ArtSpace to hold iconic art exhibit

First Posted: 4/22/2014

LIMA — ArtSpace/Lima will host its annual Spring Show exhibit, starting with an opening reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. today.

“This is the iconic show for ArtSpace,” operations manager Bill Sullivan said. “It dates back almost to the beginning of the organization itself. This year is the 59th time we’ve had a Spring Show, and next year, we’ll have our 60th anniversary, so that speaks for itself.”

This exhibit features some of the best art from throughout the region.

“We take in entries from a 100-mile radius around Lima, and this year, we have people from Columbus, Toledo and Bowling Green, as well as from the more immediate area,” Sullivan said. “This year, we had 51 artists that entered work, and of that 51, 31 were juried in. It’s a very selective show.”

Art lovers will get an extra treat at this exhibit, with both the “best of the best” selections as well as the “best of the rest.”

“We actually have two shows,” Sullivan said. “We have our Spring Show proper, which is hung in the Ellen Nelson Gallery. In that show, we have 51 pieces with all media imaginable: photography, oil, acrylic, sculpture or ceramics. You name it, we’ve got it. The jurors then go back to the pieces that were not selected for a Salon de Refuses, which is a 19th century French idea of a second show of the best of the refused pieces. We do it on the second floor, and there are 22 pieces in that show. So we have a total of 73 pieces on display on two floors.”

As with all exhibits at ArtSpace/Lima, there is no charge to attend, allowing this art to be appreciated by everyone.

“We never charge a fee here,” Sullivan said.

The art will remain on display through June 7.