If there’s one thing we can count on from the Ohio Arts Council’s Biennial Juried Exhibition, it’s the chance to take a closer look at the visual arts in Ohio at a particular moment in time. Through the artworks selected by jurors Dr. Melissa Crum (artist, author, researcher and founder of the consulting company, Mosaic Education Network, LLC.), Yusuf A. Lateef (artist, educator and Co-founder of Radiant City Arts and the Toledo Black Artist Coalition), and Jolene Powell (McCoy Professor of Art and Director of Gallery 310 at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio), viewers are offered a snapshot of Ohio’s current visual arts landscape. Think of this exhibition as something like a “State of the State” address for the visual arts.
Pulled together from nearly 1,700 entries from across the state and representing 63 artists, it’s clear that the 2023 iteration of this exhibition is not simply a collection of artistic skills and expressions (though there’s plenty of both on display), but also a reflection of the people and places that make up Ohio today.
It’s an exhibition that serves as a cultural mirror, reminding us of who we are and where we are.
Not surprisingly the exhibition presents a reflection of Ohio that is as talented as it is diverse. It’s to the credit of the jurors that the works presented illustrate such a wide range of experiences, backgrounds and stories. This diversity is further manifested in range of styles as well as the material choices and mediums that each artist employs.
Aimee Lee’s luminous and gravity defying piece The Walls are No Defense reflects her interest in and advocacy for Korean papermaking practices. Artist Don “DonCee” Coulter counts hip-hop style, fashion design and pop culture as the influences behind his joyous, intricately composed “fabric paintings.” Crafted from suede, leather, denim and a variety of other fabrics, Coulter’s piece Indiscernible Faces buzzes with the intensity of a vibrant city. In his sculpture Sephora, Malkia Jua, Christopher Hartway combines illumination and mixed media to suggest the light that shines in all of us. Of course, no discussion of materials would be complete without a mention of the repurposed single-use plastic bags that comprise Linda McConaughy’s improvisational quilt, Thank You for Shopping.
In addition to the rich material choices on display, I expect viewers will also be struck by the sheer amount of artistic effort presented in this exhibition. These are works that are well-crafted, meticulous and richly detailed, works that clearly took considerable time and care create. Riffe Gallery Director Cat Sheridan reminds us that this care, this attention to detail, is worth considering as means by which the artists give honor to their subjects as well as the ideas they set out to express. From the Vermeer-like clarity and detail of Nicole Maye Luga’s Cold in Cleveland to the gripping insistence of Elman Bayati’s pen work in Hidden Love, detail and care recur again and again.
Presuming that the 2023 Biennial Juried Exhibition does indeed represent the state of visual arts in Ohio, I’ll suggest that the state is strong. It’s strong in content, it’s strong in execution and it’s strong in voice. There’s a lot to celebrate when it comes to the visual arts in Ohio, and the 2023 Biennial Juried Exhibition at the Riffe Gallery is the perfect place to do just that.
The 2023 Biennial Juried Exhibition is on view at the Riffe Gallery through January 5, 2024. For more information, visit oac.ohio.gov/riffe-gallery/on-view.
All photos by Jeff Regensburger
