A&D Alumni News

Alumni News: 2009–10

art for A&D stamp Call for Entries
In May 1961, ONU’s first student graduated with a major in art. Fifty years later, the department of art & design has grown to four major programs with over 250 alumni.

In recognition of this milestone, alumni are invited to submit artwork for a postage stamp design. General guidelines include original art; a square format (no larger than 8x8 inches); any media (two-dimensional only); and must reflect a theme of the visual arts at Ohio Northern.

When submitting art for consideration, please include a short description of the concept. Also on a separate sheet of paper, please supply contact information for the artist. Send all completed documentation to Ohio Northern University, Department of Art & Design, c/o Prof. Brit Rowe, 525 S. Main Street, Ada, Ohio 45810.

One winning artwork will be selected on the basis of concept and design by a panel of ONU faculty and students. Other submitted artwork will be on display in the Wilson Art Center during the 50th anniversary celebration.

Deadline for consideration is September 27, 2010.

Corle and Corle Exhibit The American Gallery Hosts Exhibition by ONU Graduates
November—Ohio Northern University alumni Ed Corle (BA ’78) and Laura Barnhardt-Corle (BA ’77) opened their exhibition, “Paintings and Pots,” this past weekend and will continue through Nov. 30 in the American Gallery, 6600 Sylvania Ave. in Sylvania. A reception for the artists was held Saturday, November 14.

The gallery represents many local and regional artists from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Owned and operated by Toni Andrews, the American Gallery hosts special monthly exhibits by regional and national artists. This month, the two-person exhibit features functional ceramics by Ed and detailed watercolors by his wife Laura.

The American Gallery also owns a small collection of work that includes paintings, prints, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, fibers and a large offering of studio glass from the area. Many pieces in the collection, and in the exhibit, are for sale.

Ed is currently an associate professor of art at The University of Findlay where he teaches ceramics, sculpture and three-dimensional design. He graduated from Ohio Northern University and earned his Masters of Fine Arts degree in 1982 from Rochester Institute of Technology School for the American Craftsmen. He has participated in countless art shows including the Toledo Art Museum’s Area Artists’ Exhibition. In addition, he participated in numerous art fairs and festivals and is a member of the Findlay Art League, The Michigan Guild and the Ohio Designer Craftsmen.

Laura is currently an adjunct instructor in art at Ohio Northern where she teaches art appreciation. She has been with ONU since 2006. She earned her BFA degree in art from ONU, is a free-lance artist in the Findlay area, and teaches eight-week watercolor classes in her studio.

Laura has exhibited locally, regionally and nationally. Her work has been accepted in countless art shows. She also has participated in many art fairs and festivals such as the Ann Arbor Art Fair and the Black Swamp Arts Festival. She is a member of the Findlay Art League and has a studio in the Jones Building in Findlay.

Ohio Northern offers both the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees with majors in advertising design, art education, graphic design and studio arts. The department of A&D holds memberships in national organizations such as the National Art Education Association, College Art Association, Foundations in Art: Theory and Education and the National Council on Education of Ceramic Arts. The department is recognized in the second edition of “Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers” as one of the best creative programs nationwide. For additional information about the department of art & design, contact the department at 419.772.2160.

Harry Melroy Findlay Art League 2009 Juried Show Features ONU Alumni
November—The Findlay Art League 2009 Juried Show, held in conjunction with the Arts Partnership’s ArtWalk, opened to the public Friday, November 6. Two Ohio Northern University alumni garnered recognition during an awards ceremony held in the Findlay Art League gallery.

The show, opened to artists in the northwest Ohio area, was judged by Dominic Catalano, assistant professor of art education in the school of art at Bowling Green State University. He he works professionally as an illustrator of children’s books.

Harry Melroy, a 1971 graduate, earned an honorable mention award for “Three Hungry Dogs,” a graphite and white pencil on paper.

With BA degree in art from Ohio Northern University, Harry currently teaches art at Mohawk junior high school in Sycamore, Ohio. He also taught at both the University of Findlay and Tiffin University. Harry has won numerous awards for his work and has recently exhibited at the Sculpture Center in Cleveland, the Toledo Museum of Art’s Toledo Area Artists Exhibition, the Mansfield Art Center, Cleveland State University, the University of Minnesota/Morris and the Projects Gallery in Philadelphia, Pa.

Laura Barnhardt-Corle, a 1977 graduate of Ohio Northern, received honorable mention for “Done Lilies,” a watercolor on paper.

The Findlay Art League was organized in 1948 as an outgrowth of the adult education class in art sponsored by the Findlay Board of Education. It is the oldest continuing art organization in the area and is composed of both professional and amateur artists. The Findlay Art League’s purpose is to advance the knowledge of art in the community and give its members an opportunity to study, work and exhibit.

Admission to the exhibit is free, and open to the public, and runs through Saturday, November 21, 2009. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 11a.m.- 2p.m., Friday 5-8p.m., Saturday from 11a.m.-5p.m. and closed Sunday and Monday. The gallery is located at 117 W. Crawford Street in Findlay.

image: Three Hungary Dogs, charcoal and white pencil, by Harry Melroy.

Harry Melroy ONU Alumnus Reveals Creative Process in Exhibit
November—For many artists, they are committed to a life process of creativity and how that is expressed and manifested in what they do.

For one of Ohio Northern University’s alumni, Harry Melroy (BA ’71) is also passionate about the creative process. During the next two months, the documentation of his commitment to a process of creativity is revealed.

