Some Final Fridays are just a little better than others. And May's Final Friday falls into that category. Brent Lashley had some amazing acrylic graphics style art along with some mixed media pieces.
After that, we headed east on 12th to the Bunk Gallery. Turns out it has been there awhile but I've somehow just discovered it. I wanted to see what Jaclin Hastings had submitted as I'm a big fan of her art and she has tattooed me twice.
That end of the month party in OTR to celebrate art is sometimes just a little farther out there, August's edition is a good example.
Pretty. Vacant. which opened at the Art Academy featured works from the Collection of George and Linda Kurz. The Kurz's followed Punk music and began collecting art that had the same influence, it is raw and sometimes offensive. The artists definitely aimed to get in the observers face. If you only see one art exhibit this month, make it this one.
Sometimes I wonder if OTR's Final Friday has outlived its purpose. Back in the day Final Friday was the only night of the month you would see people on the street. These days OTR will host more people on a random Monday evening then Final Friday would draw back in the day. If it does hold any significance, it is a good placeholder for new businesses to hold a grand opening. This past Final Friday was one of those nights with both The Rhined and GalleryOTR opening officially. In addition to domestic cheese and meats from Indy's Goose the Market The Rhined carries a small wine and draft beer selection. A small plate and a drink were an excellent way to begin the evening.
Spring in Our Steps, the group dedicated to preserving and bringing attention to Cincinnati's alleys, stairs and other forgotten places hosted a short film festival. This is the best reason to always glance down an alley, you never know when a random group of people will be hanging out having fun. The dead end of the title comes from the fact that the gold painted alley off 13th is a dead end and perfect for a function like this.
So, moral of the story, don't rush past alleys in Cincinnati, stop and take a look, you never know what you'll see.
The Ledge Gallery described Julie Hill as a talented miniaturist and accomplished baker with a love of portraiture. I was intrigued at the title of the show Métamorphoses, turns out Ms. Hill created her tiny portraits on shrinky dinks then baked them. The artwork was dense with detail, thanks to the fact it had been shrunk down. I do have to admit however that Métamorphoses was a little challenging for my old man eyes.
