receive merit awards.

Four artists will receive honorable mention awards: Mark Alexander of Millersburg, Marcella Hackbardt and Karen Snouffer of Gambier, and Dylan Ethan Collins of Kent. Wooster artists represented in the exhibition are Elaine Battles, Elizabeth Dooher, Joseph Hartzler, Susan Shie, and James Acord.

The College of Wooster Art Museum presents temporary, rotating exhibitions from September to May each year in the Ebert Art Center. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. except during College breaks. All receptions, lectures, and exhibitions are free and open to the public. Group tours are also available. The 2003-2004 exhibition season is supported in part by the Ohio Arts Council through state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

Wayne Center for the Arts is a non-profit arts organization established in 1973. Its mission is to strengthen the community by enriching people¡s lives through the arts. The organization is located in the old Walnut Street School in downtown Wooster. The Arts Center is funded in part by private support from patrons, foundations and businesses in addition to public funding by the Ohio Arts Council.

For more information about convergence, call 330-263-2495 or visit www.wooster.edu/artmuseum.