MANDEL SCHOOL
NEWS AND EVENTS
Gallery @ MSASS
April 12, 2013
Justin Brennan, artist
Justin Brennan is a local Cleveland artist who deserves recognition. His work consists of contemporary mixed-media abstracts. He uses and experiments with different mediums, objects and techniques. His compositions are layered, textured, rich colors imaginatively combined to produce a creative piece of art. He is influenced by what surrounds him both physically and emotionally. His aim is to express raw emotion via spontaneous creativity, without analytical prodding.
February 15, 2013
Nikki Mehle - artist
Nikki Mehle art work explodes with color, movement and chaotic orderliness. Her inspiration comes from “ordinary” images; such as well stocked shelves in a food market. She paints, dissects, cuts and then rearranges the pieces attaching them to a canvas making a collage/mixed media images on the surface. The chaos becomes order.
February 06, 2013
Abbey Blake, artist
Abbey Blake’s intaglio etchings are compassionate renderings of abandoned Cleveland houses. To most people, the structures look bleak and damaged; but to Abbey, she pays homage to the beauty of the structures.
February 06, 2013
Aravindhan Natarajan, artist
The paintings of Aravindhan Natarajan are abstract and often capture just a moment in time. Patterns and textures in nature fascinate him. He gets inspiration from nature and music, and often paints to document his travels. As a self-taught artist, he does not let the constraints of traditional rules of art, (technique or material) control his work.
October 05, 2012
The Works of Artist Paula Zinsmeister: On Display at MSASS
The works of artist Paula Zinsmeister are inspired primarily from organic and botanical forms. She is a printmaker and her art is printed on handmade papers. Her printmaking techniques include intaglio, dry point, aquatint, copper foil etching and monoprinting.
Zinsmeister's works are for sale and are currently on exhibit at The Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences through November 2, 2012.
Her works are often a visual reaction to colors, forms, and shapes. The images and lines are soft and translucent. The pieces range from spontaneity of the monoprints to the detailed layer of texture of planed images. The images are tranquil and salient.
October 05, 2012
The Works of Artist Pamela Mckee: On Display at MSASS
Artist Pamela Mckee is inspired by nature and the complex interacting structure of organic shapes. She uses organic materials such as cotton threads, persimmon dyes, walnut ink, hemp thread, abaca fiber/pulp, and sliced silk cocoons.
Mckee's works are for sale and are currently on exhibit at The Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences through November 2, 2012.
She layers, binds, embeds, and hand stitches lines onto handmade paper. The surfaces are frayed, uneven, fragile, and translucent; but they are far from imperfection. The works are incredible.
September 04, 2012
Martin O'Connor, artist
Martin O'Connor’s oil paintings provide unique city images that reflect on Cleveland urban landscape long forgotten past. Old storefront signs that are neglected have been rejuvenated with precision, color, and quality in O’Connor’s paintings. O’Connor uses the “alla prima” painting technique. The paining is completed while in one sitting and therefore captures a moment in time. The works are direct and expressive in style.
September 04, 2012
Mason Milani, artist
Mason Milani’s current series of etchings are skillfully premeditated scenes that depict a unique story influenced by the Florentine poet Dante Alighieri, author of the 14th century poem, Inferno. Images depict the temperament of Classical Italian Renaissance. A human reaction to agony/love, heaven/hell, and other unimaginable suffering is juxtaposed to the beauty of Renaissance architectural icons.
July 06, 2012
Chris Baliko, photographer
Solitary abandon buildings and ghost-like skeletal architectural of Cleveland’s urban landscape is the common theme of Chris Baliko’s photographs. His photographs contain sophisticated elements of art: composition, design, color, and form. Baliko, is a local Northeast Ohio artist; he discovered his passion for photography about five years ago.
July 06, 2012
c.a. Long, photographer
c. a. Long’s photographs capture the beauty of the urban decay from many disregarded and abandon Cleveland buildings, bridges, and cityscapes. The photographs process a variety of serendipitous abnormalities. The photos were created instantly by using different vintage Polaroid cameras. The color, texture, and atmosphere unite with sharp images with blurry edges. The photos are stunning.
April 23, 2012
Robert Pelegrin - artist
Robert Pelegrin (1949-2007) landscapes consist of rocks and cliffs that look like anthropomorphic forms. Tension and urban energy, from the Midwest, is integrated into the American Southwest mountainscapes. He had an aesthetic appreciation of nature that runs throughout his works.