Harry Melroy, along with ONU Professor Melissa Eddings, is included in an exhibit at Bluffton University called “In the Beginning: The Creative Process Revealed.” The show runs from Monday, November 9, through Friday, December 18 in the Grace Albrecht Gallery of Sauder Visual Arts Center. Gallery hours are Monday–Friday, 9a.m. to 5p.m. and Saturday–Sunday, 1p.m. to 5p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

“In the Beginning: The Creative Process Revealed” is an exhibit of preliminary works by a very diverse group of artists in a variety of mediums. The works in the exhibit reveal the intuitive creative process on its course to a formal, finished piece of art.

Working on a piece from the beginning gives an artist a chance to rethink their creative process and reformat their style. “Many artists consider the preliminary work they do as the most important part of the creative process because it is the first stage of conceptual exploration,” explains Phil Sugden, professor and exhibit curator at Bluffton. “In some cases, it involves creating or revising the artist’s visual language.”

Though Harry describes his process as a little more intuitive than others’ in the show, he said that the subject matter in his artwork comes from many places.

“I do prefer to read histories and biographies,” explains Harry. “Stories of the macabre and fantastic have interested me since childhood.”

“I grew up spellbound by science fiction and horror films. Some people find it strange that my preference in reading material has almost always been non-fiction. It is from this blend of influences that I draw my scenes of surreal images and detached logic.”

“While I never consider what meaning the imagery may have,” said Harry, “I’m certain there is a reason for all the subject selection. No artist, in any medium, works in a totally random fashion or simply pulls things out of nowhere. Nothing comes from a vacuum, imagined or otherwise.”

With an undergraduate degree from Ohio Northern University, Harry currently teaches art at Mohawk junior high school in Sycamore, Ohio. He also taught at both the University of Findlay and Tiffin University. Harry has won numerous awards for his work and has recently exhibited at the Sculpture Center in Cleveland, the Toledo Museum of Art’s Toledo Area Artists Exhibition, the Mansfield Art Center, Cleveland State University, the University of Minnesota/Morris and the Projects Gallery in Philadelphia, Pa.

image: preliminary sketches, sketchbooks and formal painting “Eviction Notice,” acrylic on canvas by Harry Melroy

Dave Houghton ONU Graduate Featured in First Solo Exhibition
November—ONU alumnus David Houghton is a self-proclaimed wildlife enthusiast, a nature lover and a mosquito non-lover.

He is also a stay-at-home dad and a business owner. “Both have great rewards and take a lot more time and energy than I ever thought,” professed Dave.

“As an owner and ceramic potter, I am the guy responsible for making the mess in my studio,” explained Dave.

The seemingly disorder of Dave’s studio has produced something worthwhile—his own business and his first solo exhibition of his ceramic work.

The pottery of David Houghton is now on display in the ArtZone Gallery at ArtSpace in Lima, Ohio. The exhibit is open through December.

“This is my first show featuring my wood-fired pottery and salt glazed pottery,” said Dave.

“A lot of my work is hand-thrown and either fired in a salt-glaze kiln or in a wood-fired kiln. Both firing methods produce results that suggest textures found in nature. Wood firing especially creates a variety of textures ranging from rock, bark and moss to the sheen of a quiet pond and flame markings reminiscent of sunsets.”

Dave graduated from Ohio Northern University in 1998 with a BFA degree in art. Professor Emeritus Bruce Chesser, now retired, was Dave’s ceramics instructor as an undergraduate student in the art & design department. Prof. Luke Sheets, now the ceramics instructor at ONU, is also one of Dave’s best friends and mentors.

“The faculty at Ohio Northern provided much more than just a technical education on how to create artwork,” explained Dave. “They were a springboard for self-discovery and direction, both as an artist and as a person.”

After graduation, Dave worked as a graphic designer for Ceramics Monthly, a magazine published in Columbus, Ohio. But, shortly after having children, Dave quit his job and started his own business, Long Pond Pottery.

Dave’s company is located in Cable, Ohio. “My studio is a 12' by 24' built in my garage. I have two wheels, my favorite being a Thomas Stuart electric wheel, a small wedging table, a few sets of shelves and a work table.”

“My business is a couple years old and I owe a big ‘thank you’ to the Ohio Northern faculty, both current and retired, who have continued to support and encourage me during these last few years of getting started,” said Dave. “The art and design department at Ohio Northern University had the facilities and equipment that allowed me to… catch a glimpse of what was possible.”

Admission to the ArtZone Gallery is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10a.m.–5p.m., Saturday, 10a.m.–2p.m. and closed Sunday and Monday. Please contact ArtSpace for additional information (419.222.1721).

ArtSpace/Lima is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing visual arts to the West Central Ohio region including. Its organization occupies a turn-of-the-century three-story brick building in the North West quadrant of Town Square in Downtown Lima, Ohio.

Ohio Northern offers both the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees with majors in advertising design, art education, graphic design and studio arts. The department of A&D holds memberships in national organizations such as the National Art Education Association, College Art Association, Foundations in Art: Theory and Education and the National Council on Education of Ceramic Arts. The department is recognized in the second edition of “Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers” as one of the top 200 creative programs nationwide. For additional information about the department of art & design, call 419.772.2160 or email art@onu.edu.

Mike Sanata ONU Graduate Curates Exhibit of the Artistry and Culture of Automobiles
November—Laura Lofgren, Kent News—For more than 100 years, the automobile has affected the world in significant stages. Whether it is changing the way we get from point A to B, to being a status symbol, to being one of the top reasons for environmental pollution, the vehicle has shaped the world into what it is today, and artists have been there every step to capture it.

