Prestigious annual exhibition opens Friday at museum

Collection on display Friday at Toledo Museum of Art

"CALLA LILY," digital photography by Patricia Healey, an Artist Merit Award in the 2013 Salon des Refuses Awards.

The 94th Toledo Area Artists' exhibition opens following a 7:30 p.m. awards presentation Friday in the Peristyle of the Toledo Museum of Art. A cash bar will be available at 6:30 p.m. in the nearby Libbey Court.

The public is invited to the presentation and the exhibit (likely to be crowded with hundreds of artists) of 94 objects made by 76 people who live within a 150-mile radius of Toledo. On view through April 14, the exhibit is in the Works on Paper Gallery on the lower level. Awards totaling $8,150 will be given. For more coverage of the TAA show and its winners, see the Arts page in Sunday's edition of The Blade.

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Also opening Friday, across Monroe Street from the main museum, will be the show for the also-rans, those who entered the Toledo Area Artists' contest but didn't have their projects selected. The free Salon des Refuses opens at 5 p.m. and will offer balloting for a People's Choice award until 8. Awards will be announced at 8:30 and the gallery will close at 9. Winners will be reported in The Blade's Sunday Arts section.

Organized by Prizm Creative Community, the Salon show will continue through March 15 in the Parkwood Gallery,1838 Parkwood Ave., which is also the office of the Arts Commission. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 22. Information: 419-254-2787 and myprizm.com.

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Call for artists: Art work is sought for the Mix 2013, a silent art auction benefitting the Arts Commission. About 30 pieces will be selected for sale at the party on March 23. Submissions should have a retail value of $250 to $1,000, and participating artists may receive up to 50 percent of that value. For a partial donation of artwork (50 to 99 percent of retail), an artist will receive one free ticket to the event, and for a 100 percent donation, two tickets. One to three images of potential donations must be sent by Feb. 15 to themix@theartscommission.org. Information from Jennifer Jarrett at the Arts Commission, 419-254-2787 ext. 12 and jjarrett@theartscommission.org.

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People may still register for a spot at Artomatic 419!, the area's largest nonjuried, multimedia arts showcase that will be held in a 50,000 square-foot-building downtown April 13, 20, and 27. Spaces are allocated on a first-come basis. Hundreds of visual, performing, and literary artists will create a three-day vibrant gallery of fresh work under one roof, open to the public for free. Information: artomatic419@theartscommission.org.

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The eighth annual jewelry trunk show will be noon to 3 p.m. Saturday in the American Gallery. Participating jewelers include Robin Crego, Susan Matych Hagar, Chelsea Hall, Jane Lamanna, Kristin Perkins, Hans Ruebel, and Heather Wolfe. The gallery is at 6600 Sylvania Ave. in Saxon Square, Sylvania. Information: 419-882-8949.

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Meet Me at TMA, a monthly program for people who have early-stage memory loss, will meet at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Toledo Museum of Art for an hour-long tour of music and art. Information: 419-537-1999.

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Introduction to Basic Glass Techniques, a five-week class, will begin Monday, 6 to 9 p.m., at Gathered Studios, 23 N. Huron St. Fee is $300 and a minimum of four students is required. Information: 419-262-5510 and www.gatheredartgallery.com.

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Firenation's Glass Hearts workshop will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 9. Fee is $55 and no experience is required. Offering many glass-making workshops, Firenation is at 7166 Front St., Holland. Information: 419-866-6288 and www.firenation.com.

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Three discussions of African art will be Tuesday and Feb. 7 in Ann Arbor, in conjunction with the exhibit El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You about Africa, opening Saturday and continuing through April 28 in the University of Michigan Museum of Art. El Anatsui was born in Ghana and teaches at the University of Nigeria. He'll be at UM next week. A panel, including David Doris, professor of art history and African studies, will speak along with Nii Quarcopome, a curator at the Detroit Institute of Art, and others, from 4 to 5 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday in the museum. At 5 p.m. Feb. 7, El Anatsui will speak in the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, with Betty Harney, his longtime colleague. Information: 734-753-8662 and umma.umich.edu.

Send items two weeks before the event to tlane@theblade.com.