With so much happening in Toledo’s thriving art scene, fueled by locally owned art supply stores like the Art Supply Depo on St. Clair Street, there is a buzz in the air.

Most of the eccentric community that anchors Downtown converges on the side street bars, where creative energies are flowing. There is a strong cord that connects those T-Town Love T-shirts to Artomatic419!, Art Corner Toledo and the Supply Depo; it all echoes this simultaneous craving for freedom, expression and art. An artist told me once that to rebuild a city you must first restore and invest in art, because it will give birth to culture, and from culture comes a society.

When you visit Downtown and experience Downtown Latté to 20 North Gallery, it is hard not to feel the inspiration emanating from the endless paint strokes of art scattered throughout the area. This young, condensed, art-soaked atmosphere is what struck me immediately when I stepped off the train that brought me here from Chicago last fall. Jerry Gray, Toledo’s version of William Ivins, is a sharp-eyed curator who has been a staple in Toledo’s art scene since opening Bozarts Fine Art & Music Gallery in July of 2009. His own show, “Gray Gold,” opens at 6 p.m. Oct. 21.

Shaul Storey: In your third year promoting shows, hosting events and making a name for yourself as a curator, what’s the biggest difference between showing your own art as opposed to showing others’ art?

Jerry Gray: The biggest difference would be in the fact that I actually curate my personal exhibitions. When I work with other artists, I invite them into Bozarts as a peer and allow them full reign over what they want to display and how they want to install their work. Bozarts is an opportunity for local artists to create an environment for their work to be experienced, giving them control to transform and dictate the atmosphere. This approach, I believe, prevents Bozarts from becoming sterile and keeps things interesting.

Storey: When were you bitten by the art bug?

Gray: My grandfather owned one of the only art supply stores in the city for a long time, from the late ’60s until it closed in 2002. This is when I encountered a lot of new ideas, fresh images and materials. This store was key in developing my aptitude and appreciation for the arts.

Storey: Since I moved from Chicago to Toledo in the fall of 2010, Bozarts has presented itself as a dominant part of Toledo’s culture. What changes have you seen in the art community since Bozarts’ first art showing back in July ’09?

Gray: It’s hard to answer this question without it sounding like I’m saying Bozarts is a reason for these changes. But I do think the main changes I’ve seen in the arts community over the last few years have come from individuals taking the reins on their own and filling voids they witness in their community. I am very proud of being able to include myself in this group but it consists of dozens of people doing a multitude of work toward their passions.

Storey: Who are your top five visual artists in Toledo?

Gray: Yusuf Lateef, Jason Vahle, Devicious.com, Anthony McCarty and everyone with T-Town love shirts.

Storey: What’s your favorite cereal?

Gray: Fruity Pebbles.

Storey: Brunette or blonde?

Gray: Purple.

Storey: Rap or hip-hop?

Gray: I like either that is fun, intelligent, wordsmithing and of course has a beat I can dance or groove to.

Storey: When will people get a chance to check out your show?

Gray: I’m showing my own work at Bozarts Fine Art & Music Gallery, 151 S. St. Clair St.,  on Oct. 21. Gray Gold” features a collection of new works along with a peppering of some older pieces I believe are relevant with the exhibition.

Tags: 20 North Gallery, Art Corner Toledo, Art Supply Depo, Artomatic419!, Bozarts, Downtown Latté, Jerry Gray, Shaul Storey, Shaul's Corner, T-Town Love T-shirts, William Ivains

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 at 10:11 am and is filed under Shaul's Corner, Star.
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Toledo resident Dustin Hostetler is balancing several careers — working as a commercial and creative graphic artist and co-owning a restaurant. He also publishes an art magazine called Faesthetic and runs the “Think Faest” blog.

His work has been featured in art galleries across the globe, but his first Ohio exhibit — “I Thought We’d Have More Time” — debuted Aug. 26 at Bozarts Fine Art and Music Gallery. For his first show in Ohio, Hostetler decided to include the state bird in several images.

“I love birds in general,” he said. “I love watching birds and have a bird feeder in my yard. We get a lot of cardinals. It being the state bird and this being my first Ohio show, I thought it made sense to do some pieces dedicated to cardinals. It’s the most badass-looking bird, especially when you get a bunch of them together. They have the spiked hair and are looking like they are ready to fight.”

He also paid tribute to Ohio with a series of portraits with the backgrounds made up of small logos of the state.

“I took the whole show-in-Ohio thing a little more literal than I would have for a show in New York or somewhere else,” he said. “I’m excited to be a Toledo artist and an Ohio artist and thought I would reference that as much as I could.”

'Me,' self-portrait by Dustin Hostetler

His work at the show also features several consistent themes, including crystals, skulls and images containing his own body parts.

“Crystals are something that has been a repeating element in a lot of my work for several years now,” he said. “This is the first time I have played around with it being more three-dimensional. There are shadows under each of them so they pop off the walls a little.”