Michael Sanata, a third-year graduate student and teaching assistant at Kent State University, has curated the School of Art Gallery's latest show, "Automobile in Art: Beauty in Motion."

The exhibit displays works from several artists, depicting the transition of the automobile from its beginning stages to the 21^st century.

“I wanted to show the changing perception of the automobile over the years,” Sanata said.

Into the 1920s, the car, with the exception of the Model T Ford, was only for the wealthy and was seen as a status symbol.

“It was a sign of class and status and wealth," Sanata said.

Through the '30s, '40s and '50s, people became more accepting of the automobile. It brought people closer together; people were no longer isolated to one area.

“The boundaries of the world kind of shrunk," Sanata said. "It was the coming of the idea of 'planned obsolescence.' (The car) became the equivalent of watching TV today. You're in a set spot moving through space."

The middle of the '60s and '70s, Sanata said, was around the time when EPA emissions and safety regulations began to take into account how much pollution cars created.

“The car suddenly became a burden,” Sanata said. "We became dependent on foreign oil. We were no longer self-serving."

Into the decadent 1980s and 1990s, the car regained its symbol status.

Now people understand the severe impact on the environment that vehicles have had and are taking steps to reverse the damaging effects.

“Today, the vehicle is art,” Sanata said.

The biggest piece in Sanata's exhibit is a 1960 Austin Healey 300 Mark I VT7, which is the centerpiece of the show.

Other works include those of Kent State professors, Andy Warhol, Edward Hopper and photographer Zoltan Glass.

The piece by Glass depicts a nude female on top of a Mercedes-Benz.

"This ties in with the notion that the automobile was compared to the woman's body," Sanata said. "The idea of driving the car was associated with the idea of sex. Getting to the car and driving it was a sexual innuendo. The back was the woman's behind and the front, her arms or breasts."

The main message Sanata said he wants to get across to viewers is how the art world works with the outside world.

"I want people to see how perception changes over time," he said.

Sanata graduated with a BFA degree in art/graphic design in 2004 from Ohio Northern University. Since then, he has worked as a free-lance photographer with interest in vintage automobile racing for car magazines.

"The Automobile in Art: Beauty in Motion" exhibit will run until Nov. 20. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11a.m. to 5p.m. For details, call the school’s art gallery: 330-672-7853.

image: ONU art/graphic design graduate Michael Sanata at his recent gallery opening.

From Coaching to Fine Art: 1934 ONU alumnus continues to paint
October—Whether the setting was a gymnasium, a football field, or an art studio, Phil Shipe (BA ’34) has always found life and the people around him interesting. Something of a philosopher, Shipe looked back over the choices, the events, and the people he met in his 83 years and decided they added up to some satisfying memories.

He attended Simon Gratz high school in Philadelphia, a large school with 5,000 students in the upper three grades. It was so big, he says, “I was there for two years before I ever saw the girl I would marry, Mary Pemberton Freed.”

After high school graduation, Shipe had academic decisions to make. He had lost out on a football scholarship at Penn State because of a high school football injury, but he had also been offered a scholarship to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. His love for athletics won over art as a career, and he turned down the art scholarship.

The country was entering the period of the “Great Depression.” Decisions had to be made with finances in mind, so Shipe decided to look for a small college with a tuition he could afford. The most important qualification was that it offered a major in physical education.

At his Methodist Church, he found information on Ohio Northern. Shipe says he had never been west of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania so Ada, Ohio seemed “way out west.” But the Pennsylvania railroad went through the town and the Lincoln Highway was close so he could hitchhike home. In the kind of quip his friends wait for, he told a reporter, “The cultured East sent missionaries to Ohio, men like Johnny Appleseed, Anthony Wayne, and Phil Shipe.”

When he looks back on his Ohio Northern years, he decides, “I ran into some very fine people.” He remembers President Williams “who greatly impressed me,” and his English professor, Dr. C.H. Freeman, who “was an outstanding teacher.” Of his coaches, Clyde and Harris Lamb, he says, “If I’d looked the world over, I don’t think I could have found two better people to be associated with for four years in athletics.”

He was an active student, playing football and participating in track. A class officer, president of the Y.M.C.A. and a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, Phil has some good memories of faculty and students he met during his four years at ONU.

After graduation in 1934, the country was deeper into the depression and jobs were scarce. The Lamb brothers loaned him their Fords so he could look for a job. He says he must have covered 2,500 miles before he found a teaching job in Fulton County at a little town named Ai (pronounced A-eye).

When he reported for work in Ai, he found he was the principal as well as the teacher for six subjects, including art, and the coach for all boys’ and girls’ sports. His salary was $975 a year, and he paid $7 a week for room, board, and laundry. The only catch was that he had to share the room and the bed with the superintendent. “Never thought I’d say I slept with a superintendent,” he says.

Phil Shipe The next year, he married “Pem,” the girl he met in the Philadelphia high school halls. It’s evident that was a wise decision for the Shipes have celebrated a 58th wedding anniversary. Their first home was a farmhouse without plumbing or electricity, but at least Phil could leave the bed he shared with the superintendent, “a great guy,” but he snored.

Fremont, Ohio, where he was an assistant football coach, was a one-year stop for the Shipes. Phil wanted the chance to be a head football coach and when he heard the coaching job was open at Ada, he applied and was hired. In Fremont, he had met the brother of the superintendent whose bed he had shared in Ai. After he told Clinton Roberson that the principal’s job in Ada was open, the Robersons’ and Shipes’ belongings came to Ada in the same moving van. The Roberson Boys, Randall and Arden, were part of the exodus from Fremont. Later, Arden “Stretch” became the ONU football coach.

