Nari Ward’s “We the People.” Photo credit: Will Brown

Looking to add some color to Ohio’s long, grey winter months? Well, look no further then CCAD’s packed exhibitions line-up.

The seven exhibitions planned for this winter and spring will spur conversations ranging from the limits limits of a gallery wall, perceptions of reality, and the battle between good and evil.

“We have been expanding the reach of the gallery and increasing the variety of artists and topics we explore,” said Michael Goodson, director of exhibitions at CCAD. “Additionally, we expanded our hours for the Canzani Center Gallery and Room to provide more options for the community to view the exhibits and to join the conversation at no cost.”

The new year got a quick start with Sam Martineau’s Fair Touching, which is on view in Room, CCAD’s new project space. Martineau’s exhibition will run through Feb.1.

The Scholastic Art Awards 2013 Central Ohio Regional Competition opens January 18 and will be on view through Feb. 2 in the Canzani Center Gallery.

This is CCAD’s 26^th year hosting the Scholastic Awards exhibition, which features a  juried selection of work from students grades seven through 12.

“Guilty” by Fred Tomaselli

“CCAD’s investment in the local community is critical as we aim to support the development and enrichment of the creative community in which we reside,” said Densil R. R. Porteous II, CCAD’s director of admissions. “This event presents a great opportunity to recognize and nurture the creative talents of students in our area and to further encourage students to pursue their creativity.”

Room will next host the work of Trenton Doyle Hancock, who is internationally known for his evolving, absurdist narrative of the battle between good and evil. His work will be up Feb. 4–March 14.

WALL will be in the Canzani Center Gallery Feb. 21–April 4 and will show work from 11 artists. On Feb. 21 there will be a sneak preview, an artist talk by Trenton Doyle Hancock, and a reception.

WALL will push the limits of the gallery’s walls, perhaps even encouraging visitors to view the artists as unruly tenants who leave indelible marks on the space that acts as their host. Artists include A. Balasubramaniam, Sarah Cain, Sean Foley, Jim Hodges, Sol LeWitt, Karin Sander, Jennifer Steinkamp, Mary Temple, and Nari Ward.

Painter Fred Tomaselli’s New York Times will take over Room, March 18–April 8, with a sneak preview, artist talk, and reception on April 4.

Tomaselli’s exhibition shows a series of vividly altered front pages of the New York Times.

The MFA Thesis Exhibition, April 12–May 3, will feature the culminating achievements of CCAD’s 2013 class of MFA candidates. Work ranges from glass, installation, video, and photography to illustration, painting, and digital media.

A second student exhibition will follow right on its heels— CCAD’s 134^th Annual Student Exhibition will run May 10–June 28.

This exhibition is one of the college’s longest-running traditions and will draw work from all nine undergraduate programs.

CCAD also has a summer exhibition in the wings featuring artist Leonardo Drew, which is schedule to open Aug. 29.

Exhibitions at CCAD are presented with the support of the Ohio Arts Council, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and CD102.5. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Regular gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. and closed on Mondays. Parking is free in CCAD lots.

Crystal Turisch in her studio

The first of anything is always exciting and our first MFA class is no different. CCAD’s inaugural master of fine arts class will be graduating this spring, but not before they exhibit their work in First: The 2012 New Projects MFA Thesis Exhibition.

Eleven graduating MFA students will display their final theses March 30–April 27. Works in the exhibition will range from glass, installation, social practice, and photography to fabric design, illustration, painting, and digital media.

CCAD’s two-year MFA program is project-based. The non-media-specific curriculum focuses on individual artistic/design development and creative leadership. It brings together talented individuals from a variety of different media to build a community that fosters exploration, professionalism, and creative success.

Cystal Turisch, one of the graduating students, will show photographs that explores the anxieties and insecurities that result from growing up with an alcoholic mother. Her work is divided into different photographic series focusing on obstacles and emotions that have affected her throughout her adult life.

Nathan Gorgen's studio, featuring his main thesis project

“I wanted to be a part of the first MFA class at CCAD,” Turisch said. “I wanted to be able to work with a small, close group of artists and receive a lot of one-on-one attention from professors, mentors, and peers within the school.”

Nathan Gorgen was excited about CCAD’s MFA program because of its location. He had never been to Columbus and was pleased with the amount of artistic opportunities the city holds for his professional career.

