Work from Darby Ortolano Selected for Juried "Attention to Detail" Exhibit at Art St. Louis1/6/2019 "Reverie #1" from Oak Street Art member and ceramic artist Darby Ortolano was selected for inclusion in the juried "Attention to Detail" exhibit at Art St. Louis. See image below. To see Darby's beautiful piece in person, the exhibit runs from January 12 through February 13 at Art St. Louis, 1223 Pine St. in St. Louis, Missouri, with an opening reception on Saturday, January 12 from 5 to 7 p.m.. You may also view the exhibit for free weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (closed on major holidays and Sundays). We invite you to read Darby's artist statement, immediately following the photo of her piece., below To see all included works online, check out the Facebook photo album here. Congratulations, Darby!  "Reverie #1" by Darby Ortolano ARTIST STATEMENT Darby Ortolano Growing up in both the tropics of Trinidad and the lush landscape of New York State gave me a rich visual repertoire of nature's sensual and evocative influences. Residing now in rural southern Illinois continues to feed the wellspring of these passions. My current work in clay is sculptural; wall hangings and table top sculptures which embody nature’s forms into complex, abstract microcosms. I work spontaneously to elicit an interior world which is then made visible. 
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Oak Street Art member Rachel Malcolm Ensor is thrilled that her painting "American Quilt Series #2," shown below, was selected for the Ann Metzger National Biennial exhibit (see flyer below) hosted by the St. Louis Artists' Guild. The exhibit is an all-media, all-content juried exhibition which brings together modern and contemporary art from artists across the United States. Exhibit juror Hannah Klemm is the assistant curator of modern and contemporary art at the St. Louis Art Museum. The opening reception is Friday, January 11th at 5 p.m. at the St. Louis Artists' Guild, 12 North Jackson Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri. The awards ceremony is at 6:30 that same evening. Congratulations, Rachel!  Rachel Malcolm Ensor, "American Quilt Series #2"  Rachel Malcolm Ensor's "Sojourn: American Quilt Series" Paintings on Display at Varsity Center1/5/2019 A series of paintings by Oak Street Art member Rachel Malcolm Ensor will be on display at the Varsity Center in Carbondale, Illinois, from February 8 through March 5, 2019. Rachel has chosen the title "Sojourn: American Quilt Series" for the show and will be glad to meet you at the artist's reception on Friday, February 8, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Varsity Center (418 S. Illinois Ave. in Carbondale). Please see the flyer below. Given the influence of art from the African Diaspora in Rachel's work, it is especially fitting for this show to run during African American History Month (February). We invite you to read Rachel's artist statement below, immediately following the flyer. Congratulations, Rachel!  ARTIST'S STATEMENT by Rachel Malcolm Ensor After a career teaching art history I have returned to my original passion, which is
painting. Color is a language that I use to express ideas, thoughts, and goals. The American Quilt Series reflects on my depth of experience and knowledge regarding modern art, the African Diaspora, and textile traditions handed down to me from my grandmothers. This series reflects a strong parallel with African- American folk quilters, especially their use of asymmetry and irregularity of form. Time spent with my grandmothers and their textile traditions, quilting-tatting- embroidery-pattern making provided a foundation for my work. Influences of early twentieth century modern painters, American abstract expressionists, African writing systems, textiles, and the African Diaspora in the Americas all contribute to my work. A print series by Oak Street Art printmaker Luca Cruzat has been selected for inclusion in the 2019 Delta National Small Prints Exhibition this winter. For this exhibition, Luca's work Vulnerable (pictured below) will be on display from January 24 through February 20, 2019. The competitive show at the Bradbury Art Museum in Jonesboro, Arkansas, was juried by José Diaz, Chief Curator of The Andy Warhol Museum. During the exhibit dates, hours will be from 12 to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, please call (870) 972-3687. Congratulations, Luca!