April 23, 2012
Jessica Maloney - artist
Jessica Maloney’s digital transfer photos capture the essence of awe, serenity, and mystery. The extremities, (delicate hands and bare feet), are juxtaposed throughout the surrealistic landscapes. It is “the calm before the storm. “ The process of digital transfer allows a beautiful color and clear sharp images.
March 07, 2012
Josh Usmani, artist
Josh Usmani, illustrations are imaginative, creative, and humorous. The bold bright colors, shapes, and lines are meticulously are harmoniously incorporated into each composition. His imagery may be a bit controversial, but it is original and creative. Josh considers his work to be Pop Surrealist and cartooning. "I love talking about my work" he says "but trying to sum it up in a few sentences is impossible because it's all intended to be contradictory...Bright, full-spectrum color schemes with dark, often creepy imagery overloading the viewer by captivating and distracting them simultaneously…" Josh Usmani
March 07, 2012
John Nagy, artist
John Nagy’s mandalas capture the relationship between self-reflection and peaceful moments with nature. The mandalas are complex and painted in white on a dark background; that range in size from large to small. The trees symbolize strength and durability. “My art work attempts to connect man with the natural world and his environment. It is a symbolic representation of our interaction with nature. In today’s modern age we are more and more separated from the spiritual truths of the word we live in. The social and spiritual commentary I make in my work should bring the viewer to a place of contemplation and reflection.” John Nagy
December 15, 2011
Haley Litzinger - artist
Haley Litzingers’ collages portray urban landscapes often scattered with dilapidated buildings, machinery, bridges, mountains, and human figures. The dark earth tones and images are embedded into the layered clear epoxy resin portray a multi dimensional forbidding and almost fantasy atmosphere. The works are moody but intriguing; the artist does not hesitate to portray uneasiness.
“I use a method of layering resin, drawings, found images, and various paints to create encapsulated three dimensional landscapes and scenes. The depth produced by the multiple layers of resin gives a "Cast block" feel to the collage, initiating engagement and creating a sensorial experience. The process of experimentation with materials, color, technique and composition is central when beginning a piece. I begin to have a constant, multi-dimensional process of self-exploration, self-reflection and learning. By arranging various images and manipulating their size, color, texture, position and relationship, I discover subjective new perceptions stimulated by the development of conscious and unconscious insight…” Haley Litzinger.
December 15, 2011
Dante Rodriguez - artist
Dante Rodriguez mixed media paintings manipulate reality with mythical vignettes focusing on elusive human and non-human hybrid creatures. The compositions, bold colors, dripping paint, and the placement of the hybrids, create successful inquisitive paintings.
“My mixed media paintings are of a hybridization of humans, animals and abstract structures. They are my attempts to redefine our relationship with nature. At first glance, my characters have a mythological appearance that is both strange and grotesque as they struggle to find their identity in a world of homogenized thinking. I try to find the spiritual connection between man and animal in order discover a relationship that shows a calm coexistence that is lacking in our contemporary world.” Dante Rodriguez
October 20, 2011
Art at MSASS: Stephanie Kluk, Photographer
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The soft, dark and mysterious photographs of Stephanie Kluk depict a young child in a not-so-typical homescape. The beautiful images linger in an inquiring way.
"My current body of photographs depict a romantic and somewhat ghostly view of my homescape. Using a digital camera and ambient light I create images that explore the beautifully haunting affects my son has had on my life… Eliminating physical objects normally associated with children (trucks, crayons, etc.) I focus on the spirit of energy and mystery that fills my home.”
October 20, 2011
Art at MSASS: Marti Higgins
Contrasting colors, value, shape, and movement are a few of the artistic elements that Marti Higgins uses to create her landscapes. The landscapes range from tranquil/calming to energetic/stormy! Her paintings capture nature's extremes. "The dualities of nature."
September 09, 2011
Kristen Magerkurth, artist
Colors, shapes, and texture are the elements that artist, Kristen Magerkurth uses to create her organic abstract paintings. She has an “eye” for composition. The canvases invite the viewer to contemplate and connect to her works. “I am interested in painting with nontraditional materials to get a variety of shapes and textures in my paintings. I use a combination of household common materials and traditional painting materials to allow the viewers to connect to my paintings. I also paint nonrepresentational to complement the materials. The act of performance while I make the work and how my pieces evolve on their own is an important aspect of my work.”
August 22, 2011
Daryl Musick, artist
Dramatic, bold, and multicolored describe the paintings by artist Daryl Musick. Daryl is an abstract painter. He has been painting for over 20 years. He has worked with many different mediums, the current exhibit provides an personal glimpse into his creative process with his journey through mental illness. “The inspiration for the pieces has evolved over the years as I have struggled with mental health illness. The process is the key element in my work. Issues of isolation, friendships, and personal recovery are the main themes that appear throughout the works.”