“Columbus wasn’t really on my map before I came here, now I realize what an amazing city it is,” exclaimed Gorgen. “I’m so impressed with the professors, the local art scene, and the whole environment that is in Columbus.”

Gorgen’s final piece is a large installation that combines painting and architectural elements.

“I had a lot of time and support throughout this program. I was able to tackle more ambitious projects and get a better conceptual understanding of art and the art I produce,” Gorgen said.

Nicole Crock has found the support in the program unlike that of other schools she researched. Crock decided to attend CCAD because the program was based on a multidisciplinary foundation. The MFA candidate works in mixed media. By working with an array of artists in close proximity, she was able to explore more artistic mediums and learn from her peers’ expertise.

“I hate to say such a cliché phrase, but I really have blossomed here. I needed this program,” Crock said.

Her final thesis project is a multimedia installation that explores the emotions connected with moving from place to place.

Nicole Crock in her studio

“Moving has been the inspiration for my art. A lot of people think it is glamorous that I have been able to travel, but I always longed for the feeling of home and to not feel as though I am rootless,” said Crock.

Following graduation, Crock plans to stay in Columbus and continue focusing on her work. She wants to find a studio space and start connecting with artists within the community.

“I think it is important to make art with the purpose of communicating with people, and that is what I want to do,” Crock said. “I want to learn to be able to seek change, and do it gracefully throughout my life.”

First: The 2012 New Projects MFA Thesis Exhibition opens March 30 and will run through April 27 with an opening reception March 30, 6–8 p.m. CCAD’s first MFA class includes Elena Harvey Collins, Alex Conrad, Nicole Crock, Nathan Gorgen, Chris Harman, Woodrow Hinton III, Virginia Kistler, Kayane Kouzoujian, Cosby Lindquist, Amanda Rouse and Crystal Turisch.

To learn more about CCAD’s MFA program click here.

Michael Goodson, director of exhibitions

Just as CCAD gears up for fall semester, the college will get an extra creative boost with a new exhibitions director and faculty member. CCAD recently announced the appointment of Michael Goodson as the  new director of exhibitions who will join the college in August and  be teaching in the sculpture department starting in fall.

“Michael has a sophisticated grasp of contemporary developments in diverse fields of visual creativity,” President Denny Griffith remarked. “His fresh and inspiring ways of contextualizing contemporary art and design through exhibitions and programming will be key to the continued prominence of the college’s exhibitions program.”

Since 2006, Goodson has been the exhibitions director at the James Cohan Gallery, New York, NY, where he was active in the selection of works for group and solo shows and art fairs.

“As the exhibition director of the James Cohan Gallery, Michael has traveled the world. His global perspective, strong ties to the art world, and his desire to return to Ohio made him the best candidate,” said Faculty Council Chair Tim Rietenbach, who was on the search committee for the position and is the chair of student exhibitions.

In addition to his curatorial experience, Goodson has also maintained a diverse teaching practice at several institutions of higher learning, starting in 1998. He has been adjunct professor of art at Hunter College and Wright State University. He earned a BFA in sculpture from Wright State University and an MFA in sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Goodson will develop a rolling two-year calendar of exhibitions and related activities. He says he wants “to use this position to connect with students and faculty, and to get a feel for what will work best to create an exhibition program that will integrate with the college’s academic program in a lively and engaging way.”

Of his new job Goodson adds wryly, “I’d actually like to find it ill fitting at first, allowing a bit of room to grow.”

Read the full press release.

The opening of "Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven" brought large crowds to the Canzani Center Gallery.

The opening of  CCAD’s most recent exhibition, produced by the Bureau for Open Culture, brought large crowds and several international and award-winning artists to CCAD’s Canzani Center Gallery Thursday evening.

The opening event culminated in a participatory psychic event and a post-reception dance party.

Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven features 42 works by 17 artists in a wide range of media, including photography, video, painting, sculpture, social intervention, and sound installation. On-hand for the opening reception were featured artists Dennis McNulty (Dublin, Ireland), Ben Kinsley (Pittsburgh, PA), Lara Kohl (Brooklyn, NY), Jeremy Kost (New York, NY), Alejandro Vidal (Barcelona, Spain—actually, he was stuck in New York due to the weather, but he was there in spirit), Malcolm Cochran (Columbus, OH), and Cassandra Troyan (Chicago, IL).