For Shipe, Ada was like homecoming. When he was an ONU athlete, he and his roommate, Hadley Watts, had formed a sports club for some Ada grade school boys who hung around outside their fraternity house. Now, Shipe was the football coach and some of those boys had grown up and were part of his high school team. He calls the Ada experience, “another good three years with a great group of young people.”

It was at Ada that Shipe recalls, “I first talked my way out of having a study hall.” Mr. Floyd, the superintendent, let him start an art class instead. When he coached at Defiance, he started another art class and avoided another study hall. He thinks that at both schools, it was the first art department they had.

After earning a master’s degree and most of a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, serving for two years on Navy ammunition ships in World War II, and returning for another three years at Defiance high school, he went to the College of Wooster as a coach in 1949. Shipe says most of his football players were in college because of the “G.I. Bill” and many of them, he says “had more combat experience than I had.” It was “like moving into the pros.”

The Wooster experience lasted for 30 years, as head football coach for 17 years, wrestling coach for 25, golf coach, teacher of physical education and a teacher in the freshman colloquium program. He retired in 1979. For Shipe, it was another great period in his life “spent with some fine people.”

When Shipe retired from the College of Wooster, some of the athletes he had on his teams in 25 years as wrestling coach started a collection for a fund they named “The Phil Shipe Go-To-Sea Fund.” Now for 12 summers, Phil and his wife, Pem, often accompanied by some of those fine people in their past, have gone to sea off the coast of Maine on a windjammer. The week of wind and sea are a time of adventure and reflection. The rest of the time Phil paints. On an earlier trip in 1967 to the east coast, that draws him to old ships and the sea, Phil encountered another influence on his life.

In 1966, he read a book review of “The Ringing of Bells,” by Eric Sloane, noted American painter, writer, and philosopher. Sloane advocated the ringing of bells on the Fourth of July instead of fireworks, believing that vibrations from bells were more positive than the sound of gun powder. He noted the use of bells in America since the ringing of the Liberty Bell and had convinced Congress to sign a proclamation asking people across America to ring bells at the same hour on the Fourth.

In 1967, the Shipes were in Mystic seaport on the Fourth of July when the bells rang. It reminded Phil of Eric Sloane, and he called him at his home. Sloane’s invitation to visit his barn studio was the beginning of a friendship that lasted until Sloane’s death in 1985.

Shipe says that Sloane not only gave him guidance for his art but “for general living.” Sharing Sloanes’ philosophy about art, he often paints ships, barns, and old churches from the American past, not to evoke a feeling of nostalgia, but to recreate an awareness of the spirit of that past.

His art studio, added to the house where he and Pem live in Wooster, reflects his interests all things connected with the sea and the ships; walls covered with paintings; tubes of paint and brushes; canvas and the barn siding he often uses instead of canvas. If anyone asks, he says he’s a painter. He tells everyone, “I don’t want to insult the art department by calling myself an artist.”

Shipe likes to paint what people ask him to paint. Even though he works quickly, sometimes the commissions pile up in the studio.

Sales from some of his dog and cat paintings have benefited humane societies. For the past number of years, he’s donated a painting for the Christmas cards sold as a fund raiser for the Wayne County hospice organization.

Hospice is a support group that allows terminally ill people to spend their remaining days at home surrounded by families and friends. Shipe has a great respect for this group. He says, “These people and their loved ones are facing one of the great mysteries, death, and they need our help.”

Shipe has received many awards in his years of teaching and coaching. He was given a place of honor in the ONU athletic Hall of Fame in 1976, and his paintings were given a show in the Elzay Art Gallery during Alumni Weekend in 1985.

Perhaps the most satisfying memories when he looks back over the years include some of “those fine people” he has met. Those people form an army of Phil Shipe fans, who with respect and affection, remember his influence on their lives.

Amy Corle From Intern to Director: Ohio Northern Alumna Serves as Director of Visitors’ Services for Nation’s Largest Contemporary Art Museum
July 2009—Ohio Northern’s art and design program has served as a foundation for hundreds of careers affiliated with the arts. With alumni all over the world, it’s no wonder that they bring leadership and foresight to their professions. For one alumna, ONU certainly was the right choice for her.

“The flexibility of the independent study program in art allowed me to explore a museum career as an intern,” says Amy Corle (BFA ’88). “When I graduated, the position directly lead to a job with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, that I still enjoy today.”

“I had a great internship experience at MCA,” explains Amy. “It was an exciting time. There was so much going on, including the beginning stages of a new building. Jeff Koons and Nancy Spero, some of the most famous contemporary artists of our time, were installing work at the Museum. And who could ever forget the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition.”

Amy is the director of visitor services and manager of internal marketing at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. She hires, trains and supervises a 17-member staff in front-desk admissions, information, box office, and many other services. She’s also developing a customer service manual for the security staff.

Since her humbling beginnings at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, she has witnessed the Museum’s rapid expansion. In July 1996, the museum moved to a new building more than five times larger than its previous site. The staff grew from 75 to 200. “We still try to maintain a small, friendly feeling for visitors,” explains Amy.

To keep herself fresh and in touch with her staff’s capacity and the public’s needs, she tries to work on the floor as much as possible. One full day a week, she serves as floor manager. The rest of the week she spends up to three hours a day filling-in for employees who are absent.

