Whirlwind January

January was an insanely busy start to the new year!

At the beginning of the month, Bitter/Sweet (showing my work along with works by fellow artist Linda Diec) opened at the Ohio Art League Gallery. It was my first gallery show that wasn't in a retail shop, restaurant, or at Junctionview Studios - so I was really excited! I worked so hard creating brand new work for the show.

Bitter/Sweet received some excellent press - including a shout-out in the Alive's winter arts calendar and a full-length feature article in the Columbus Dispatch.

In early January, I was also working on rallying the troops to vote for me in the GCAC's Columbus Arts Festival commemorative print competition (see previous blog post for more info). To my delight, I won the poster contest - and my design will be featured as a print to purchase

in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Columbus Arts Festival.

That very same week, my Sweet Stella Designs jewelry line was featured in the Style section of the Columbus Alive - and some close-up shots of my Tiny Treats necklaces were even included on the splash page of the print version of the paper.

You can read the article online HERE.

And in other Sweet Stella Design news: my jewelry is now available at 3 new retail locations: Magpie (Somerville MA), Anthology (Madison WI), and the Glitter Workshop (Madison, WI).

Yummy Summer Weekend Festivities

Okay, okay - I know I've been MIA lately. But between the redecorating, planning an art show, and selling my work at markets 3 times a week, blogging was last on my list!

I did want to mention the awesome event I planned for the Couchfire Collective at the Ohio Art League Gallery & the South Campus Gateway - it's called Yummy Summer Weekend! It's a fundraiser for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank and features art shows, and art market, a free movie, performances and other fun surprises.

There's an article in this week's Columbus Alive that explains the premise behind the show.

Please check out yummyartshow.blogspot.com for all the details about the event. It's tomorrow, July 31!

Snacktacular!

Snacktacular!

New Works & Old Favorites by Amy Neiwirth

April 8 - May 7, 2010

Opening Reception:

Thursday, April 8; 7 -9 pm

Wholly Craft!

3169 N High St. Columbus OH

614.447.3445.

www.whollycraft.net

The Month In Photos

Purim Fun

This year, I decided to bake hamantaschen for the Jewish holiday of Purim, which was celebrated on February 27 & 28th. Usually, they come out yummy tasting and ugly, or pretty and un-delicious. This year was my year of triumph - scrumptious and gorgeous! I did have a little help, though.

Touchy Feely: Please Handle The Art

Presented by the Couchfire Collective (and curated by Megan Green with me as a happy helper!), Touchy Feely was an interactive art show. How many times have you been yelled at at a museum for getting too close to the artwork? Well, there was none of that at this show!

Our reception on February 27 was a blast! We had costumes and puppets, tons of kids, and oodles of cupcakes. The sweets were lovingly baked and donated by Petite Sweets, The Dancing Cupcake Co. and Cake Truffles by Laura.

Check out my "Chocolate Chip Checkerboard" piece - and the people playing the game!

You, Me & We: Investigating Identity

This is a show of my students' work in the Carnegie Gallery at the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Main Branch. Each student in grades K-5 at Columbus Torah Academy created a piece for this show. The students were so excited to be at the opening reception, held on Thursday, March 4. They felt like "real artists."

The show is on view until March 25 at the library - 92 S. Grant Ave. in downtown Columbus. Stop by and check it out!

Holy Upcoming Events, Batman!!

Hope to see you at some of these awesome events I'm involved in.

Ohio Art League - Thumb Box Exhibition

December 3 - 23, 2009

Opening Reception: Thursday, December 3, 6-9 pm

1552 N. High St. Columbus, OH 43201 (new gallery space in the South Campus Gateway!)

www.oal.org

Roy G. Biv Gallery - Members' Small Works Exhibition

December 5 - 20, 2009

Opening Reception: Saturday, December 5, 7-10 pm

997 N. High St. Columbus, OH 43201

www.roygbivgallery.com

North Market Holiday Open House & Craft Extravaganza

Sunday, December 6, 2009 (and Saturday Dec. 5 - Emily of Umbrella Girl Productions will have the spot!)

12 noon - 5 pm (8 am - 5 pm on Saturday)

59 Spruce St. Columbus, OH 43215

www.northmarket.com

Junctionview Open House

Saturday, December 12th

4 - 10 pm

(My open studio hours: 6pm - 10pm, Studio #133)

889 Williams Ave. Grandview Heights, OH 43212

www.junctionviewstudios.com

Sweet Stella Designs Holiday Studio Clearance Sale!

Sunday, December 20th

1 - 4 pm in Studio #133

889 Williams Ave. Grandview Heights, OH 43212

www.sweetstelladesigns.com

You can RSVP on Facebook, just follow this link.

CAW (Creative Arts of Women) - Definitions of Character

January 14 - February 19, 2010

Opening Reception: Thursday, January 14, 5 - 7 pm

Carnegie Gallery in the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library (2nd Floor)

96 S. Grant Ave. Columbus, OH 43215

Vote for Me!

