Category: Exhibitions

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# Work In progress – 3d printed sculpture Visualization in Blender

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Scroll down to read narrative below.

I’m honored to be one of several artists to be in the upcoming show in December “W/O Limits: Art, Chronic Illness, & Disability” exhibition curated by Megan Alves and Mindy Tousley of the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve. The Artists Archives has been awarded a grant from the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities where the organization will be able to incorporate strategies to increase accessibility with among others the use of braille and a 3d printed tactile sculpture for the visually impaired.

Megan asked if I would be interested in doing the 3d printed sculpture and I accepted, excited with the anticipation of revisiting shifting into 3 dimensions and also working again with Think[Box] at Case Western Reserve University. I had worked with Think[box] in 2015 where I printed 2 sculptures I call MODEL CITIZENS.

For the W/O LIMITS exhibition, In progress is a 3d Hash symbol with elements that make it accessible to the visually impaired. A modular system of 80 individually printed blocks (each block 2″ high) connected together and alternating between hash symbols in negative relief and positive relief form a bold singular Hash symbol. Primary colors and black and white provide bold contrast between the parts, making them more visible. The deep cuts into each block project shadows making it both tactile and with a sharply delineated pattern also making it more visible.

As an art object unto itself, the hash symbol with its use in hash-tagging represents our modern times, good and bad; where data is turned into meta-data; where information is categorized and made searchable; where so many find their voices amongst the billions of souls vying to be seen and heard to share joys, beauty, injustices, sadness…and so much more, elevating our humanity. But other voices use it to tear down our humanity and the beauty of our multicultural world. With this sculpture, however, I choose to express it as a symbol of empowerment.

FRONT VIEW
TOP VIEW
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Art Exhibition – Maria Neil Art Project Turns 10 Show

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CIRCULUX REDUX, 2022
uv cured inkjet on cnc cut acrylic and composite aluminum, 13.8″h x 15″w, edition of 3
pictured on top row (left to right): Liz Maugans, Andrew Reach, Jen Craun
pictured on bottom row: Amy Casey, Timothy Callaghan, Dan Miller

Maria Neil Art Project – A project by John Farina and Adam Tully celebrates their 10th Anniversary with a show that opened last night. They have been a special presence in the Cleveland art community over the years with their collecting and patronage of the areas artists and with MNAP bringing their love of the arts to the public. They asked the artists who exhibited in their exhibitions to submit a small work. My work is in great company with the wonderful other artists work.

I was honored when they asked me to have a solo exhibition in 2015. My show with them titled BITS IN PIECES included among the 20 plus digital prints something new for me, 3d printed sculptures titled MODEL CITIZENS. As part of their mission, they encourage artists to flex their muscles and bring something special hence the word “Project” in the name. The challenge led me to producing my first 3d work since my architecture career ended in 2004. I am again working in 3d on a 3d printed piece for the upcoming show “W/O Limits” at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve.

For the 10th Anniversary show, I created this small work, CIRCULUX REDUX, uv cured inkjet on cnc cut acrylic, 15″ x 13.8″. A child of the 60s, the analog days, I played 45 rpm records. Arranged at the corner points of a hexagon, the central elements are a nod to those plastic adapters you put on the spindle to play 45 rpms.

MariaNeilArtProject.com
15517 Waterloo Rd, Cleveland, OH 44110
Opening Reception: Friday, June 3rd 5:00-8:00p.m.On view through July 2022. Hours by appointment only. Please send an email to schedule an appointment.
marianeilartproject@gmail.com

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ASTERISCUS I at Artists Archives of the Western Reserve LGBTQ+ exhibition CONVERGE

I’m proud to be part of the exhibition CONVERGE. The brainchild of artist and Collection’s Registrar of the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve, Kelly Pontoni, the following are excerpts from the AAWR’s website:

CONVERGE features 71 regional artists of all ages, backgrounds, and identifications, creating a vibrant cross-section of the LGBTQ experience. Conceived by Kelly Pontoni, and co-curated by artists Sam Butler, Tony Williams, and Mark Yasenchack, with assistance by Mary Proctor, over 140 pieces were selected in a staggering array of media including painting, photography, textiles, glass, fashion, assemblage, and immersive installations which transport the viewers while transforming their perspective.