“In the old building, it was easy to provide customer service because it was so small,” remembered Amy Corle, who became visitor services manager at the time of the move. “People walked up to the front desk all the time to talk about the art. People still do that in the new building, but we have to work harder to keep the feeling of intimacy and accessibility.”

“Part of my job is to make sure that every employee understands that anyone who enters the museum must be made to feel welcome,” says Amy. “Attention to visitor service is the key to our success.”

Contemporary art can be challenging for some visitors entering the Museum. “We know that visitors may have difficulties grappling with [some of the art],” explains Amy. “They must not be hampered in their consideration of the art by distractions or discomforts. We try to make the visit as nice and easy as possible, because the art often isn’t like that.”

Amy also testifies that she works with some wonderful, experienced people in her field. “Fortunately, we have some top-notch professionals working at the Museum. Our director, Madeleine Grynsztejn, joined the museum in 2008 after serving at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She wants the museum to be open and accessible and visitors to feel comfortable and well-treated.”

One way the museum increases its accessibility is by staying open late on Tuesdays and making admission free for the entire day. “Even though we won’t be collecting admission then, it would be wrong to think we need fewer staff on duty,” says Amy. “We attract more people and there are a lot of first-time visitors who have questions and need help.”

“We even have a concierge-like service,” explains Amy. “If a visitor asks for directions to a restaurant, we’d like our front desk staff to not only provide the information, but offer to call and make a reservation,” she said. “We want to provide outstanding service to strengthen the visitor’s connection to the museum, but we also see ourselves as contributing to tourism in the city.”

The contemporary art itself sometimes prompts strong reactions from visitors, according to Amy. “The biggest, most frequent complaint we get is about the art. Some people will say it’s not art, it’s a hoax or something’s offensive to them.”

To handle the complaints, she said the staff had to learn more about conflict resolution and how to handle people who are upset. “We listen and empathize without agreeing,” she explained. “We might say something like ‘I’m sorry you’re so upset and I’ll share your comments with the rest of the staff.’ Then we’ll offer them a comment card so they can put their feelings in their own words.”

“We do everything we can to appease them,” she continued. “If they want, we give them their money back, and we give free passes for future shows. We will also offer them a free audio tour if they’re at all receptive to learning more about the work and possibly hearing the artist talk about it in his or her own words.”

Amy also needs to work with the visitor services staff to prepare them for public reaction to difficult work. “The front-of-house staff tours each exhibition with the curator,” clarifies Amy. “It’s essential that they have a basic understanding of the exhibition, and if there are difficult objects or aspects to the show, the public relations department works with them on developing responses.”

Not too long ago, the museum did prepare to open what they expected would be a controversial exhibition for some visitors. The show of works by Charles Ray featured a dozen nude mannequins. “With an exhibition like this,” said Amy, “we talk extensively about whether or not to alert visitors to the content of the show before they enter. We have to balance our interest in preserving the artist’s freedom of expression and the sensitivities of families.” On occasion, she said, the museum has put signs outside galleries stating that the exhibition includes some material that may not be appropriate for young visitors.

In such instances, Amy says, when anyone arrives with children, the staff will suggest they preview the exhibition before bringing in the children. “People appreciate the warning,” she said. “Sometimes the adults will take turns viewing the show, while steering the kids to the permanent collection. Parents may want to introduce their children to contemporary art, but they don’t want to be surprised.”

The Museum of Contemporary Art is one of the nation’s largest facilities devoted to contemporary art. Founded in 1945, the museum offers innovative and compelling programs along with works of art where the public can directly experience the ideas of living artists.

“It is indeed a privilege for me to work at MCA,” said Amy. “I am grateful to those involved in my education at Ohio Northern in making it possible for me to do an internship here.”

Dan Overly Blight to Beauty: ONU alumnus spends nine years creating paradise
August—Time has faded. So, too, has the wondering.

Dan Overly, 64, no longer plays the “what if?” game.

But he could.

What if he had continued with his own painting and sculpturing instead of dropping everything at the request of Gov. Bill Waller in 1972 to form and nurture the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi, now more than 400 strong?

What if the car he was driving hadn't been rear-ended at a red light in 1981, knocking him under the dashboard and setting off a chain of health problems?

What if, at the age of 55, the onset of what now has been diagnosed as congestive heart failure hadn't forced him into an assisted living apartment complex in north Jackson - where most of the residents were 30 years older?

Instead, he revels in the beauty and gift of every sunrise. And he enjoys the magic of perhaps his last piece of art - a garden that stretches across the back property line of his shared residence and takes the breath of those who walk through this 120-foot-long piece of paradise created over the past nine years.

It is filled with every kind of plant and tree imaginable, from bamboo to nandinas, from willows to oaks. Strategic pathways provide a sense of wonderment ... just what is around the next turn?

Overly, who often has trouble with his balance because of the heart disease's tightening grip, stands in what he considers the center of his real life brush stroke. He lifts a kettle from atop a smoldering chiminea, shakily pours himself a cup of tea, then eases into a wood chair.

“What a nice place,” he says, “to spend the end of your life.”

It would be easy for Overly to be angry.

At the time of the accident, he resided on a former plantation off Old Agency Road in Ridgeland.

“It was out in the boondocks back then,” he says, recalling that in 1981 County Line Road consisted of one convenience store and a lot of pasture land. Ridgeland had not experienced the flight from Jackson, or the construction of Northpark mall.