I'm happy to be a part of the C-Note Art Show that's going to be happening at Junctionview Studios in December. The premise is that every item in the show is priced at $100. Part of the process for the show is that people can vote for their favorite artists through the website. Artists with the most votes will be granted prime spots in the art show.

So visit www.cnoteartshow.com and scroll down to find the artist bio and images for Amy Neiwirth. Then, click on the "plus sign" to vote! You can only vote one time per day per IP address. So vote often!

Just A Few Weeks Left...

...until my MA Thesis Exhibition. It's November 8th!!
Check out the invites below for specific details.
If you are reading this, then you are invited.

Sugarcraft Goodness and Summer Fun!

I have been so busy lately getting my work ready for some awesome upcoming shows. The first of which is SugarCraft, a show in Chicago curated by Wynter Whiteside.
From the SugarCraft website:
SC is an international exhibit including works by over 50 artists, specially selected from all over the world. The exhibit focuses on the theme of indulgence in the arts while representing the contemporary adoption of DIY practices as a response to mass production and consumption, as well as the fading line between contemporary fine art and fine craft. Casual viewers and art connoisseurs alike are invited to engage with both established and emerging artists.

My collage, "To Meditate on the Goodness of Sweets (Cookie Mandala)" is going to be a part of the show!

Some of my "Tiny Treats" jewelry designs will be included in the SC gift shop, aptly named "The Candy Shoppe". I made many tasty and cute little items, ranging from cookies to sno-cones!

If you're in the Chicago area, make sure to check out SugarCraft at Kasia Kay Art Projects (1044 W. Fulton Market St. Chicago, IL 60607).
Dates: June 27th- August 9th, 2008
Opening Reception: Friday, June 27th 6-9pm

****
It's been awesome having RT in town! Last night, we hung out at Surly Girl for a while and met up with Patrice and JG. Then, we headed over to Tip Top to watch The Goonies, powered by the P2 Cycle, a bicycle-powered generator! It was a great time, I forgot how much I love The Goonies!
If you're curious about the P2 (the model used around Columbus was built by Nathan Ober), check out the video below.

C-Note Art Show

Last weekend, my artwork was in a group show called C-Note at Junctionview Studios in Grandview (my favorite place!). The premise was that each artwork in the show was priced at $100, making the show a great destination for those wishing to start an art collection at an affordable price.
Below is a photo of my artworks that were in the show (clockwise, from top left): Watch What You Eat; This Is What Ice Cream Does To My Insides; To Meditate on the Goodness of Sweets (Cookie Mandala); Untitled (Mmm...Donuts); Sweet on the Inside.

I am sad that many of my photos from the show didn't turn out so well; below are the best ones. There was some great art to see at C-Note!

Miscellany

For the past 3 weeks, a rogue onion has been sprouting shoots. It became like a pet of sorts. I was so amazed by the growth that occurred with no soil/nourishment whatsoever.

I had full intentions of chopping up that onion and putting it in something delicious, but I just couldn't do it after the sprouts started growing; it was just too interesting!

Sadly, the onion is no longer with us, but its spirit will live on through this photo. Seriously, look at how tall those green sprouts are. I am still amazed!

In other news, the Agora III art show was a great time. I had Randall's camera with me, so I haven't had the chance to upload those photos quite yet.
It was so amazing seeing all of the artwork up on the walls (over 200 artists!). I was continually impressed by the awesome extras that the Couchfire Collective folks put together, like the full-color program books, t-shirts, buttons, etc.

It was also thrilling to see my work up in a gallery setting. My pieces read so differently when they're not in my house. Check them out:



More photos to come. In the meantime, check out this piece from the Columbus Dispatch: "Different Strokes"

Agora III This Weekend

The Agora III art show is this Saturday Night, October 13th. I am very excited to be showing two pieces at this event.

At first glance, it may look like my artworks are delicious and edible. However, not only are they completely fake and created with art supplies (except for the sprinkles; those are real, but sprayed with a gloss varnish), they are a little bit disgusting as well.

I like the idea of playing with the viewer. My artwork looks delectable; however, taking a closer look enables the viewer to decipher that the work is not delicious. Each piece contains something disgusting. On the cupcake, a long black hair. Underneath one donut, a scabby Band-Aid.

Time To Make The Donuts!

Mmmm...look at these yummy donuts! Too bad they're FAKE. Sadly, they are not edible; rather, they're part of an art piece I am working on for the Agora art show in October.

They start out as donut-shaped lumps of lightweight air-dry clay which are painted in a variety of cake-related shades.

Then, I "frost" them with a seemingly endless combination of acrylic paints, glosses and glazes. And then comes the fun part: sprinkles and drizzles!

The artwork below is about 85% complete. There will be a lovely surprise at the end. But I'm not giving it away now. You'll just have to come to the art show and see for yourself!