Skulls have been a repeating theme in his work for more than a decade.

“A friend of mine got a laser etching machine through Kickstarter.com and gave all of his supporters little bits of laser art,” he said. “I sent him a skull and he sent me back woodcuttings of skulls. He’s still learning how to use them, so the laser is a little rough on it. I kind of like that. With my work being so crispy, colorful and clean, to do some rough-cut wood ones brings some balance. I’m selling these for super cheap so if you can’t get a print, you can take a little skull home.”

Prints are available at $250 for an 18-inch-by-24-inch piece and $300 for a 24-inch-by-36-inch piece. They are all editions of one, so like a painting they are one of a kind. All of the images were printed by Toledo’s SFC Graphics.

“They do amazing art prints,” Hostetler said. “I’ve been using them for a decade. The color will last as long as a painting or anything else you buy.”

One piece of art not for sale is a rainbow Hostetler spray painted on the white wall. Bozarts allows artists to paint on the walls and repaints between shows.

“It was fun to go in here knowing I could paint on the walls if I wanted to,” Hostetler said. “You’re allowed to do whatever you want here. I only did the spray paint because I never get a chance to do that. I thought it was kind of funny to paint on the walls, and I have a lot of rainbow stuff in my work for the show anyway.”

The exhibit includes a series of four paintings of Hostetler’s face with rainbows shooting out of the eyeballs or mouth.

“I always use images of myself or reference myself in the work,” he said. “Whether it looks like me or not, it is me. It’s sort of the idea, jokingly, that I’m just sort of barfing out all this art, that it’s all I think about and all I do in my free time is barfing out art. I like to play with a little bit of humor in the art.”

Beneath one painting of his face with empty eye sockets are replicas of his eyeballs made by a friend who works in the Miller Artificial Eye Laboratory. Hostetler has also used the image of his eyes for commercial projects.

“If I get commissioned by somebody to do a commercial work and I’m able to include a body part of myself onto it, I kind of like the idea of that,” he said. “I did a Mountain Dew bottle a couple years ago for an artist series and it was covered in eyes. I love the idea that somebody living states away, who didn’t know me at all, would pull this bottle out of their fridge and have my eyeballs looking at them.”

While Hostetler likes putting himself into commercial work, he prefers to keep his art separate from his other commercial project. Last November, Hostetler and his two aunts bought the restaurant Grumpy’s from his grandparents.

'Cardinals 1' by Dustin Hostetler

“I love being involved with Grumpy’s, and I love making art, but I like having them be separate things,” he said. “Maybe someday I’d hang some of my art in the restaurant, but I’d prefer to just keep the restaurant its own special place. You have to give my grandparents credit for running it for 27 years prior to my involvement. I don’t want to slap my name over it. It’s its own beast. I’m just there helping out.”

To view Hostetler’s exhibit, contact Bozarts owner Jerry Gray at (419) 464-5785 to set up an appointment. The studio, located at 151 S. St. Clair St., brings in a new artist every two weeks. Starting Sept. 9, Hostetler’s favorite Toledo artist Yusuf Lateef starts a new exhibition.

“Most galleries do a show every month or couple of months,” Hostetler said. “Jerry is cramming more into the six months he’s doing it this year than most places would do in a year. He has a show coming up. Not only is he supporting the local arts scene, but he’s also an amazing artist himself. He’s definitely vested in local artists.”

To view Hostetler’s work, visit DustinAmeryHostetler.com or UPSO.org. UPSO is a pseudonym Hostetler uses for his art. The name comes from a series of paintings he did in college.

“At BGSU I was painting these little spacemen,” he said. “They had their own little NASA organization called United Planet Space Organization, so I was writing UPSO on their spacesuits a lot. I liked it so I started putting it into all my regular art. For about 15 years I’ve been using that as a nickname for my stuff, my brand I guess. I’ll get phone calls asking for UPSO now.”

The rainbow on the wall at Bozarts isn’t Hostetler’s first experience with spray paint. The idea for using a pseudonym comes from his early days of doing graffiti.

“My inspiration for art was graffiti,” he said. “That was a big part of my life back in high school and college. In those days I was used to putting fake names on my work, because you don’t do graffiti and sign your name and phone number and address on there. I got in trouble for doing graffiti in high school and I stopped doing it, but I always liked that idea of putting fake names on my work. I love the idea of being a little bit anonymous. My face appears in my work. It’s not like it’s an anonymous thing, but I love the idea of a fake name.”

Tags: Bozarts, Bozarts Fine Art & Music Gallery, Dustin Hostetler, Faesthetic, UPSO

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 30th, 2011 at 9:21 am and is filed under Arts and Life, Exhibits, Featured.
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Not all venues are created equal.  Toledo offers a variety from the good, the bad and the ugly.  Local musical settings range from art galleries to coffee shops, beer galleries to amphitheaters. However, if you are in a local band, you can cross off playing the latter,  unless you win The Blade’s Battle of the Bands (who are those people?),  leaving the rest of us with the smaller, local places.