Dan Overly Overly lived alone in a small three-bedroom house that once served as slave quarters. He developed a 25-acre Japanese garden so splendid that author, gardener and adviser to the British Royal Family - the late Rosemary Verey of London - included Overly’s masterpiece in her 1994 book, Secret Gardens Revealed By Their Owners. Overly’s was one of only two American gardens featured. But the wreck changed his tranquil life.

"It was like sticking your toe in tar and you can't get loose," he says.

He underwent back surgery, after which he had to learn to walk again. He was eventually diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and then his heart condition.

In 2000, he moved into the Meadow Ridge apartment complex. "I wasn't thrilled about it," he says, "but it was the only sensible thing to do."

As soon as he settled in, Overly was disturbed by what he saw when he looked at the back of the property. Among the things cluttering his view: 32 school bus tires, piles of broken concrete, shattered windshields.

"It was a dump," says Donna Yowell, executive director of the Mississippi Urban Forestry Council and a longtime friend. "People who see the garden now cannot imagine how much work it took to get it the way Dan has it now."

With his health condition, Overly could only do a little at a time. But he was determined. The apartment complex helped him find a company to haul away the tires. Many of the chunks of concrete now line the garden's walk ways. Friends gave him cuttings of plants. He bought some on his own.

Nine years after its inception, the garden is eye-popping to first-time visitors and veteran gardeners alike.

Overly tends to it every day, body willing. Other residents walk through it or sit and read.

"Privacy is a concern, no matter where you live," he says. "I'm glad I've been able to provide that not only for myself but for anyone else who lives here and might want to take advantage of it."

A native of Ohio, Overly came to Mississippi in 1970 after earning degrees in art and biology from Ohio Northern University.

"I was working with a consulting firm that developed curriculums for middle schools," he says. "They sent me to Greenwood. I was supposed to be there two weeks, and I ended up staying. I liked the people. And Greenwood has a very strong arts community that really caught my eye."

He earned a master's degree in art education from Delta State University in 1972. He also taught at DSU and had a small studio in nearby Boyle, where he painted, sculpted and dabbled in stain glass.

That is when Gov. Waller asked him to develop the Craftsmen's Guild.

"I was worried at first that I couldn't find enough people," Overly says. "But Mississippi is amazing. You shake the bushes, and a lot of talented artists fall out."

Overly chuckles as he recalls the day Waller introduced him to the top executives of 45 state agencies.

"I was wearing orange and black shoes, some cutoff khakis and a blue T-shirt. Had hair down to my shoulders. I'm sure people wondered, 'Where in the world did this guy come from and what is he doing here?' " Overly says. "But Gov. Waller said, 'If Dan calls you, call him back yourself. Don't get someone else to do it. And whatever he needs, make sure he gets it.'

"And they did. It worked out beautifully."

His health issues forced Overly to resign from the Guild in 1987.

"Dan sacrificed his own interests, his own work, for the good of Mississippi," says Claudia Cartee, a professional clay artist since 1970 in Seminary. "The Guild became his baby. Dan knew how and where to find artists. It was amazing to watch him assemble such a diverse group of artists. I have so much respect for what he's done."

Many do. Overly was honored with the 1996 Governor's Award for art partnership.

Robert, his dad, was a civil engineer. Mom Jane worked as a newspaper reporter. One of two children, Overly went to college to become a dentist. "But my mom said one day, 'For someone who wants to be a dentist, you sure are taking a lot of art classes.' I was drawn to the arts without even knowing it."

He gives credit to a neighbor, whom he remembers only as "Aunt Abby."

"She taught me to garden," Overly says. "When she got too old, I became her knees and hands. And if I ever pulled up an interesting plant by mistake, she would never yell at me. She would say, 'Oh, I should have told you about that.' It was never my fault."

Those memories - and the love of gardening - comfort him now.

"This is me," he says, sipping his tea. "It's how I relate to the world.

"The plants and flowers keep me alive. You can get so down and feel so bad. But the next morning the pickleweed are going to bloom, and it makes you want to make it one more day."

It’s All “Kids Stuff” for ONU Graduate
June—Work by many artists are characterized for their innovative and influential brilliance. For one ONU graduate, Marilyn Lysohir (BA ’72) also has something in common with one of the world’s most significant artists. She is featured alongside with Alexander Calder in a new exhibit called “Kid Stuff” at the Boise Art Museum in Idaho.

“Kid Stuff” is an exhibition that explores the joy and excitement in the kid in everyone. The exhibit includes two- and three-dimensional objects in which artists reflect on the memories of childhood as well as objects and images of interest to children.

The artwork selected for the show is from the Boise Art Museum’s Permanent Collection and local, private collections. This whimsical exhibition also includes artists Craig Cully, Deborah Barrett, Michael Corney, David Gilhooly, Benjamin Jones and many others.

Working primarily as a clay sculpture artist, and in many situations as an installation artist, Lysohir’s versatility becomes apparent in “Chocolate Cake with Chile and Fish,” the work on display in “Kid Stuff.”

Examining Lysohir’s work, one art critic, stated, “Her ideas transcend those traditionally expected of ceramics.” Yet, another art critic mentioned, “Enigmas multiply into a complex epic when all sections in Lysohir’s installation are read as one, and what is at first intellectually confounding becomes at least emotionally concrete, much in the way a symphony is understood more by the heart than the head.”

“Kid Stuff” opens this month and runs through November 15. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10a.m. to 5p.m.; first Thursday of every month, 10a.m. to 9p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5p.m.; and closed on Mondays.

