Attention Open Studio Attendees…

for the month of february, open studio will be scheduled for MONDAYS ONLY at the regular time.
after february, open studio will become more spontaneous.  we’ll be taking it off the schedule, so please be aware that if you show up at our regular monday and thursday times, the door may not be open!

we’re looking forward to some great changes in 2010.

what to expect:

lots of fun at studio e
lots of spontaneous hanging out and art-making
more one-off events as opposed to highly planned event series
fewer programs, more projects.
lots more opportunities for you to get involved… maybe the next big idea will be yours!

what not to expect:

an open door at exactly the same day and time every week

how to participate:

artists with project ideas are still always welcome to submit proposals.  helpful guidelines for artists interested in receiving funding for an arts project in or around west norwood will be posted soon. in the meantime, contact us for the scoop.

parents of children who have enjoyed the regular access to studio e but require more consistency of schedule should contact us to discuss organizing a parent-run studio schedule for younger students.  we have the resources to support an initiative of this sort, but need more support from parents in order to commit to this as an ongoing event.  parents willing to take ownership are invited to contact us.

for 2010, we’ll be less programatic in our approach. instead, we’ll be focusing on special events and new initiatives.  we’ll still be around the studio a lot, and those of you who are here the most know when and how to find us.  if you want to arrange a session in the studio, contact us directly and we’d be happy to organize it.

studio e remains open to the community, we’ll be keeping it cozy and stocked with supplies, and if you’re willing to help with planning and supervision, we can even supply artists and and some administration for your arts-related projects.

in the meantime, if the lights are on or the sign is out then the door is probably open.  join us!

Summer Update

What an exciting summer we’ve had at STUDIO E! From the Drawing Stories class in June to our stained glass, clay, and wood workshops this month, its been thrilling to see the space consistently filled with life and creativity. I’ve particularly enjoyed getting to know all of the new students joining us for the first time this summer…and can I say…what a talented and imaginative bunch they (you) are! Here are a few pictures showing our young artists hard at work.

our events calendar for July is here!

click here to view the pdf calendar:

july-2009-studioe-vents

and don’t forget that last minute changes and additions are always updated on the calendar page here on our website.

special june workshop!

special june 2009 workshop

June Events calendar is here!

Notice in particular our new plans for Open Studio.

It’s been a very welcome challenge to decide how to accomodate the influx of younger students without depriving our older students and adults from their focused time at Open Studio.  Monday will feature a special kid-friendly activity for students 10 and under (and their parents.)

HELVETICA (a Monday Night Film Series special)

COME TO STUDIO E // (1757 Mills Ave. in Norwood) this MONDAY, MARCH 23 // 7:30-9:30PM for a PUBLIC SCREENING / DISCUSSION OF HELVETICA* hosted by OWEN BROCK (local designer, photographer, and founder of VISUAL FLUENCY)

“We live in a visual world. We are immersed in communication, it is as ubiquitous as the very air we breathe. The film Helvetica portrays a brief but succinct look at the nature of typography and the role it has played in the last 50 years of visual communication. The film is both educational and compelling at the same time. The evening will be comprised of approximately sixty minutes of viewing and sixty minutes of discussion. All preconceived notions about typography and visual communications very welcome!”- a note from Owen

*Helvetica is a production of Swiss Dots, in association with Veer.

This event is presented by studio e// The St. Elizabeth Arts Foundation as a part of the Monday Nite Film Series. Attendance is free and open to the public.

Last Monday at the CAC

Thanks to everyone who made it out last Monday for our excursion to see Tara Donovan’s work at the CAC (Contemporary Art Center)!

For those of you who weren’t able to come…I HIGHLY recommend taking a trip of your own to see this delightful, awe-inspiring collection. Comprised entirely of mass produced objects such as Styrofoam cups, toothpicks, buttons, and scotch tape, Donovan’s sculptures drew us in with their organic beauty and then bowled us over with their impressive, meticulous assemblage of commonplace materials. This “ah-ha moment” was especially fun to watch on the faces of a group of school-age children touring the exhibit along with our group. From the magic of the materials to the sublime presence of each individual form, this is truly a show that everyone, of all ages and experience levels will enjoy!

Since the work will be here until May 3, we’re considering going again. If you (and your family) are interested in joining us, please let me (Laura) know and we’ll try to nail down a date that works for all!

March 2009 NEWSLETTER

Hello friends of studio e &/or St. Elizabeth Arts Foundation!

Here’s our first formal newsletter of 2009.  We begin with the important stuff.  We end with the blah blah blah.  Thanks for reading!

ARTS OPPORTUNITIES + EVENTS

High School students should be preparing their submissions for ‘The Way I See it’ – a juried art show happening at studio e in a few weeks.  Details and application available here on the website.  This is open to any high school student in our region who has the motivation to get their materials to us before the March 20th deadline.

Local artists and art-enthusiasts should keep an eye on our evolving film series.  What began as a series of discussions about contemporary art using the PBS Art:21 series is quickly evolving into a series to also include broader art histories, graphic design, and more.  Our first three discussions were stimulating and challenging and fun.  If you haven’t joined us for this yet, consider joining this Monday to watch and discuss a few TED Talks selected by Elizabeth.

Anyone and Everyone should put Open Studio back on their calendar.  We were put out of commission for awhile because of the cold, but will be resuming our regular Monday/Thursday schedule beginning on March 12th!  This is a great way to get to know us –  Open Studio is free, casual, and cozy.  Come and make stuff!