For original bands, I recommend seeking out a room with a stage and a sound system. A show is much enhanced by these technological advancements, yet these simple improvements seem to elude many of the venues on the local circuit.

The Village Idiot and The Ottawa Tavern are bars that have recently updated their spaces. Unlike many bar venues, they have taken steps toward being legit clubs, providing a sound system, stage and lighting. These bars benefit from having good locations and large crowds (that seem to live there). Performing bands are sure to get recognition and applause for playing new and original material. The main challenges to the audience and musicians — both spaces get loud and crowded after midnight and because of this bands are expected to play, umm, loud.

A stage is more than a symbol — it’s a working tool that helps a performer more efficiently rock.  Without one, people are less likely to treat the evening like a show, and more likely to write off a band as “background music” (my least favorite term ever to be deemed a genre.)

Manhattan’s, which offers live music seven days a week, does not have a stage or any sound system. For a venue that has such good taste in music, and treats its performers quite well in terms of pay and respect, it is really time to take the next step by installing some hanging speakers and a small raised stage. My real vision for Manhattan’s would be to move select shows to the party room. It would be the perfect space  to have a show based on listening and respect.  Believe me, there are so many people who would love to come out for music but stay in because of the lack of etiquette in the bar scene. I get chills at the thought of playing to a captive room full of attentive patrons.

Ahh, the elusive captive audience; a dream to most, a reality to few. Once, in a far away land called Lansing, I went to a show where

100 people sat in rows of folding chairs facing a small stage surrounded by artwork. They paid a small cover and sat to listen to the stories set to music. It was all very Zen; the crowd only wanted to be part of the experience. There were bars to the left and the right and anyone was free to leave at anytime. It was like being at a play. Robinwood Concert House is a newer venue that takes listening very seriously. It should be commended and visited by many. Specializing in avante garde and touring groups, it remains one of the most unique performance spaces in the are. Bozarts Fine Art and Music Gallery also features a welcoming creative space where acts local or otherwise perform in front of local hanging artwork. No pressure to be a cover band here, either. The sacrifice is neither spot can offer the cold hard cash a bar can. It’s Catch 22 of 222 for musicians in Toledo. Quality/Quantity = Sacrifice.

What happened to paying a cover? Toledo has taken the recession hard and now makes a funny face at the mention of paying a cover for music.  Because of this, it has become  harder for local bands to get people to come to venues like Mickey Finn’s or Frankie’s. Both provide excellent sound systems and great stages — not to mention real sound men, a breed of men that has migrated north. Maybe for those who come to shows for the social aspect it doesn’t matter, but those there specifically for the music struggle to hear and participate.

So what can we do to better the music scene?  Venues, help your bands and provide a stage or sound system that works with your room. It will help with quality and constancy. Bands, keep playing new music so people stop treating us like a call and request radio show. Most importantly, if we as a people had a bit more self-control when out in public and paid a bit more respect to the performers, we could see a change in quality almost immediately. A few days ago, I heard a guitarist named Tim Oehlers shout, “Please be quiet so we can hear the music!” while struggling to hear The Staving Chain and its acoustic instrumentation. I shook his hand. Well played, sir.

P.S. It was just reported that “Wooly Bully” was heard being played at the Toledo Art Museum … now that’s high art!

Sarah Cohen is a Toledo native and an original musician of The Antivillains who manages Happy Badger Cafe in Bowling Green. Email her at star@toledofreepress.com.

Tags: Bozarts, Manhattan's, Sarah Cohen, Sound Judgment, The Ottawa Tavern, The Staving Chain, The Village Idiot, Tim Oehlers, Toledo Mudeum of Art

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011 at 6:02 pm and is filed under Sound Judgment, Star.
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They are proud to live in Toledo and want everyone to know it. They also want to give others a chance to show it.

At least half a dozen entrepreneurs in the Toledo area have independently created pro-Toledo T-shirts, which have been popping up on everyone from local festival-goers to Mayor Mike Bell and members of City Council.

John Amato, founder and president of local clothing company JUPMODE, said the mainly grassroots effort was unplanned.

“I’ve never really seen it as a movement, but recently it has been more noticeable, and you could probably call it that,” Amato said. “We all kind of did it independently. I think it shows there are a lot of people out there realizing the same thing — that they really like Toledo and they want to showcase that and let other people know.”

Amato said the designers are supportive of each other.

“Even though we’re technically competing because we’re making similar T-shirts, we want each other to do well,” Amato said. “I want all those other people selling shirts to sell a lot of shirts because it’s good for Toledo. I think they all share the sentiment of the more shirts like this out there, the better it is for Toledo and Toledoans. It’s all the same message. It’s all about Toledo pride.”

