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Artists share creative vision, love for UT show |
| By
Vicki L. Kroll |
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Jul 26, 2007 |
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| "A Walk in the Forest" by Sharon Tobasko of Mount Vernon, Ohio |
They create, they come, they sell. Artists feel connected to UT’s Art on the Mall.
“Art on the Mall is the only show in which I have participated that actually shows appreciation to the artists for being there,” said Sharon Tobasko, an artist who works in copper enameling out of SST Studios in Mount Vernon, Ohio.
“Year after year I am simply blown away by the positive response to my artwork. Buyers have come back years in a row to buy my latest designs,” she said.
Tobasko will be one of 111 artists who will bring works to UT’s Centennial Mall on Main Campus for the 15th annual Art on the Mall. The juried art fair will take place Sunday, July 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“My first art fair experience was in 1992 at UT’s very first Art on the Mall,” said Toledo painter Carol Connolly Pletz. “I’ve participated in many art fairs since that first experience, but UT Art on the Mall is always the best in terms of helpful volunteers, entertainment, food and outstanding artists.”
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| bowl by UT alumnus Craig Broughton |
“Art on the Mall has always been received well by the art community of northwest Ohio,” said local acrylic artist Merv Russell. “The growth of attendance each year is indicative of the interest in art in our area.”
That interest leads to sales.
“Attendees look for the unique and the unusual, and many have their favorite artists whom they visit year in and year out,” Russell said. “I have been very fortunate to have sold works of art to all walks of life.”
“The customers are really buying artwork at Art on the Mall, and Toledo can be a hard-sell area,” said watercolorist Karl Feng of Cincinnati.
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| "Petite Promise" by Mary Greeno of Sylvania |
Kathy Palmer Genzman of Lambertville, Mich., who specializes in drawing and painting, said, “I do Toledo scenes and people tell me they send them and the calendars all over the world.”
The UT event also has had far-reaching effects for watercolor painter Betty Jean Jacobson of Grand Rapids, Ohio.
“I sell mostly local but because of Art on the Mall, my work is now in several foreign countries and many states,” Jacobson said. “I used to sell painted clothing. It is a thrill to see people at the mall, library, etc. still wearing garments they bought from me 15 years ago.”
While guests browse and buy, there’ll be live jazz and a children’s activity area where they can create their own masterpieces. Food also will be for sale.
Art on the Mall is sponsored by Huntington Bank, The Blade and the UT Medical Center.
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| oak jewelry box by Dave Grabarczyk of Perrysburg |
Want a sneak peek of some works? Make plans to be at the UT Alumni Association’s Art on the Mall Kick-Off Gala Saturday, July 28, at 6 p.m. in the Student Union Auditorium on Main Campus. Sample hors d’oeuvres from area restaurants, listen to live jazz, and check out and make bids on art pieces during the silent auction. Tickets are $50; proceeds will benefit the UT Alumni Association.
To purchase tickets for the gala or for more information, contact the UT Alumni Association at 419.530.ALUM (2586), toll-free at 800.235.6766 or visit www.toledoalumni.org.
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