Chair is Art, 2006, Gallery 202

Chair is Art, Gallery 202

Chair is Art exhibit reaches new heights
Seventh annual exhibit features new round of creativity and thoughtfulness in contest that makes art from everyday furniture. <img src="http://www.gallery202online.com/images/basketballchair.jpg">
News & Public Opinion photos by Jef Vidmar The staff at Gallery 202 Co-op, 38 N. State St., had to remove ceiling tiles to accommodate this entry in the Chair is Art contest, Basketball Chair by Calvin Brooks, Zack Cordial, Sierra Pancake and Taylor Burkhart -- all students at the Delaware Arts Academy. By SCOTT TAKAC Artistry in that basic piece of furniture with four legs, a back and a base often takes a back seat to function. But paint away convention, take a load off constraint and more than for sitting, chair becomes art. Chair can be a dolphin in the ocean, grandchildren in a garden, a Southwestern sunset or a place for the Buckeyes to play Michigan in miniature. Chair can also be half goat and half man, an expression of angst, a target to hit from the three-point line, a welcome to the theater or a pond flanked by rolling green hills in the twilight of perfect day. Some 20 works that make up Westerville's seventh annual Chair is Art Exhibit depict all these and more. The free exhibit runs this month at Gallery 202, 38 N. State St., and is sponsored by Partners in Art, Inc., a community arts co-op. Chair is Art is one of a host exhibits and activities tied this year to the Arts Council of Westerville's inaugural April is Arts Month, which is themed "Arts Around the Town." Renee Kropat, Chair is Art's chairwoman, said this year's entries represent the kind of artistic display she has been hoping for since launching the art contest and public exhibit seven years ago. "My goal is to make it into true art chairs. And this year we got true art chairs," as opposed to craft chairs, Kropat said last week. The difference, she said, is that more than being haphazardly splashed with paint or having assorted materials randomly affixed to them, the chairs this year are truly inspired. For instance, she said the children in the acrylic garden scene painted by Sue Campbell on what was once a very ordinary vinyl chair depict Campbell's grandchildren and represents the depth of their grandmother's love. About half of the pieces are the works of students taught by Kimberly Roberts at the Delaware Arts Academy, an alternative school for kids who are not reaching their potential in a traditional high school setting. "They have been one of our strongest participants with good art," Kropat said, while pointing out a level of creativity and detail in the students' works that implies the alternative curriculum speaks to them. <img src="http://www.gallery202online.com/images/tinychairdana.jpg"> Chair is Art Chairwoman Renee Kropat displays the tiniest entry in this year's Chair is Art exhibit in the palm of her hand, a piece called Bring A Chair by Dana Keating Marziole of New Albany. OSU's Chair, the work of student Eric Glassford, depicts a tiny Ohio Stadium, complete with "Go Buckeyes" spelled out midfield by a miniature Ohio State University Marching Band. Glassford, besides showing meticulous attention to detail, displays a clear sense of humor in a tiny cluster of michigan fans -- blue and gold paper hole punches -- amid a sea of loyal scarlet and gray. Another sports-related work, Basketball Chair, by students Calvin Brooks, Zack Cordial, Sierra Pancake and Taylor Burkhart, gives a new meaning to "high chair." A wood chair with the seat removed is the rim of a basketball hoop and because the artists demanded it be displayed at the correct height, a ceiling tile at Gallery 202 was removed to accommodate the installation. The Chair is Art exhibit can be viewed this month from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, noon to 4 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, or by appointment. To make an appointment call 614-890-8202.  <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> var sc_project=460294; var sc_partition=2; </script> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter.js"></script><noscript><a href="http://www.statcounter.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://c3.statcounter.com/counter.php?sc_project=460294&amp;java=0" alt="unique visitor counter" border="0"></a> </noscript>  </TD> </HTML> </body> </html>