Shirts range from $10 to $26 and are sold at local businesses, including Bozarts, 151 S. St. Clair St.; Downtown Latte, 44 S. St. Clair St.; Glass City Café, 1107 Jackson St.; and Loonar Station, 3142 Markway Road or 5801 Telegraph Road.

Amato’s designs are online at www.jupmode.com.

One of JUPMODE’s 10 Toledo designs features the slogan “You will do better in Toledo.” Mayor Bell has worn the shirt to several recent events.

“For me that was really neat,” said Amato, who grew up in Sylvania and counts himself among those who chose to counteract Toledo’s “brain drain.”

“We aren’t here by default; we’re here because we like Toledo and see opportunities here,” Amato said. “I think the shirts like ‘You will do better in Toledo’ speak to a lot of people because it’s a positive message. These are people who are proud of Toledo and are happy to be here. They want a shirt that says that. You can’t show your pride for Toledo in any better way.”

From left, Max Reddish, Joshua Kulpa, John Amato, Matt Crouse and Rachel Richardson.

Other JUPMODE designs feature references to Toledo history, including Buckeye Beer, the Lion Store, former NFL team the Toledo Maroons and UT football legend Chuck Ealey.

“There are a lot of really neat things that happened here that people may not be aware of,” Amato said. “I like to showcase that history. It gives people from Toledo a reason to be proud because our history really is significant.”

One of the earliest pro-Toledo shirts was actually made as a joke, said Jules Webster, a Toledo native and owner of Shine Ceramics.

Webster, a Toledo Free Press Star contributor,  designed a shirt reading “Chicago doesn’t need you” for Ryan Bunch’s [performing and literary arts coordinator at the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo] birthday party last year only to get orders from members of City Council.

“They debuted as a joke and they sold out instantly,” said Webster, who later made a Portland version as well as a “Team Toledo” design.

Webster and Dana Syrek are opening The Art Supply Depo at 29 S. St. Clair St. on July 21.

Designer Matt Crouse is excited to see pro-Toledo sentiment growing.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw the first Toledo shirts; now there’s so many of them,” Crouse said. “It’s a pretty cool thing.”

Crouse’s family, who owns Erd Specialty Graphics and the Glass City Café, has designed seven Toledo shirts, most recently a depiction of the carousel at Walbridge Park.

The café sells shirts from several designers, including Jemma Hostetler, whose shirt reads “I chose Toledo over your bulls–t city.”

Crouse said the shirts get plenty of attention, especially when he wears one while working.

“If I’m wearing someone’s shirt, I sell at least one, two, three shirts a night just by wearing it,” Crouse said.

Crouse said he sees Toledo pride spreading beyond Downtown and Old West End to all corners of the city.

“Years ago, it was embarrassing to say you were from Detroit; now people from Farmington Hills are proud to be from Detroit. I feel like that same thing is happening here,” Crouse said. “I think it’s started to spread. I think people are not as ashamed anymore. It’s becoming cool and kind of accepted to be from here.”

Max Reddish quit his factory job last year to open Reddish Printing, a screen printing shop he operates out of Reddish Sporting Goods, his family’s store in East Toledo.

He has since designed six Toledo T-shirts, including one stating “Boring people hate Toledo,” one with the word “Explore” above a map of Toledo and one depicting the Skyway Memorial Bridge that asks, “Does yours change color?”

Reddish, who sold his shirts out of a backpack until setting up shop at the Erie Street Market on Saturdays, said the shirts offer a Toledo pride alternative to Mud Hens gear.

“The only Toledo swag around for years has been Mud Hens stuff,” Reddish said. “That’s one of the main things I was hearing from people. People love the area and they want to support it and they want to show their support, but there hasn’t been anything around.”

Detroit native Joshua Kulpa came to the same realization. After moving to Toledo for work more than a year ago, Kulpa has fully embraced his adopted home.

“I just started to realize, wow, this was a city I’ve always wanted to live in,’” said Kulpa, citing nice people, gorgeous Metroparks, urban agriculture, a thriving art scene and “a real sense of community spirit.” “The city, just by every measure, is just one of the best cities I’ve ever been in, period.”

He wanted to buy a Toledo shirt to show his support; not finding one, he decided to make his own.

Kulpa’s design, which reads “Toledo Love” in stacked block letters, was inspired by New York City’s iconic “I (heart) NY” shirt.

“I know it’s become cliché now, but the original was a very real and genuine statement people felt and connected with,” Kulpa said. “I think we’re kind of at the same place where New York was when that shirt was made, when it still had the stigma of the ’70s on it. People were like ‘Why would you go to New York?’ But people were like ‘No, it’s fantastic.’ You might have to look a little deeper, but they realized it’s awesome.”

Lifelong Toledo resident Rachel Richardson, founder of Art Corner Toledo and co-founder and co-director of Independent Advocates, recently designed a shirt that reads, “When you’re famous … tell them Toledo sent you.”

