COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Greater Columbus Arts Council (Arts Council) will open the newest exhibition in The Loann Crane Gallery, Speak, on Thursday, Jan. 20.
Organized by the Ohio Prison Arts Connection, the exhibition features work by 22 artists and two collectives directly impacted by the justice system whose work allows them to explore their voice, share their voice and join their voice with others.
The artists featured in the exhibition include Colton Candy, Tywana Davis, Annette Dominguez, Mike Dunn, Mary Evans, Gwendolyn Garth, Whitney Johnson, Edward Julian, Sr., Jonathan, Oz Kiousis, Sheila Luther, Montez Mickens, Jamie Ochs, LaMarr Pace, Dr. Patrice Palmer, Candace Palucci, Michael Powell, Damon Rawls, Shirley Tucker, Augustus Turner, Zeph Vondenhuevel and Aimee Wissman. Most of the work is available for sale.
Speak features visual artwork as well as pieces created for Liberated Verses under the ID13 Prison Literacy Project and PeaceLove. ID13 provides creative platforms for incarcerated individuals in Ohio. The Liberated Verses project showcases written work by incarcerated writers, combined with visual interpretations by Kent State University Students from the Glyphix Design Studio. More information is available at ID13Project.com. PeaceLove promotes mental wellness by using creativity and expression to inspire, heal and communicate. The pieces in the exhibition were created by the cohort at the Franklin County Correction Center and Dr. Patrice Palmer. Learn more at PeaceLove.org. The exhibition also features a collective sculpture created in a collaboration between Clarity Ohio and Freedom a la Cart.
The exhibition will be up through May 6. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The gallery is also a meeting space and subject to availability for drop-in visits; visitors who are planning a visit are encouraged to contact the Arts Council at gallery@gcac.org to ensure availability. Visitors must wear masks and comply with social distancing guidelines; there will be a limit of four people in the gallery at any time.
The featured artwork will also be available virtually through the gallery website at gcacgallery.org.
In July 2021, the Arts Council named its community gallery The Loann Crane Gallery at the Greater Columbus Arts Council in honor of Crane’s longtime dedication to the arts and social justice in Columbus. Exhibitions in the gallery are focused on showcasing work by artists from historically marginalized communities.
Mission of Ohio Prison Arts Connection: Ohio Prison Arts Connection is a coalition of people committed to building arts access for people in prison and re-entry, and to creating spaces for storytelling, resource-sharing and dialogue both inside and outside of prisons. ohioprisonartsconnection.org
Mission of the Greater Columbus Arts Council: To support and advance the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus. www.gcac.org
The Greater Columbus Arts Council receives major financial support from the City of Columbus, Franklin County Commissioners and the Ohio Arts Council.
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CONTACT: Jami Goldstein
(614) 221-8492
jgoldstein@gcac.org