"Botanica 3.1" by President Dennison W. Griffith is on display in "Blossom!" an exhibition at Hammond Harkins Gallery.

Blossom!, The Art of Fruit and Flower, an exhibition featuring the works of CCAD President Dennision W. Griffith and numerous alumni, opens Friday, April 15, from 5–8 p.m. at Hammond Harkins Galleries in Bexley, Ohio. Showing alongside President Griffith are Fine Arts alumnus Mark Bush (CCAD 2009), Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus James Mason (CCAD 1971), and Illustration alumnus Paul Hamilton (CCAD 1988).

Besides being our fearless leader, President Griffith  is the recipient of artists fellowships for painting from the Greater Columbus Arts Council (1996), the Ohio Arts Council (1987-88 and 1989-90), and an Arts Midwest/NEA Regional Fellowship in 1990-91. His work has been included in more than 80 solo and group exhibitions and is represented in the collections of such institutions as the Butler Institute of American Art, the Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center, and the Columbus Metropolitan Library as well as corporate collections ranging from Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City to ARCO in Los Angeles.

Bush has received numerous scholarships and awards from Ohio and across the country. After placing second for the nation in a painting contest for the National Society of Arts and Letters, Mark was featured in the fall 2007 edition of American Artist Watercolor magazine as an emerging artist.

Mason is best known for the topiary interpretation of  Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Ile de la Grande Jatte that he created at the Columbus Deaf School Park. His work can be seen in private and public collections throughout North America. In addition to creating exquisite topiaries and wooden figures, Mason has been an instructor at Columbus’ Cultural Arts Center from 1978 to present.

Hamilton’s resume includes a long list of gallery and museum shows for his painting, sculpture and installation media. A few of these locations include the Franklin Park Conservatory, the Decorative Arts Center, as well as three exhibitions with David Findlay Galleries in New York. Paul’s work is also in private collections throughout the United States, Venezuela, Mexico, and Great Britain.

Hammond Harkins Galleries is located at 2264 East Main Street in Bexley. More information about the gallery can be found on its website.

Image by Ken Aschliman

A Fine Arts senior from CCAD has been selected as a grand prize finalist in the 2011 Award for Excellence in the Visual Arts (EVA).

Ken Aschliman is one of six Ohio students competing for the grand award in the EVA competition. The winning finalist will receive $2,500 and will be announced April 13 at a reception at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Aschliman’s competition portfolio is available for online viewing. He joins alumni Heather Lynn Kyle (CCAD, ’08), Kyle McMahon (CCAD, ’09), Mark Bush (CCAD, ’09), and Erica Podwoiski (CCAD, ’10) as EVA award winners.

CCAD is one of only two colleges with students being awarded an EVA each year of the competition, which recognizes outstanding senior artists from Ohio’s independent colleges.