“I just feel like everyone in Toledo is so talented,” Richardson said. “I just feel like I personally am a product of Toledo and I hope everyone else feels the same way. I hope we give Toledo and the surrounding area thanks for helping us achieve what we are achieving right now.”

Richardson, a Toledo Free Press Star contributor, said she is excited more people are embracing Toledo.

“I’m thrilled,” Richardson said. “I’ve got a whole drawer of Toledo T-shirts. It’s like my entire wardrobe, There’s so many unique messages, but they’re all basically saying the same thing, which is that Toledo is a really great place to live.”

Tags: Art Corner Toledo, Art Supply Depo, Arts Commision of Greater Toledo, Bozarts, Dana Syrek, Downtown Latté, Erie Street Market, Glass City Cafe, Jemma Hostetler, John Amato, Jules Webster, JUPMODE, Loonar Station, Max Reddish, Metroparks, Mike Bell, Old West End, Rachel Richardson, Ryan Bunch, Skyway Memorial Bridge, Steve Crouse, Toledo Pride Joshua Kulpa

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 28th, 2011 at 10:13 am and is filed under ACT, Featured, Star.
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In celebration of its two-year anniversary, Bozarts Fine Art and Music Gallery is calling for all artists and citizens to come celebrate on July 2 from 11 a.m. to midnight at its location on S. St. Clair Street.

“This is as much a celebration of two years in business as it is a celebration of you,” Bozarts Owner Jerry Gray said. “There are so many skilled and spirited people in this city that I have come to know as passionate comrades — it’s overwhelming. Please come down and participate, spectate and enjoy each other with one another.”

Gray said Bozarts hopes to have a large contingent of Toledo’s art community present to show off or sell their work. Artists are asked to bring anything suitable for outdoor display. Filmmakers will have a DVD projector provided to share their work and photographers can bring their prints.

Also encouraged to attend are live performances from musicians, poets and performance artists. Musicians are to play acoustic only and may bring down CDs and merchandise to distribute and sell.

Gray is also encouraging cooks to come down to share or sell food. A charcoal grill will be available for public use.

The celebration will have a picnic feel, so canopy tents for shade are welcome along with blankets, pillows, coolers and small tables.

Gray has asked however to not bring chairs or large tables. If you don’t plan on attending to perform or display your work, Bozarts encourages the public to come view some of what the artistic community has to offer in Toledo.

“If you do not have anything to sell or distribute you are just going to have to enjoy yourself and check out a very organic collection of culture in Toledo,” Gray said. “Make no mistake, this will be a sincerely awesome day.”

CAC yard sale

The Collingwood Arts Center is hosting a yard sale in support of local artists from July 9-10.

Among available items at the nonprofit arts facility will be artwork, books and clothing.

The sale will take place at the Parkwood entrance of the facility from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit the website www.CollingwoodArtsCenter.org or call (419) 244-ARTS.

Tags: Bozarts, Collingwood Arts Center, Jerry Gray

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 28th, 2011 at 9:14 am and is filed under Galleries, Star.
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I’m positive everybody out there has some iconic perceptions of artists and could probably give some wild examples of people they’ve known in different situations or that they have heard about acting and reacting in peculiar ways that just didn’t make sense to them. I’ve heard stories about fellow artists, including myself, referred to as mean, weird, dysfunctional, inappropriate, malnourished, poorly maintained, exciting, positive, soulful, hardworking, eloquent, lazy, influential, antisocial, sweethearts and/or the craziest person “someone” has ever known.

I am assuming you have a similar story somewhere in your history or could easily think of a situation where you could discard a previous perception about an individual by simply realizing “they’re just a crazy artist,” or at least give them a little leeway because of this fact. As well you should in most cases.

As many people who fancied themselves as artists in their youth realized, it’s tough to question your pertinence, your message, your lifestyle, your ideology and yourself as a whole on a daily basis when you are constantly pushing yourself to question and produce legitimate work that is able to speak to individuals on a mass scale, who may or may not really care. The struggle of an artist to make someone care can break many who try. Even if they are attempting to merely keep themselves excited and interested in the work they are producing.

Even the most prolific artists I’ve ever met have had challenging moments of creative frustration and trying times that have inhibited their production. Whether you’re working professionally or for enjoyment, the skeleton key to getting through this threshhold of discontent is to simply keep working and stay confident. Much like a manic individual who has moments of bliss and clarity and others of deep depression or numbing frustration it is much easier to say than do the majority of the time.

Although inspiration in some respect can motivate an individual to produce work of influence and particular poignancy, I still believe that inspiration is overrated and acts as an easy crutch for artists who simply don’t feel like producing. When you get up and are getting ready for work you usually aren’t worried about inspiration regarding your workday.

You get up, get ready and go to your job realizing you are there for a purpose, even if your sole purpose is to pay your bills or earn a little extra cash to go enjoy copious amounts of libations, vacation or to afford the organic necessities that enrich your daily moments with ideas of internal understanding.