Oak Street Artist Darby Ortolano Shares Her Love of Clay in Pottery Project for Local Second Graders11/14/2018
The children learned a bit of Murphysboro history by viewing an Egyptian brick, as well as by creating individual pinch pots. Darby was assisted by Oak Street Artist Shirley Krienert (fibers, mixed media). The Oak Street artists continue with outreach to their Murphysboro community. See more photos below.
 Shop Local with 2 Oak Street Artists on Sun., Nov. 18, at Artspace 304 in Downtown Carbondale11/4/2018 Two members of Oak Street Art will be showing and selling their work as part of the upcoming shop304 Showcase by Carbondale Community Arts.  Shop local for the holidays and delight your family and friends with one-of-a-kind art gifts by Darby Ortolano (ceramics) and Sue Gindlesparger (metals, jewelry). See samples of each artist's work below. On Sunday, November 18 (2018), Shop304 will host this pop-up art sale from 1 to 5 p.m. in downtown Carbondale, Illinois. Stop by ArtSpace 304 at 304 W. Walnut St. in Carbondale! See map below. In support of The Women's Center, Oak Street Art members set up shop at the Old Feed Store venue in Cobden, Illinois, on Saturday morning, November 3, 2018. Sue Gindlesparger (metals, jewelry) and Darby Ortolano (ceramics) were on hand for good conversation and to share the work of all seven Oak Street Art members.  We were especially delighted to be invited to participate by Women's Center board member Stephanie Dillard. Stephanie also happens to be a talented stained glass artist featured in the 2018 Oak Street Fine Arts Fair. A portion of all Oak Street Art sales from this "Feed the Need" fundraiser went directly to the Women's Center. In particular, proceeds were earmarked specifically for services to Union County survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. In a multidisciplinary activity combining literature and art, two second grade classrooms at the General John A Logan Attendance Center created dream catchers under the instruction of leatherwork artist and Oak Street Art member Cathy Schmidt (pictured below in white Oak Street Art apron). The students worked very hard on their individual projects. The smiles below show their enjoyment, pride, and success in creating art! The participating teachers have agreed to head up the Children’s Art Tent at the annual Oak Street Art Fair in April 2019. Keep checking back for more details on art activities in these classrooms.
  STEAM Night: Local Children Make Dreamcatchers with OSA Artists Cathy Schmidt and Shirley Krienert10/23/2018 As part of Oak Street Art's mission to nurture connections between art and our community, two artists from the group participated in the recent STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) event at the Murphysboro Youth and Recreation Center. Cathy Schmidt (leatherwork) and Shirley Krienert (fiber and mixed media) led participants in the creation of their own dream catchers. The event was well attended. Check out some sample work below! Oak Street Art member Ann R. Fischer brought home First Place at the 2018 Shrode Photography Competition. Awards were presented by Shrode Art Center Director Carrie Gibbs at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, during an October 20 reception. Two other OSA members, Darby Ortolano (ceramics) and Shirley Krienert (fiber, mixed media), accompanied Ann and are shown in the last photo below. With veteran photographer Ray Marklin as the judge, 39 out of 212 pieces were included in the final exhibit, which is on display at the Regenhardt Gallery at Cedarhurst through December 30, 2018. See the full set of exhibit photos here. Two of Ann's pieces were selected for the final exhibit, but First Place went to "Abstract, Colored Straws," shown below, which Ann says is one of her favorites.  All awardees of the 2018 Shrode Photography Competition (Oak St. Art photographer Ann Fischer 3rd from right) with Shrode Art Center director Carrie Gibbs (far right). PHOTO CREDIT: Eric Morris.  Ann's First Place image (Abstract, Colored Straws) in the 2018 Shrode Photography Competition. To make this image, she placed four colored drinking straws on a water glass and aligned them to be precisely parallel. Then, using a large aperture, she aimed her camera directly into the straw openings, so only the outer edges were in focus.  Oak Street Art members Ann R. Fischer (photography), Darby Ortolano (ceramics), and Shirley Krienert (fibers, mixed media). PHOTO CREDIT: Eric Morris. |
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January 2019
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