Series of museum tours aimed at youngest visitors

6/21/2012
BY TAHREE LANE
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Babies are invited to become fans of abstract art on four upcoming Friday afternoons in the Toledo Museum of Art. Thirty-minute tours of big, colorful paintings by Jules Olitsky in the Canaday Gallery will be at 3:30 p.m. June 29, July 6, July 27, and Aug. 3. Babies like visuals that have strong contrasts, bold images, colorful objects, and faces. One adult per one child may participate; strollers are not permitted. There are also activity bags (Gallery Gear) at the information desk aimed at children ages 2 to 8 that build on a few of the museum's pieces. In addition, artsy activities for people up to age 10 are offered in the Family Center 3:30 to 8 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, and noon to 5:30 p.m. Sundays. Museum admission is free; parking is $5. Information: 419-255-8000 ext. 7610.

Also at the museum, talks by career glass artists will be Friday in the Glass Pavilion. Glass Masters Symposium #2 will feature Richard Whiteley at 6 p.m.; Bandhu Scott Dunham at 7 p.m., and Martin Janecky and Gary Schwartz at 8 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.

Call for artists: Rally for the Arts on Sept. 15 during Perrysburg's Harrison Rally Day will feature artists and crafters. A discounted booth fee will be given to those who meet the July 1 early deadline; the final deadline is Aug. 1. Up to $500 will be awarded to people accepted into a juried portion of the event. Applications are at www.perrysburgarts.org and 419-873-2787.

An opening reception will be 5 to 8 tonight at Angelwood Gallery for Fabulous Fibers 2012, an invitational show focused on the diversity and character of fiber and fiber-influenced mixed media. It includes many of the artists who participated in the recent Fiber577 show at Perrysburg's 577 Foundation. Established in 1993, the gallery is at 24195 Front St., Grand Rapids, Ohio. Information: 419-832-0625 and www.angelwoodgallery.com.

A new show of more than 100 works will open with an 8 to 10 p.m. reception Friday at Sam B's Restaurant Gallery, 163 S. Main St. in Bowling Green, where it will continue through Sept. 30. It's Summer and the Living is Easy! is the theme, featuring suggestions of Italy, Paris, Tibet, China, and other locales. Creations include jewelry, glass, ceramics, sculpture, paintings, and work in many media. Bruce Lillie, musician and singer, will perform at the reception and appetizers will be served.

Also opening Friday with a 6 to 8 p.m. reception and live music will be Metal Visions, work by Shelly Sabo, in Akimbo Gallery, 175 N. Main St., Bowling Green. Her metal work includes jewelry, home decor, framed wall art, and vignettes. "I enjoy taking a blank sheet of metal or plain metal wire and creating something that is so much more. I can apply texture and patina through hammering, drilling, brushing, shaping, and embellishing. I'm drawn to this medium because I can take a cold piece of metal and transform it into a piece with warmth and beauty," she says. Information: 419-806-9116.

Recent paintings by Mr. Atomic (twins Michael and Mark Kersey) are in the lobby of the Hylant Group building, 811 Madison Ave., through June 30. Information: 419-283-7804.

Work by Judith Greavu, sculptor, and Matt Paskiet, glassmaker, will be at the Wassenberg Art Center in Van Wert July 7 through Aug. 5. Opening reception will begin at 6 p.m. July 7. Greavu will create an "undersea" installation in part of the main gallery and in another area, bronze-casted sculpture. "Sculptures may be abstract or representational; they always are formal expressions of gesture and movement and are enhanced with evocative textural elements," she says. Paskiet, whose Firenation Glass studio/gallery is in Holland, will build on the undersea theme with backlit fused glass, creative lighting, and glass blown in unusual ways.

Wassenberg's 56th Annual June Art Exhibit, with more than 100 works, continues through June 29. The center is at 643 S. Washington St. in Van Wert. Information: 419-238-6837 and wassenbergartcenter.org.

Send items at least two weeks in advance to tlane@theblade.com.