You still get up and go. Too often, creatives utilize the old “my dog ate my inspiration” as an excuse to not produce the work that has motivated them through the majority of their life. This is just unacceptable. An artists work ethic should be perceived and appreciated the same way as a factory worker who has gotten up every day for the past thirty years to go to a job that has supported and nourished his/her family and their livelihood. This may sound simple enough, however for a creative spirit whose general happiness lies in their self-reflection and production of what they feel is the most important thing in their life, any amount of time lacking productive (inspired) work can be an agonizing state, both mentally and emotionally. However, many artists just don’t realize the only therapy for such a state is to keep working and discussing it with like minded and interested individuals whom they respect.

I hope the artists out there reading this realize that if I am writing about anyone, it would be myself. I have found myself with this excuse almost rehearsed at times like a clever worn-out greeting and it’s namely to myself that I am speaking. As with all internal arguments that fester in the soul of a creative, I just had to put it out there to share, finally.

Keep up the work, figure out if it’s good later, just keep doing it like that old grizzled man who just won’t stop working until his day is done and feel the reward that comes along with a hard day’s/ life’s work.

Jerry Gray is an artist, writer, vocalist, bartender, gallery owner and advocate of the Toledo Potential, which promotes the retaining and featuring of artistic talent and culture in our city.

Tags: Bozarts, City of Toledo, Jerry Gray

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 at 10:16 am and is filed under Star, Unibrow.
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I have received a number of questions regarding the name of my column, “Uni-Brow,” and perhaps it is time that I explain it to those of you who may not understand my extraordinary wit (or dry humor) in titling this column.

We should start with the initial invitation from my editor, Mr. Miller, who called me in April and stopped by Bozarts during an afternoon of odd jobs, moments of phone calls, Facebook updates and brainstorms. We sat on the so-called lawn in folding chairs and discussed the focus of Toledo Free Press Star and how he thought I may be able to contribute to the new arts and culture rag. As we conversed about the wide-open possibilities, I quickly appreciated and accepted the invitation to write as often as I like about whatever I like as long as it was based on the arts, ideally in Toledo.

After accepting this opportunity I recognized that I lacked the energy or desire to write about current art events, reviews, critiques or other situations. The approach I had inwardly agreed to follow was one of ideals and possibilities rather than information about current or upcoming events. One of many reasons I try to hold true to this is an old quote which I honestly don’t even remember; however, it mainly states, “it’s better to discuss ideas rather than things.” This was probably some old Plato, Confucious or George W. Bush quote. Even fools have moments of clarity whether they know what they’re talking about or not, I would like to think. Like staring into a campfire and realizing where you actually want to be in the next five years at the tail end of a 12-pack.

Throughout the articles I have written I would like to think I have challenged myself and others to come forward, and at the very least consider the possibilities of their surroundings and how individuals can contribute to whatever it is they feel strongly about. I have also attempted to contribute some information about how to remedy particular situations that may have haunted their progress in the past. In general, offering up the idea that, as a city, Toledo is not only wide open with cultural opportunities but is hungry for them and the vision; networking and the doing is up to you, or whoever wants it.

So … yes, Uni-Brow is kind of ridiculous, though I believe it is a fitting title for the column, in that it is a satirical play on bringing High-Brow Art (fine and learned art) together with Low-Brow Art (often a self-taught sincere approach). From the local fine arts institutions such as the Toledo Museum of Art, Arts Commission of Greater Toledo and Toledo School for the Arts, to the kids painting bridges because they feel as though they must, this column is, has been and will continue to be based on a working creed of mine: “To bring us all closer together in thought and understanding without the chance of misinterpretation from the lack of honesty.”

If you are unfamiliar with my column and have no idea what I’m talking about, please visit www.toledofreepress.com/tag/uni-brow/.

Jerry Gray is an artist, writer, vocalist, bartender, gallery owner and advocate of the Toledo Potential, which promotes the retaining and featuring of artistic talent and culture in our city.

Tags: Bozarts, Jerry Gray, Uni-Brow

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 at 12:11 pm and is filed under Star, Unibrow.
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Art Corner Toledo (ACT) Project No. 1 is making progress! A partnership between Toledo GROWs and artist Har Simrit-Singh is bringing a mural to “Manos Garden,” located at 1441 Jacksin St. As things often do concerning matters of initiative, the pieces fell in place for this partnership with almost no effort from ACT, and did so within a week of the idea forming.

In fact, the very night the idea for ACT itself was born, the artist jumped on board and the first partnership became reality. On March 5, Har Simrit Singh, a local graffiti artist, opened a show at Bozarts Fine Art and Music Gallery. It’s no surprise that Bozarts was the fertile creative ground where this seed was planted. The show was amazing and was the beginning of a night full of positive energy and what felt like a solidifying of real community. A lengthy discussion with the artist about one piece in particular that depicted a tree (a verbal description beyond that would not do the painting justice) led Har Simrit Singh to make an offer: if ACT could find him a wall to paint, he would want to be involved in a community partnership with a local agency to represent Toledo’s activism and growth.