The Boise Art Museum (BAM) is the only American Association of Museums (AAM) accredited art museum in the State of Idaho. BAM plays a leadership role in the cultural life of its community through a growing Permanent Collection which focuses on regional and national artwork, nationally acclaimed exhibitions and an education program that reaches more than 13,000 students each year.

Lysohir’s work can be seen in most major ceramic texts and has been exhibited in many venues in the United States as well as in Canada, Denmark and Venezuela. In 2003, Lysohir was featured the “21st Century Ceramics in the United States and Canada” exhibition, which offered an extensive survey of the best of the top professional North American ceramists.

Born in 1950 in Sharon, PA, Lysohir studied at Ohio Northern University, at the Centro Internazionale Di Studi in Verona Italy (1970-71) and at Washington State University (MFA in 1979). She has taught at various schools such as the Kansas City Art Institute, the Ohio State University and New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred. In 2000, she was a visiting artist in residence at Ohio Northern University’s department of art & design.

Ohio Northern offers both the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees with majors in advertising design, art education, graphic design and studio arts. The department of A&D holds memberships in national organizations such as the National Art Education Association, College Art Association, Foundations in Art: Theory and Education and the National Council on Education of Ceramic Arts. The department is recognized in the second edition of “Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers” as one of the top 200 creative programs nationwide. For additional information about the department of art & design, contact the department at 419-772-2160.

image: The Boise Art Museum’s main entrance, 670 Julia Davis Drive, Boise, ID, 83702

ONU Alumnus Kyle Hotz’s Second Edition of “Dark Reign” To Make It’s Debut
June—Every month, from Spider-man to Wolverine, Marvel Comics publishes an assortment of comics. One of those comics reaching stores this week is the highly anticipated miniseries, Dark Reign: The Hood, illustrated by ONU graduate Kyle Hotz (BFA ’93).

This Wednesday marks the debut of Hotz’s second edition of the comic Dark Reign: The Hood. The first issue was published last month by Marvel Comics and now features the villain in a new frame of mind.

Working for almost a year in his studio, Hotz labored over sketches and comprehensives for his next assignment. “All the hard work pays off once I see the book published,” said Hotz. “I did the penciling and inking. I usually don’t see the color until it’s in print.”

Jeff Parker, the writer for the series, had several reasons why he was delighted to have worked with Hotz. “I liked the consistency it brings for Kyle to be back on the character.” Hotz created the character in the 2002 MAX limited series The Hood. Even with a new comic edition, his take on the character hasn’t changed much.

“It was cool to see him break out new artistic tricks here a few years later,” the writer stated. “Of course it’s really cool to just see him draw that hood and cape fluttering around.”

This edition of the Dark Reign: The Hood is receiving praise from many critics, both for storyline and the art. The story has taken a few twists and Hotz has intensified his illustrative skills.

“Parker was helped quite a bit by artist Kyle Hotz, who also drew the original mini-series,” said Matthew Brady of Comics Bulletin. “Hotz has an interesting, somewhat cartoony, exaggerated style, lending the evil doings here an outsized feel. Pages are full of gnarled tree branches, curling smoke, and wrinkled fabric, which looks pretty neat on the Hood’s cloak. It’s the ideal atmosphere for a comic about bad dudes and their bad deeds.”

Daniel Crown of Sign Comics also previewed the new edition of Dark Reign. “To me, this was much more interesting than a simple thug’s ascension into a position of power. And thanks in large part to Hotz’s outstanding return to the character he helped create, this issue proved a more than worthy follow up to what was perhaps Vaughan’s most underrated story… There is plenty to like here, even for the character’s biggest detractors.”

“Hotz brings some great artwork to the table here,” said Adam Chapman of Comixtreme. “The illustrations have a clear, clean art-style, which actually looks better in this issue than it previously did back in the first The Hood miniseries. Crisp and clean, the art tells the story very effectively and simply.”

With the books packaged and shipped, it’s evident that the second edition of Dark Reign: The Hood has gained notoriety. According to Chapman, “A great start to what should be a really interesting and enjoyable mini-series.”

Hotz has worked as an illustrator and writer of comic books since 1991. His work has appeared in a series published by Marvel Comics (Periscope Studios), DC Comics, Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics. He has completed work on Marvel’s Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal, The Man-Thing and The Hood under Marvel’s MAX Comics imprint. Often referred to as the “master of macabre,” Hotz created Mosaic in 1999 under Sirius, his first written and illustrated graphic novel. Other horror titles Hotz has worked on include Ghost Ride, Zombie, Criminal Macabre and Evil Ernie. In 2007 at DC Comics, his work won a Young Adult Library Services Association Award (Great Graphic Novels for Teens) for Bill the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities.

image: illustration from Dark Reign: The Hood by Kyle Hotz

Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute A Journey To Study Ceramics in the Porcelain Center of the World
June—With the brilliant spectacle of the Beijing Olympics now in the past, Abigail Mosbarger (BFA ’07) decided that it was time to make her first visit to China.

“I will be leaving this month as a graduate student to Jingdezhen, China,” explained Abigail. “I will be traveling almost everyday, but, I will be mostly studying at the only fine arts ceramic college in China called Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute.”

Ceramics have been produced for over 1,800 years in the city of Jingdezhen when the Emperor Zhenzong decreed that Changnanzhen, as the city was know then, should produce all of the porcelain used by the Imperial Court during the Jingde Period (1004-1007). The ceramic industry continued to develop there during the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. Today, Jingdezhen is a recognized center of porcelain production.

