October 11, 2006

Two New Art Exhibits Featured at Ross Art Museum

Wander around at your leisure. Stop and ponder. Need a break from the hectic pace of books and exams? Then stroll over to the Richard M. Ross Art Museum to see two new art exhibits on display from October 5 through November 12.

“Acts of Unremarkable Bravery” is an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Distinguished Alumna Exhibiting Artist Jane Terzis lsquo;72, and “Lost and Found” is an exhibition of photographs, photograms, and mixed-media works by Cal Kowal and Anita Douthat.

Terzis, of Juneau, Alaska, has attention-grabbing displays of graphics on paper. One is a set of twelve drawings individually framed titled “I have the capacity for…” They feature a graphic on paper and a soap bar beneath each graphic. In addition, she has stunning oil on panels such as “Carol, Ground Zero, NYC, Oct. 2001” and “Wildthing at the Glacier.”

Says Justin Kronewetter, professor of fine arts, “By featuring Jane Terzis’ artwork here, we give her work the stamp of approval for what she has accomplished as a professional artist. It is a high honor for us to do so.”

Her former OWU art teacher, Marty Kalb, comments, “I had her as a student in 1972 and her paintings were very realistic. She placed figures in ambiguous spaces, and she would always challenge the viewer to relate the figure to a space that was unclear. The viewer’s challenge is to ask why is the image the way it is.”

Kowal’s mixed-media are very innovative. One such art features a stainless steel table and an interesting mix of cell phones cemented in coffee mugs. His “Eternal Passage” features gelatin-silver prints hanging from a skeletal piece of wood.

Then there is Douthat, who does superb things with photograms as illustrated in her “Newton’s Laws.”

“Kowal and Douthat are both well-known and highly-celebrated photographers from Cincinnati. Each has work in major collections throughout the country. We chose these two artists in an effort to reach out to practicing artists beyond the central Ohio area,” states Kronewetter. “We are very fortunate to be able to acquire their work for display at the Ross Art Museum.”

Take a break from your normal study routine and study some of the renowned artists of this century at OWU’s art museum. Located at 60 South Sandusky Street, the Ross Art Museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. The museum is closed on Monday and Saturday. Admission is free and open to the public.

— Lynne McBee