August 11, 2011
MSASS Faculty & Staff Art Exhibit 2011
Photography, paintings, drawings are on view on the 2nd floor, the works are created by MSASS faculty and staff.
June 29, 2011
ArtHouse, Cleveland, Ohio, Urban Bright Arts-in-Education exhibit
Refreshing and colorful exhibit by the students of The Urban Bright Arts-in-Education residency program, ArtHouse, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, is currently on display at MSASS. The artwork represents a segment of creative work produced by the students in the 2010-2011 academic year.
April 21, 2011
Nancy Richards-Davis, painter
Subdue, abstract, and trapped fossils like images encased in layers and layers of beeswax, articulate the nonverbal journey that artist, Nancy Richard-Davis shares in her paintings. The organic nature of the encaustic process allows Nancy to "capture the moment," serendipitously! Her wonderful compositions invite the viewer to reflect and ponder. Travels and self-reflection are the backbone of her paintings.
The mixture of pigment and oil is mixed in to the heated beeswax [encaustic process]. When the mixture is a molten state, it is painted and manipulated on a surface.
April 21, 2011
Jessica Kayse, photographer
Colorful, expressive, and humbling moments capture the beauty of
Nicaragua’s culture through photographer, Jessica Kayse, camera lens.
The elements of the compositions are powerful and immerse the viewer.
“I will never forget Nicaragua…I attempted to capture the everyday
life and scenes of life in Nicaragua.” Jessica Kayse.
March 19, 2011
Aaron Opoku Gyimah, artist
Bright colors and bold images inspired by nature and the people around artist, Aaron Opoku Gyimah, from Ghana, West Africa.
Paintings are on exhibit at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences through March 31, 2011. The paintings are for sale. Further questions, please contact: june.hund@case.edu
February 09, 2011
Grace Vibbert, artist
Travel back to Medieval Times with artist Grace Vibbert’s illuminated manuscripts. Each manuscript is well choreographed is then painted on vellum with warm pigments that include vermillion and gold. Elaborate calligraphy and design make each piece unique. Vibbert’s inspiration comes from the great “un-named” masters of the Middle Ages and Renaissance period. “…by using their tools, materials and techniques it is my hope that I will be able to reach across the gulf of time and touch the past.”
February 09, 2011
George Kocar, artist
Bright colors, bold shapes, and humor are Cleveland artist, George Kocar’s trademark. Take a closer look at his paintings, his complexity as an artist is reveled. He confronts the human struggle and daily conflicts through his work.
November 12, 2010
Katherine Widen - painter
The first three words that come to mind when looking at Widen’s works are energetic, dramatic, and subliminal. The works may make the viewer uncomfortable at first blush; this is because the landscapes are purposely painted with “slight alterations.” This technique is exactly what the artist wants to do. Widen’s paintings are contemporary landscapes with a twist.
The smaller landscapes are more recognizable, but Widen throws the viewer for a loop with the added geometric abstractions that are dramatically placed in the landscape. Widen states that her work “places the viewer as a voyeur looking into vignettes of human-altered landscapes conflated with other landscape features or geometric forms that obstruct the foreground of the paintings.”
October 29, 2010
Walley Two Hawks - artist
Walley Two Hawks’ intaglio monotypes are currently being exhibited at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. There are soft vs. hard lines, dark colors vs. muted colors, along with recognizable images vs. unfamiliar images; this is a personal style used by the artist throughout his works.
Color is an important element in his works. Often there are surprises of unexpected blotches of color along with images that catch the viewer’s eye. A lone red hawk may be visual or subliminally flying across the prints. That makes the work stable but explosive!
September 07, 2010
David Menke - artist
Artist, David Menke, draws portraits. He uses a graphite pencil as his medium. He controls the subtle variations from light to dark to create texture and form in each portrait. The composition fits perfectly on a 18 x 24 inch piece of paper. Intentionally, the artist leaves part of the persons fore head off; this technique establishes the tension in his work. The subjects eyes are the focal point of each portrait. The eyes capture the individual’s personality and their intensity.
September 02, 2010
Lauren Sammon : artist-photographer
Lauren Sammon is an artist-photographer whose photographs demonstrate a typical day in Ugandan society. Sammon has documented people in Uganda engaging in their every day routines. As the viewer, you are drawn into the photos by the composition, the beautiful colors, and the daily activities of the people being photographed. View the striking photos and enjoy the cultural diversity of the Ugandan people.