In addition to its support of local LGBTQ artists, CONVERGE also marks the first effort to extensively document their contributions to the important visual culture of Northeast Ohio.
Click here to read more about the exhibition on AAWR’s website.

click on images to enlarge (except mobile devices)

The work ASTERISCUS I embodies the things I strive to convey in my art. Starting with a geometric construct, in this work the form of the asterisk, I weave color and striped patterning to optically energize its geometric forms. Each asterisk is embellished with varying secondary forms that creates a playful dialog with its surroundings. Cut out on a cnc router, its composition is further geometrically energized. This energy is a proxy for my inability to move freely through the world without pain and represents a little piece of me that has been freed.

My husband Bruce Baumwoll (on left) and me

This artist was awarded the Ohio Arts Council’s ADAP Grant (Artists With Disabilities Access Program) for Fiscal Year 2022. 

“ADAP (Artists With Disabilities Access Program) provides funding that gives individual artists with disabilities—and organizations that serve them—the resources they need to further their artistic development. ADAP awards help artists with disabilities advance their artistic practices, making Ohio a more accessible and inclusive place to build an artistic career.”

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CONVERGE – Artists Archives of the Western Reserve Landmark LGBTQ+ Exhibition

I’m proud to be part of the upcoming exhibition CONVERGE. The brainchild of artist and Collection’s Registrar of the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve, Kelly Pontoni, the following are excerpts from the AAWR’s website:

CONVERGE features 71 regional artists of all ages, backgrounds, and identifications, creating a vibrant cross-section of the LGBTQ experience. Conceived by Kelly Pontoni, and co-curated by artists Sam Butler, Tony Williams, and Mark Yasenchack, with assistance by Mary Proctor, over 140 pieces were selected in a staggering array of media including painting, photography, textiles, glass, fashion, assemblage, and immersive installations which transport the viewers while transforming their perspective.

In addition to its support of local LGBTQ artists, CONVERGE also marks the first effort to extensively document their contributions to the important visual culture of Northeast Ohio.
Click here to read more about the exhibition on AAWR’s website.

click on images to enlarge

ASTERISCUS I, 2021
uv cured inkjet on cnc cut acrylic mounted to composite aluminum
edition 1 of 3, dimensions variable (overall 48″h x 43.25″w)

ASTERISCUS I will be on display at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve’s Gallery

SHINING LIGHT, 2007
uv cured inkjet on acrylic mounted to composite aluminum
36″h x 24″w

SHINING LIGHT will be on display at the LGBT Center of Cleveland

Artist Statement

The photograph in SHINING LIGHT in which I overlaid color, forms and texture, is of my husband Bruce Baumwoll .We will be celebrating 40 years together this December. It was taken by me in 1984 at the entrance to the Christopher Street subway station in Greenwich Village, New York. We were living in Greenwich Village and I was studying architecture at Pratt and taking photography as an elective. Shining Light is a visual love letter. The light above Bruce’s head softly illuminates him like a halo, a metaphorical angel, while my “whimsies” move towards him, attracted to his beautiful essence. SHINING LIGHT speaks to the simple universal notion of the deep love and commitment of two men spending a life together and the homage one man pays to the other he loves so deeply.

The work ASTERISCUS I embodies the things I strive to convey in my art. Starting with a geometric construct, in this work the form of the asterisk, I weave color and striped patterning to optically energize its geometric forms. Each asterisk is embellished with varying secondary forms that creates a playful dialog with its surroundings. Cut out on a cnc router, its composition is further geometrically energized. This energy is a proxy for my inability to move freely through the world without pain and represents a little piece of me that has been freed.

Special Events:

  • Artist Archives Opening Reception | Thursday, August 26
    • Featured appearance by Veranda L’Ni Cleveland’s Tallest Drag Entertainer
    • Private VIP Reception | 5:30 – 6:30pm
    • Public Reception | 6:30 – 8:30pm
  • LGBT Center Reception | Friday, September 17
    • Private Plexus LGBTQ Young Professional  Reception | 5:30 – 6:30pm
    • Public Reception | 6:30 – 8:30pm

This artist was awarded the Ohio Arts Council’s ADAP Grant (Artists With Disabilities Access Program) for Fiscal Year 2022. 

“ADAP (Artists With Disabilities Access Program) provides funding that gives individual artists with disabilities—and organizations that serve them—the resources they need to further their artistic development. ADAP awards help artists with disabilities advance their artistic practices, making Ohio a more accessible and inclusive place to build an artistic career.”