Inaugural exhibit: Prizm group aims to help area artists connect

Dorothy s Poppies, an acrylic painting by Dorothy Zemper, is among 118 works entered inthe Prizm-sponsored show.

Robert Garcia, left, and Leslie Adams are the judges for the Art-A-Fair exhibit at the Main Library.

A big night for art aficionados in Toledo is even bigger with the addition of a reception for 34 artists showing 118 works in the airy second-floor gallery at the Toledo-Lucas County Main Library downtown.

Art-A-Fair was organized by Prizm Creative Community, a new organization that aims to help artists grow and connect with each other.

Tonight's reception, from 5:30 to 7, joins the 89th annual Toledo Area Artists' exhibition at the Toledo Museum of Art (reception at 6:30 p.m., awards at 7:30 p.m.) and the Salon des Refuses exhibit in the Parkwood Gallery (7 to 10 p.m.). All events are free and open to the public.

The Prizm show is the first exhibit organized by the group that grew out of an effort by the Perrysburg Area Arts Council to serve artists in southern Lucas and northern Wood counties, said Annette Jensen, president and founder.

"We try very, very hard to listen to what our people need and to provide classes and programs," she said. Within a year the group grew to 72 members, a mix of skilled and new artists, who reported wanting to learn about marketing and how to make giclee and lithographic reproductions of their work.

Dorothy s Poppies, an acrylic painting by Dorothy Zemper, is among 118 works entered inthe Prizm-sponsored show.

They may attend twice-monthly night classes, day classes, and sessions at which they work together. "It seems to fulfill a social need too," said Jensen, adding that participants tend to mentor and support each other. Programs have been held at various locations in Perrysburg.

Members were invited to exhibit what they believed were their strongest pieces. Local artists Leslie Adams and Robert Garcia served as jurors, selecting not the pieces to be included in the show but conferring 12 awards and choosing another 18 pieces that will be reproduced in a 16-month calendar expected to be sold this fall.

"We decided to reward as many people as possible because we are a community group," Jensen said.

Displayed in the library gallery with its gleaming blond floors are cut-paper works by Wade Taylor, a watercolor by Nancy J. Wiser, and a jester-like, abstract self-portrait by Damien Lockwood in colored pencil and graphite.

A small pastel of pears in a bowl shows confidence by Tamra Mielke, And a trio of little necklace purses, Victorian Keys, are fashioned from rich fabrics and beads by JoAnne Cullenen.

The Counselor is a long-faced creature of lost-wax bronze by Darlene Krohn, one of seven pieces she's exhibiting. Carol Lehmann's three oils include the tiny Lilies, a charming portrait of a woman and two lilies.

The largest piece is Annette Jensen's hefty One Eternal Round, a striking rectangle with several geometric cutouts from copper, aluminum, and welded steel, each brushed in different patterns.

Art-A-Fair continues through June 28 in the second-floor gallery of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, 325 Michigan St. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Library information: 419-259-5207. Contact Prizm at 419-872-8730 or send an e-mail to prizm@bex.net.

Contact Tahree Lane at:

tlane@theblade.com

or 419-724-6075