July 12, 2010
Linda Ayala - artist
The creative imaginative collage of animal portraits by local artist, Linda Ayala, are on exhibit at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. My first impression of the work was that it was playful, original, and fun.
Linda attended Cleveland State University and received a Bachelor’s of Art degree. Nature, history, music, and culture are just a few of the many things she enjoys. Linda states, “when I am ready to create an image or a concept, I decide how it should be realized, whether in drawing, collage, clay, recycled materials, or in fabric. Exploring a new medium is just as much fun as exploring different subject matters.”
July 07, 2010
Rock Around Cleveland - The Jewish Family Service Association
The Jewish Family Service Association, Ascentia Art Therapy Exhibit “Rock Around Cleveland”, is extremely colorful and striking. This incredible exhibit of works is done by clients that struggle with mental health issues on a daily basis. Through the creative process, they begin to explore their own lives and sense of self.
Rock-and-roll has had a cultural impact on our society. Through the music, the clients have brought their personal self-expressions into their work. Their styles range from abstract to realistic as do their techniques and materials used. Their unique talents make this an awesome group exhibit.
April 23, 2010
Portraits of Homelessness
Lecture and Reception - May 6
5-7 p.m., Third Floor Atrium,
Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
Exhibit Dates: May 6 - June 20, 2010
Lydia Bailey’s Portraits of Homelessness exhibit features 40 photographs and stories of the residents served by the 2100 Lakeside Men’s Emergency Homeless Shelter. Run by the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, the shelter is the largest in Ohio and serves more than 3,000 men each year.
March 19, 2010
Bridget Ginley - Artist
Bridget Ginley's art work interplay with the elements of her daily existence. She is a painter, printmaker, and mixed-media visual artist. Shapes, color, form, and balance emerge from the work; they are playful and purposeful. She works with oils, watercolors, graphite, and found materials. Ripping and sanding her works until the image appears as she wants.
March 16, 2010
Bruno Casiano - artist
Bruno Casiano contemporary abstracts are currently on display at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, on the first floor. Vivid colors, shapes, and surface texture explode on his canvases. He was recently (December 2009 – February 2010) in a juried art exhibit in The National Exhibition in San Juan Puerto Rico. He has also exhibited his paintings in other North East Ohio galleries.
January 19, 2010
Steve Knerem - "Contemporary Sci-fi / Fantasy" Drawings
Steve Knerem’s work incorporates elements of bio-mechanical art, which is characterized by fantasy settings where humans and other creatures are rendered with a high degree of realism.
November 17, 2009
Breezy Snyder - Artist
Breezy Snyder is a second year painting student at the Cleveland Institute of Arts. Her exhibit “Destiny of Dandelions” is her first solo debut in the Cleveland art community. Each ink drawing captivates the viewer’s mind; it is like poetry on paper.
August 13, 2009
Janice Reash - artist
Janice Reash a SASS graduate (1969), worked as a social worker until she retired in 1991. In 1991, Reash started to explore the different avenues of printmaking. Today she varies her techniques to that of the linocut, intaglio, wood cut and monotype. You can see her enjoyment and passion of the process as the images emerge on the paper.
August 13, 2009
Laurel Herbold - artist
Laurel Herbold is a freelance artist. After she graduated from Bowling Green University, in 1993, she started to exhibit her art work throughout the greater Cleveland area. Laurel is an artist who uses a variety of different mediums to express her creative outlets.
May 04, 2009
Pamela Dodds – Linoleum Block Prints
Exhibit Dates: May 4 - July 11, 2009
The current exhibit on the second and third floors of the Mandel School is a collection of linoleum block prints by artist Pamela Dodds. She uses a technique called linocut, which is similar to that of woodcut. The smooth, grainless texture of the linoleum allows for the cutting of a fluid, detailed line. After the image is cut in the linoleum plate, the surface is carefully inked and transferred to paper.
May 01, 2009
Paul Lender, Environmental Photographer
Exhibit Dates: May 1, - July 6, 2009
Paul Lender, an environmental photographer, has his work currently on display throughout the first floor of the Mandel School. According to his artist statement, he strives to capture the world around him as close as possible to the way he sees it. He aspires not only to highlight the beauty found in expansive landscapes, but also the magnificence found in small details.
November 25, 2008
Eric Meyer - Beauty and Function
On exhibit - first floor of the Mandel School until January 10, 2009
Eric Meyer welds and shapes handmade kitchen utensils out of pewter, silver, bronze, aluminum, and brass. His handmade objects, including a tea set, goblets, a tea infuser, and cutlery, have an opulence fit for royalty.