If you use google calendar, consider staying up to date by subscribing to our public calendar on the studio e page.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Woodworking/Building Project:  we are constructing a cool, eye-catching, sturdy street-level sign for studio e.  We already have the design, but we need a good-with-hammers-nails-saws-and-such type to create it.  Please contact laura if you’d like to contribute your time and expertise on this.

Student painters:   want to put your skills to practical use?  Come hang out with us on a Saturday (date TBD) to paint our studio e sign.  Again, contact laura if you’d like to be involved.

Gardeners:  we have an evolving brainstorm for a youth gardening project that we’d like to informally start this spring/summer in anticipation of a pilot program for 2010.  If you have ideas, skills, or passion for this sort of thing then please contact douglas for more info.

GENERAL UPDATE

The last time we sent out a major announcement was in connection with the Our Daily Bread photo exhibition in November.  The turnout for this event was astonishing and we’re grateful to all of you for joining us.  The event was a real success.  We loved the service element of this program model and are planning to replicate it in other mediums in 2009.  Our Daily Bread received some top-notch photos at no charge, and they’ve already been incorporated into the group’s marketing materials.  The time and effort invested by Michael Wilson and our four student photographers caused good things to happen in all sorts of wonderful ways.

With our studio space unusable in the cold (an issue that has now been remedied!) we turned our attention elsewhere for January/February.  Our film lecture series has begun and we’re really excited to see where that will head.  We’re grateful for the generosity of 1801 Mills in sharing their space for this event.  Starting this week, Laura will begin spending more time in the art classes at Norwood High School – a great opportunity to build relationships and share our top-notch training on the student’s own turf.  We’re indebted to the tremendously supportive art faculty at the high school for this opportunity.  Additionally we’ve informally resurrected the successful Art Trippin program from this summer.  Students with an open mind and some time to spare in the evenings and weekends should inform us of their interest in these field trips to art shows, museums, and cultural events in the region.  These events often come together quite spontaneously, so please put yourself on the invite list or follow us on twitter if you’d like to be in the know!

After a year of pilot programs, we’re excited to be starting this year with a good idea of what works, and what doesn’t work.  Look for spring and summer youth arts education programs that build on the best of what we accomplished in 2008.  And as always, we are open to your ideas for how we can better train young artists, foster opportunities and collaborations for local artists, and generally make our community a better place to be.

Thanks for reading, thanks for being involved.

MONEY

Nothing lasts for ever, and the big glorious pile of good-hearted dollars that were dedicated to getting this project off the ground have begun to decline.  We’re grateful for the buffer that they still provide, but are hard at work trying to find solutions for sustaining our organization and fill a rising budget gap with private and public support.  For the past few months we’ve been clutching our chairs and drafting a survival plan for what we expect will be a few years of major challenge for non-profit groups like ours.  The petrified economy does not bode well for organizations that depend on the financial surplus of others for their survival.  But we’re optimistic, and with sufficient volunteer support, are confident that our programs will continue to grow.  Your contributions, connections, or fundraising expertise are needed and most welcome.  Send your tax-deductible contributions via USPS, or contact Douglas to learn more about opportunities for making your dollars do Good things.

a field trip : Tara Donovan at the CAC

Until the weather warms up, our programs will be happening off-site, mostly in the form of field trips to art galleries and events around town.  Students interested in joining us should contact Laura for more info.   Our next student trip will be Monday, March 2, 6:30-9:00pm:  Tara Donovan at the CAC.

If you’ve never been to the Contemporary Art Center in downtown Cincinnati, now is the time to visit! From the award winning architecture to their thought provoking cycle of contemporary art exhibits, the CAC is an impressive addition to Cincinnati’s thriving art scene. Tickets are usually $7, but on Monday nights after 5pm, admission is free.

From the CAC website, here is a brief description of their current special exhibit. For those of you who joined us for our Art Trippin excursion to the CAC this summer, her work will probably look familiar.
“This exhibition is the first major museum survey of the American sculptor Tara Donovan. With sensitivity to texture, volume and the inherent physical properties of materials, Donovan transforms large quantities of mass-produced itemstoothpicks, adhesive tape, straws, buttons, pins, plastic cups and Mylarinto stunning sculptural objects and installations. Utilizing the detritus of a culture of mass production, Donovan creates large-scale sculptures that imply organic growth or a random-order arrangement. Her methodology of building sculpture through accumulation and meticulous assembly of quantities and amounts of identical items offers the viewer the experience of complexity and infinity.”

View images of Tara Donovan’s work.

artist profile : matt morris

we were lucky to have matt morris host our first ever film screening in january 2009.

here’s a little more about this knowledgable and gifted facilitator…

Matt Morris is a transplant from southern Louisiana and a graduate of the Art Academy of Cincinnati. He makes art and writes. Art meaning installations of fragile objects, video, sound, painting, and a lot of unquantifiables. Writing meaning poetry, art criticism, journalism, recipes, and other notes. He has presented exhibitions, lectures, and poetry performances in local art venues, such as semantics gallery, the Carnegie Visual + Performing Arts Center, Artworks, Nicholas Gallery, the Art Academy of Cincinnati, and Murmur Gallery. He creates works that address, deconstruct, and make peace with forces of abstract thought. They express an interest in the places where concrete ideas fall back into ambiguity and where poetics, aesthetics and nostalgia influence discourse.