The large format photographs are so dimensional, they seem like sculptures. With surfaces cracked and pigments pulled apart by a clear gel applied as thick as spackling, the mixed media pieces cry out to be touched. The photographs themselves – blurred images of funerals, coffins, mourners – evoke vague feelings of faded memories and loss that encourage personal reflection.
Local artist Chris Hoeting has filled the spaces of
Harvest Art Gallery this month, exhibiting these pieces along with 14 other works. The smaller, mixed media photographs reflect the loss of rural areas and neighborhoods around Cincinnati caused by highways and mass development of the suburban landscape.
Hoeting, known for his role as a partner in ParProjects and art shows in recycled, mobile shipping containers, is the kind of innovative, regional artist that Harvest Art hopes to foster and encourage with its new exhibit space.
The non-profit Harvest Art Gallery works in a loose partnership with Engine 22 studios, and both are located in the Cincy Glass building on W. 15th Street. Michael Hurst, gallery manager, was a cofounder of Engine 22, which now managed by artist Cedric Michael Cox. For two weeks each month, Harvest Art offers an emerging artist, often local or regional, the opportunity to showcase artwork.
Says Hurst, “You don’t have to have a project idea or be from Over-the-Rhine or incorporate the community into your work. [Artists] email me images of their work and if I like it, I’ll offer them a show.” He encourages anyone to apply, from established artists to students and art instructors.
Artists receive 100 percent of the profits from show sales; they, in turn, provide refreshments and any paper-based marketing, like postcards or flyers. Harvest Art promotes the shows online via social media. For the rest of the month, artists who rent from Engine 22 Studios use the gallery space.
In March, Jenny Grotte will display her invitingly tactile pieces made of materials ranging from paper to porcelain. With a new artist showcased every month, Harvest Art Gallery joins a growing effort to foster a strengthening artistic community and outlook in Cincinnati.
Do Good:
Visit: Harvest Art Gallery, including its newest one featuring the art of Jenny Grotte, which opens the second Friday in March.
Submit: Your artwork for an exhibit; contact Michael.
Support: The Cincinnati art community and non-profit galleries like Harvest Art with your donations and attendance at exhibits. Contact
ArtsWave for information on the growing art community in Cincinnati.
By Becky Johnson
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