Richardson

The following Monday, a spontaneous (not at all coincidental, if you know what I mean) meeting at Downtown Latte (where the world changers get their coffee) with Toledo GROWs’ director, Michael Szuberla, led to a natural conversation concerning gardens and walls and activism and growth. Needless to say, Toledo GROWs joined the party, and had just the right garden with just the right wall. The next stop was Manos Paschalis, who owns the wall. With absolutely zero hesitancy, he was in and enthusiastic about the prospect.  No exaggeration. This all happened within days.

In following the ACT Process (which is highlighted at  www.artcornertoledo.com), the next step was to get together a couple times with Toledo GROWs’ staff, the artist, ACT web designer Nathan Mattimoe,  the author of the ACT Manifesto (Emily Rippe), and the owner of the wall. The purpose of these meetings was to discuss the vision for the actual piece of art and because ACT was in its infancy, to flesh it out and make it deliverable to the public. During these conversations, the group came up with messages and images to be conveyed by the mural that would represent Toledo GROWs’ brand of activism. Words thrown about included impact, cultivate, connection and community. One of the Toledo GROWs participants (Rasean Snodgrass) made special mention of how much he enjoyed the opportunity to use tools in his work with urban agriculture. Keep an eye out for those tools.  Also, watch for the original tree that sparked the entire project.

Luckily, it wasn’t the first rodeo for some of these stakeholders and they knew that a very important step for this mural project was to get the official approval from the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo (ACGT) by adhering to its mural ordinance, lest the work be mistakenly painted over or perceived as illegal graffiti. Dan Hernandez, the director of art in public places with the ACGT, was incredibly helpful throughout that process and a couple of very minor hoops later, the mural was approved.

This development is recent and brings us to the present time. The only thing left to do is to buy the paint and paint the wall. Grassroots as the whole thing is, the only cost for this mural is paint, which has been donated by Toledo GROWs and a few Adams Street business owners.  Manos Restaurant, Manhattan’s Restaurant and The Ottawa Tavern have all thrown in for supplies, understanding and embracing that the mural is ultimately going to bring beauty and pride to their neighborhood. These donors will be recognized in works created by Young Artists at Work (YAAW) participants who have volunteered their talents to ACT.

Now, we look forward to a few beautiful days of painting. Stay tuned for information about the unveiling. Also, please look online for more information about Toledo GROWs, The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, Bozarts Fine Art and Music Gallery, and YAAW.

Rachel Richardson is an activist, musician and a product of Toledo. E-mail her at artcornertoledo@gmail.com.

Tags: Art Corner Toledo, Bozarts, Har Simrit Singh, Rachel Richardson

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 at 12:09 pm and is filed under ACT, Star.
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Visual artist Yusuf Lateef said his latest show, “The Gathering,” is designed to be a hub for artistic networking in Toledo. Bozarts Fine Art and Music Gallery, 151 S. St. Clair St., will host “The Gathering” from Sept. 3 to 23.

Yusuf Lateef (photo by Martini Rox)

“When I was a kid, the thing was to get coloring books,” Lateef said. “Blank paper was our toy; there was nothing there and we had to create it. Painting and music are similar in creation, in that there’s a build and take away process.”

Lateef has exhibited work locally at venues such as the Truth Gallery, the Art Tatum African American Resource Center, the Ford Gallery, the Collingwood Arts Center and the 20 North Gallery. He has also shown his work at the 555 Studio Gallery in Detroit and the Chop Chop Gallery in Columbus. A native of Columbus, he received formal arts training at the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD).

“After I dropped out of CCAD in my senior year, I took a hiatus where I didn’t make art for a number of years. It was really my time as a resident artist at the Collingwood Arts Center that got me painting and drawing again,” Lateef said. “The artists I met there were so instrumental in my work as an artist. That’s one of the reasons I’m so happy to open this exhibit at Bozarts, because of the working relationship and the friendship that I’ve always had with Jerry Gray. I gathered up everything I’ve learned over the years and put it all into this show; that’s how the show got its name. The work is new and universal, it offers a conversation that we haven’t had yet.”

Lateef, who expresses artistic vision through visual and audio mediums, said the free show will be a multimedia event featuring a collection of his deep and colorful work, with a performance by a collective of Toledo Hip-Hop artists known as the Great Lakes Crew.

Great Lakes Crew has been a local music staple since 2000 and performs regionally 25-30 times per year. According to Great Lakes Crew MC Ron Jero, “Our shows are high energy. If we had it our way, we’d have explosives as part of the show! We know you’re comin’ out to be entertained, not watch a group of boring guys standing around. We don’t have a band so we have to give off all of the energy.”

Jero expressed similar views of creating within the artistic realm and said Great Lakes Crew vigorously supports the local art scene.