October 31, 2008
Judith Brandon – Recession Work
Exhibit Dates: October 24, 2008 -- January 10, 2009
Judith Brandon graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1987 with degrees in drawing and enameling. It is the enameling techniques of scribing metal and the layering of transparent and opaque colors that are the foundation for her paintings. Her subject matter originates from the weather channel, travels and experiences. Oceans, rain, mist and ice, water in all of its forms and locations are an endless source of inspiration to her. Water is a dominant theme in her paintings.
October 31, 2008
John W. Carlson
Exhibit Dates: October 20, 2008 – January 10, 2009
John Carlson began his career as an artist by attending Cleveland’s Cooper School of Art. Inspired by the works of Egon Schiele, Franz Kline, Edward Hopper, and Lucien Freud, he strives to find a balance between expressive drawings and boldly executed paintings.
August 15, 2008
Margaret Denk-Leigh
45 Works on Paper: Print Exhibition
Exhibit Dates: August 13 - October 6, 2008
Meet the Artist Brown Bag Lunch - September 10
12:30 p.m., Second Floor Atrium
Maggie Denk-Leigh is an Assistant Professor and Printmaking Department Head at The Cleveland Institute of Art, where she has been an instructor for the last nine years. She also is the Board Treasurer of the Morgan Conservatory. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Printmaking, Design and Business from Xavier University and her Masters of Fine Arts from Clemson University in South Carolina.
August 15, 2008
Pamelinda O'Keefe
Oil Pastels on Sandpaper
Exhibit Dates: August 13 - October 6, 2008
Pamelinda O’Keefe’s show displays 30 prints depicting common objects enlivened with bold lines and bright colors. Inspired during a particularly gray day in February, O’Keefe felt compelled to create colorful images to counteract the dreariness of that time of year.
July 01, 2008
Aravindhan Natarajan and Moon Choi
Exhibit Dates: June 30 - August 8, 2008.
This summer the Gallery @ MSASS is displaying the works of Aravindhan Natarajan and Moon Choi, current Ph.D. students at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences (MSASS). Even though their artistic expression is completely different from each other, they both share common threads in their work. These threads include being self taught, traveling extensively, and documenting their individual understanding of life events through their art.
March 27, 2008
Prints from Zygote Press Artists
Exhibit Dates: March 27 – May 19, 2008.
Zygote Press was founded in 1995 by Elizabeth Maugans (BFA ’89 KSU) and Joe Sroka, joined later by Bellamy Printz and Kelly Novak, to provide print facilities for artists interested in creating fine prints. Since its inception, Zygote Press has grown to offer many additional educational programs and exhibition opportunities in its expanded facilities.
January 14, 2008
Barbara Earley – Recycled Reflections
Exhibit Dates: January 14 - March 14, 2008.
Barbara Earley, a self-taught Cleveland artist, uses shattered mirrors by inserting a variety of recycled materials to create a rhythmic pattern within its frame.
July 01, 2007
The Gallery @ MSASS Features Jaquelyn Moravcik
Exhibit Dates: July 1, 2007 - September 7, 2007.
The Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences is hosting an exhibition by Jaquelyn Moravcik, a Cleveland artist. Jaquelyn's artwork captures the beauty not just found in blue skies and flowers, but exists in the middle of inner city concrete. Her work explores repetition, texture and color. The ways that we conceptualize the order and make sense of her artwork is through the visual patterns and design.
July 01, 2007
The Gallery @ MSASS Features Lolita Wilson
Exhibit Dates: July 1, 2007 - September 7, 2007.
The Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences is hosting an exhibition by Lolita Wilson. Comprised of bold lines and bright splashes of color, Lolita Wilson’s paintings conjure up images of exotic lands and timelessness. Yet other pieces bring the viewer back to more familiar surroundings—a baby, stretching cats, and a variety of common objects arranged in still-life sketches. Starting around age eight, Wilson, received training at the Cleveland’s Cooper School of Art and East Technical High School where she studied drawing, design and commercial art. Her training includes learning computer animation and studying art history with a strong emphasis on painting at Cuyahoga Community College.
May 08, 2007
The Gallery @ MSASS Features Keesha McMillian & Patrick E. Flanagan
The Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences is hosting an exhibition of photographs by local artists Keesha McMillian and Patrick E. Flanagan through the end of May. The exhibit features portraits of people and animals, and landscapes.
Viewing times are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the weekend of May 12 and 13. During commencement on May 20, the exhibit will available to the public from 2-3:30 p.m.