“I am interested in attending the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute because it is the premier academic program for ceramic arts in all of Asia,” said Abigail. “Because of the school’s history and location, it is considered the ‘Porcelain Capital of the World.’ It also has the largest and most comprehensive group of faculty and staff that continue to teach both ancient and contemporary craft techniques.” According to JCI, over 1,100 faculty and staff are employed at the university.

Abigail indicated that the Institute is responsible for placing more ceramic artist/teachers in programs throughout China, as well as Western institutions, than any other program.

The Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute is a unique ceramic university located in Jingdezhen, China. The school is one of the 31 national universities which has the authority to offer bachelor degrees in art and is one of 94 universities that has the authority to offer Chinese Government scholarships to international students pursuing master and bachelor degrees.

Based on the School of Ceramics founded in 1909, the Institute was reconstructed and renamed in 1958. With nearly 50 years of development, the Institute has turned into a professional, comprehensive, multi-disciplinary higher education institute for ceramics, devoted mainly to ceramic science as well as the liberal arts, business administration, economics, natural sciences, education and law.

The Institute is now well-known in the national and international ceramic area as an important teaching, research and culture exchange in the art, design and the engineering of ceramics.

A great importance is placed on international exchanges. Cooperative agreements have been established with over 20 countries including the United States, Japan, South Korea, England, Canada, and Finland and with many professional associations such as the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) in the United States.

At present, the Institute has 32 undergraduate programs and 23 postgraduate programs. The organization of the Institute consists of 11 schools and departments: School of Material Science and Engineering, School of Art & Design, School of Mechanical & Electronic Engineering, School of Business Administration, School of Information Engineering, Department of Thermal Engineering, Department of Foreign Language, Department of Social Science and Physical Education Department, adult education school and a sub-Institute—Science & Technology and Art Institute.

The Institute has two major campuses which stretches 350 acres. Enrollment reaches over 15,000 students from all over the country and has already enrolled more than 1,000 international students since 1958 when the university was established.

A unique aspect of the JCI is the series of science platforms in the ceramic area. A few of these centers include the Ceramic Culture Research Center of China, the Ceramic Intellectual Property and Information Center of China, and the China Ceramic Research Center. The Institute is also preparing to establish the Product Design Center for Chinese Ceramics and the China Center for the Research of Ceramic Industrial Economics.

Abigail Currently, Abigail teaches art at Del Valle High School located in Austin, Texas. “I primarily teach a class called Art 1,” describes Abigail. “I teach an insane amount of high school students a day—about 200 kids. But I love it. I go to graduate school. I live in a cool city and feel very loved by the people around me.”

The course taught by Abigail engages students in creative and visual communication skills. “We use a variety of different art materials and artistic techniques. Students explore the elements and principles of art as well develop an appreciation for the fine arts. Although primarily a studio course, we do integrate art history, aesthetics, art vocabulary, and criticism.”

“I can’t wait to tell my students about my travels and studies in China,” Abigail exuberantly stated. “I’ve created a blog to write about my experiences. I cannot promise to update it daily, but I certainly will try. I don’t know what kind of access to electricity and the Internet I will actually have, but I will try my best to get to the major cities.”

Abigail has already posted her itinerary to her blog, Abigail’s Life Journey (http://abigailslifejourney.blogspot.com/). She leaves for China on June 15 and will arrive in Jingdezhen on July 2.

Looking back at her years at Ohio Northern, Abigail stated, “I felt very luck to have gone to ONU. I knew that I wanted to study art and design. I had the passion for educating and teaching children. And along with this passion, I knew that the faculty in the art department possessed that same passion. That was the deciding factor for me to study there.”

ONU Alumna Selected for 2009 Clay Invitational
June—The Art Spirit Gallery, located in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, held its Annual Clay Invitational in May. The exhibition, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, showcased a broad swath of regional artists whose excellence in ceramic arts was as varied as the pieces on display. While one artist may have emphasized glazing, firing or finishing techniques while another may have demonstrated unique construction. For ONU graduate Marilyn Lysohir (BA ’72), she used form to explore ideas and narratives.

This year, Marilyn was selected for the “10th Anniversary Clay Invitational” held May 8–30. She was one of 17 artists invited to exhibit recent work for this regional competition.

Most work in the show were functional pieces, varied in size, shape and color. But Marilyn’s work was distinctive and prominent.

“Marilyn invested a personal narrative into her figurative works,” stated one reviewer. “There was a stoic wistfulness to her most recent figurines, which stand sentinel-like, white porcelain dolls with a girdle of appliqué flowers beneath a sheer, fabric A-line skirt.”

The Art Spirit Gallery, located on 415 Sherman Avenue, held gallery hours between Tuesday–Saturday, 11a.m.–6p.m.

Marilyn’s work can be seen in most major ceramic texts and has been exhibited in many venues in the United States as well as in Canada, Denmark and Venezuela. In 2003, Marilyn was featured the “21st Century Ceramics in the United States and Canada” exhibition, which offered an extensive survey of the best of the top professional North American ceramists.

Born in 1950 in Sharon, PA, Marilyn studied at Ohio Northern University, at the Centro Internazionale Di Studi in Verona Italy (1970-71) and at Washington State University (MFA in 1979). She has taught at various schools such as the Kansas City Art Institute, the Ohio State University and New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred. In 2000, she was a visiting artist in residence at Ohio Northern University’s department of art & design.

image: Stella, 2009, clay and cloth, 26 x 9 x 7

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