“We want to be the Hip-Hop group for the city,” Jero said. “The important thing for us is being very creative.”

Lateef said Hip-Hop was “the first form of music that basically spoke to me. That was it, no questions asked. It was inclusive of all other things. It had roots in jazz, blues and it had a consistent vibe that naturally speaks to me and especially to the kids coming out of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Hip-Hop had a definite beat, vibe, rhythm and it said, ‘Hey, do what you do. You are you.’”

Lateef said he has been musically inspired by Erykah Badu and “the more conscious MCs, those who have a lyrical finesse to themselves.”

The opening will also feature DJs Sid Delux and Liquid Accent. The show is free and open to the public. For more information about “The Gathering,” e-mail bozartstoledo@gmail.com.

John Dorsey and Martini Rox contributed to this report.

Tags: Bozarts, The Gathering, Yusuf Lateef

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 at 10:11 am and is filed under Exhibits, Featured, Star.
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I recently realized the difficulty some fellow artists and musicians have had trying to find appropriate studio spaces in Toledo.

With the current swell of the creative class and my personal daily involvement with artists and musicians and others who are “in the know,” this was something that hadn’t really occurred to me. As an artist who has immersed himself in Toledo for the last 10 years I was surprised by how difficult it is to find information on work/practice space in and around Toledo.

Checking the Yellow Pages and Googling “art studio, Toledo, Ohio,” I found everything from galleries, tattoo studios, dance studios, frame shops to professional studios and found practically nothing at all when it came to work or practice spaces for rent. I figured an article on the subject may help to squelch future frustrations of individuals who are interested in getting up and out of their basements or other home studios and want to get into the mix with other creatives or simply have a space to find focus.

This will be a brief overview with contact information on some of the spaces that are or may be available for rent in and near Toledo.

The Collingwood Arts Center at 2413 Collingwood Blvd. in the Old West End directly across from Scott High School. The CAC offers art and music studios as well as office and living spaces. The CAC has a beautiful amphitheater and class rooms available for residents to rent for performances or classes. Prices vary on the room and purpose of use. Contact Marlin at (419) 244-2787 or visit www.collingwoodartscenter.org.

The Secor Studios located at 425 Jefferson Ave. at the corner of Superior St. The Secor offers studio spaces for artists, musicians and performers as well as office spaces in the heart of Downtown Toledo. The Secor is very diverse in the size and style of spaces available and could be built to fit any size for an artist or group who has particular needs/desires and the budget to match. Studios in The Secor start at about $125. Contact KC at (419) 514-7496.

Common Space offers a wide variety of options with many amenities for artists, musicians and performers from class rooms to dance studios and performance space. The size of the studios vary from 10-by-10 to 22-by-33. Prices range from $85-$350 Common Space has multiple locations  including 1700 N. Reynolds Rd, 10 S. Holland-Sylvania Rd. and 437 South Main St. Bowling Green. Contact Martin Nagy (419) 531-2046 or visit www.aclew.org.

The Olive St. Studios is located Downtown in the Warehouse District at 252 Ottawa St. Olive St. is a raw space for visual artists and sculptors located near the western base of the High Level Bridge. Prices vary and are “usually” full. Contact Brian Juchartz at (419) 290-1132.

Former Summit St. Studios, Tholepin Press has studio spaces available in a variety of sizes and caters mainly to 2D artists with a full print studio available to rent a as well as weekly public life drawing classes. Studio pricing varies. Contact Paul Geiger at (419) 243-4944.

Another space I would also like to share that may be able to help you or a loved one let the creative juices flow is Space 237. 237 is a gallery and studio space offering ceramics classes with Jules Shine Webster. 237 does not offer rooms for rent but they do have a full ceramics facility and they rent studio time and teach students of all ages how to use the tools, equipment and materials used in ceramics. You can contact 237 by calling (419) 255-5117 or by visiting www.space237.com.

Studio M Printmakers located at 320 N. Michigan St. is, what do ya know, a printmakers studio offering classes and studio time on a variety of printing equipment and tools. Studio M does not offer studios for rent but they do offer classes and equipment for fine arts printing. For more information on classes and studio availability contact Mania Dajnak at (419) 343-5084 or e-mail mdajnak@sbcglobal.net.

I’m sure there are studio opportunities out there that I have missed or overlooked, so my apologies. Please comment here so future readers may be aware of these unfortunately overlooked opportunities.

Be well, Toledo.

Jerry Gray is an artist, writer, vocalist, bartender, gallery owner and advocate of the Toledo Potential, which promotes the retaining and featuring of artistic talent and culture in our city.

Tags: Bozarts, Collingwood Arts Center, Common Space, Jerry Gray, Olive St. Studios, Secor Studios, Space 237, Studio M Printmakers, Tholepin Press, Uni-Brow

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 at 10:24 am and is filed under Star, Unibrow.
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