ExhibitUrban Arts Space
The jury is in: League's spring event is a winner
Sunday,  February 8, 2009 3:43 AM
By Christopher A. Yates
FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

A juried show is sometimes like a buffet line: Some items stand out, but everything starts
to taste the same.

In the hands of a good juror, however, an amazing thing happens.

Disparate voices strangely harmonize. The experience of such a show is cumulative, as
each piece builds upon the next. Such is the case with the Ohio Art League's Spring
Juried Exhibition at the Ohio State University Urban Arts Space.

David Pagel, chairman of the Art Department at Claremont Graduate University in
California, is this year's juror. A noted art critic, he is a frequent contributor to the Los
Angeles Times.

The exhibit hinges on two thematic currents. One -- multidisciplinary -- taps a wellspring
of popular culture and the dynamism of our pluralistic society. The other, more apparent
one concerns humanity's relationship to the natural world and how that relationship
touches upon the environment and the economy, and how the passage of time changes
perceptions.

Our world is shrinking; once-specific cultural references have become universal. This is
evident in works such as Steven V. Popovich's Yin Devouring Yang and Becoming Yin.

The piece, complex and intricate, focuses on half of a yin-and-yang symbol that looks
like Pac-Man. Dots, text and a fragmented yang symbol speak to ideas of transition,
change and uncertainty.

A similar East-West experience occurs in Joanne Stichweh's Manuscript Garden With
Indian Elephant Tiptoeing.

The most iconic work is David Murphy and Sharon McJannet's In Waiting. It consists of
a large tree wrapped in white felt. A zipper at the base and visible red stitches throughout
imply clothinglike protection -- as if nature, under threat, needs our help.

The environmental and economic consequences explored in pieces such as Carol
Griffith's Southern Approaches, Tyrome Stewart's Chocolate City and Ardine Nelson's
(Nelson 02) City Center #523 are made more meaningful by placement near Jeff
Mellott's A Green Desire (Mulberry Tree), Abram Kaplan's Lines of Harvest and Ruth
Smilan's Hills of Gold. The first group sounds a warning, while the second finds solace in
idyllic possibility.

A simple but compelling metaphor for contemporary life, Laura Sanders' painting Faye --
Heads Above Water Series features a child swimming. With a calm expression, her head
bobs on the surface of murky water.

Other strong works include Ginnie Baer's Load Bearing, Molly Jo Burke's Untitled
Heliotrope, Renee Zamora's Meat Made Easy, Michael Litzau's Separation Anxiety and
Kathy L. McGhee's Zwingar Fountain.

The cohesive and thought-provoking exhibit arrives as one of the best Ohio Art League
juried shows. Rarely do so many distinct artistic voices harmonize so well.

-The 98th annual Spring Juried Exhibition of the Ohio Art League continues through
March 27 in the Ohio State University Urban Arts Space, 50 W. Town St. Hours: 11 a.m.
to 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Thursdays. Call 614-299-8225.