March 11 marked the beginning of a new collaboration between the Department of Art and The Stranahan Theater. A show of photographs by Eric Ziegler, called “From the Middle of Nowhere” was unveiled as it was announced that faculty from the Department of Art will be displaying their work at the Stranahan, in rotating exhibitions. Ziegler is the Lecturer of Multidisciplinary Art and Foundations in the Department of Art.

“The Stranahan Theater, widely known for its presentation of all forms of live performances, draws countless guests, both locally and regionally. As a result of this ability, our theater can, at any given event, have thousands of people within our four walls. What an opportunity to allow our blank walls to be a platform for visual arts, and, in the process, enhance our patrons’ experience! We recently contacted the University of Toledo about partnering with us for this very purpose and couldn’t have received a more willing and excited response. What a great venture for the two of us and for the public not only to see the great forms of art, but also to have the chance to purchase them!” – Stephen Hyman, Executive Director, Stranahan Theater & Great Hall

“I am excited to be partnering with the Stranahan Theater for this exhibition of three photographs, selected from my series “From the Middle of Nowhere.” This exhibition marks the start of what will certainly be a beneficial collaboration between two centers of creativity in Toledo. The theater will provide the University of Toledo’s College of Communication and Arts with a new platform to harness our creative power. I am looking forward to what may be possible in the future through this partnering.” – Eric Zeigler, Lecturer of Multidisciplinary Art and Foundations

“The Department of Art in the College of Communication and the Arts at UT is now partnering with the Stranahan Theater. We are bringing the visuals arts to this wonderful, landmark performing arts center. On a rotational basis, our faculty will be exhibiting their works in the halls of the Stanahan. We are excited that the exceptional work of our faculty will be highlighted at the Stranahan, giving audiences a chance to engage in our multi-sensory artistic offerings.” – Debra A. Davis, Dean – College of Communication and the Arts, School of Visual & Performing Arts, University of Toledo

Zeigler’s “From the Middle of Nowhere” photograph collection is currently on display in the upper balcony lobby of the Stranahan Theatre, located at 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd., in Toledo.

This image by Barry Whittaker will be on display at Transcending Text, the multimedia exhibition at Walter Terhune Gallery

Join us for the exhibition Transcending Text, which brings together four artists who explore the disconnection between text, language and meaning. The exhibition will be shown at Walter E. Terhune Gallery at Owens Community College. Our closing reception will be held on Friday, August 30 from 5-7 p.m. The Terhune Gallery is located on the campus of Owens Community College, at 30335 Oregon Road, Perrysburg, OH 43551.

Exhibitors Include:

Barbara WF Miner

Barbara WF Miner’s encaustic paintings use shape and repetition to reference abstract symbols: letters, characters, cuneiforms and hieroglyphs.  When a letter or a pictograph is separated from the rest of the communication system, it becomes unintelligible and is cast adrift from concrete meaning like a discarded implement.  It is then critical for the viewer to create content and investigate the actual painting surfaces and structure for deeper resonance and substance.

Barbara Miner currently holds the position of Associate Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Art, at the University of Toledo, in Toledo, OH.  Her mixed media and installation works have been exhibited nationally and internationally in over 50 exhibitions.  She has participated in numerous national and international artist’s residencies.  She has received both internal and external grants in support of her research and art practice.

Barry Whittaker

Barry Whittaker’s work explores the challenge in communication, especially when there is technology involved. He says, “It’s the equivalent of deconstructing all one’s thoughts in a food processor and handing the pieces to one person who will deliver them to another person, who will reassemble them for the intended recipient of the message. The hope is that he will get the idea of what is being said, but it is likely that important parts will be missing.”

Barry Whittaker is a multi-media artist who explores myth, language, and miscommunication through a variety of technology and collaboration-based projects. A native Texan, he received a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Whittaker has taught in the U.S., France, and Japan and continues to exhibit artwork internationally. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Toledo.

Holly Hey

Holly Hey’s “MOM MOM” are two moving image loops (16mm and digital video) that contemplate the construction of the word “mother.”

Holly Hey is an “undependent” filmmaker and an experimental weaver of media who strives to undermine conventional methods for telling stories via the moving image. She is currently an associate professor of film and video production within the Department of Theatre and Film at The University of Toledo. She holds a MFA in filmmaking from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA in photography from Ohio University. Her films and videos have shown at the Autumn Lights Festival -Los Angeles, the Mix Festival -New York, the Onion City Film Festival -Chicago, the Denver International Film Festival, the Athens International Film and Video Festival, the Vancouver Queer Film and Video Festival, among other venues.

Lee Fearnside

Lee Fearnside’s installation examines censorship by using books from the American Library Association’s challenged book list that the artist has read. Her use of media examines systems that underlie our culture including issues of gentrification, the politics of history, and the body.

She earned her Masters of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design and is now an Assistant Professor of Art at Tiffin University. She has exhibited in national and regional juried shows, and her videos have screened at Film Festivals in Boston, San Francisco, Portland, Oregon and Toronto, and on Rhode Island PBS.

For additional information about Transcending Text, email Lee Fearnside.