After the opening, Kinsley invited guests to circle around his work—a blown-glass bowl filled with water in an all-black room with around-the-clock audio and video surveillance—for a participatory psychic event. Attendants chanted while Kinsley and Columbus-based psychic Larry Copeland clapped their hands and joined in the rhythmic song. After a minute or so, Copeland instructed the audience to cease their chant and pass all their energy toward the bowl. Some pointed their hands at the vessel, others shouted, most took on the more passive approach, sharing their energy with their minds.

Every Friday through March 4, musicians will play music to the installation. On March 11, Kinsley and Copeland invite the community back to review the surveillance footage with them, identifying and discussing any paranormal action caught on tape and the affect the performances made on the object.

Curated by Director of Exhibitions James Voorhies, Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven explores the way life is charged with an underlying awareness of the passage of time and marked by residues of our culture. The show features the works of Guy Ben-Ner, Joachim Brohm, Gerard Byrne, Malcolm Cochran, Peter Dayton, Ben Kinsley, Lara Kohl, Jeremy Kost, Mark Leckey (Turner Prize winner), Mary Lum, Dennis McNulty, Timothy Nazzaro, Johannes Nyholm (films selected for Cannes 2008, 2009), Pipilotti Rist (honored by Guggenheim Museums), Cassandra Troyan, Jeffrey Vallance (John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation award winner), and Alejandro Vidal.

The exhibition is open through March 12. Information about gallery hours and location is on CCAD’s website.

Guy Ben-Ner, I'd give it to you but I borrowed it, 2007 single channel video with color and sound, 12 minutes courtesy of POSTMASTERS GALLERY, New York

Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven, an exhibition opening Jan. 27 in the Canzani Center Gallery, explores the way life is charged with an underlying awareness of the passage of time and marked by residues of our culture. The exhibition will feature 42 works by 17 artists in a wide range of media, including photography, video, painting, sculpture, social intervention, and sound installation.

Participating artists include 2008 Turner Prize winner Mark Leckey, Malcolm Cochran, professor with the Department of Art at The Ohio State University, with a specially-commissioned work, and Dublin, Ireland-based artist Gerard Byrne, who will show part of a work he presented at the 2007 Venice Biennale.

Taking its title from a 1985 album by the British pop band Love and Rockets, the exhibition examines how culture creates and sustains deeply personal connections with past moments. Collective and individual memories are embedded in materials, sounds, and sites. A publication also accompanies the exhibition.

Upon entering the gallery, viewers encounter a video and companion installations that set a slightly innocent, optimistic tone, evoking what viewers might readily conjure upon hearing the word “teenager.” As visitors proceed through the exhibition it becomes increasingly dark and foreboding.

Eight of the featured artists will be in Columbus 6-8 p.m. Jan. 27 for the opening reception, including Dennis McNulty (Dublin, Ireland), Ben Kinsley (Pittsburgh, PA), Lara Kohl (Brooklyn, NY), Jeremy Kost (New York, New York), Alejandro Vidal (Barcelona, Spain), Malcolm Cochran (Columbus, Ohio), and Cassandra Troyan (Chicago, IL). A few will be in residence for a week or more to produce site-specific works. Dublin-based Dennis McNulty, for example, will make a sound and video work called Carbon Dating. It investigates Brutalist modernist architecture and is especially commissioned for this exhibition.

Exhibition artists are Guy Ben-Ner, Joachim Brohm, Gerard Byrne, Malcolm Cochran, Peter Dayton, Ben Kinsley, Lara Kohl, Jeremy Kost, Mark Leckey, Mary Lum, Dennis McNulty, Timothy Nazzaro, Johannes Nyholm, Pipilotti Rist, Cassandra Troyan, Jeffrey Vallance, and Alejandro Vidal.

Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven, curated by James Voorhies, director of Exhibitions and adjunct graduate faculty, is produced by Bureau for Open Culture and funded in part by the Greater Columbus Arts Council. In addition the Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Media sponsor is WWCD-FM 102.5.

The exhibition is open through March 12. Information about gallery hours and location is on CCAD’s website.