A sculpture on display at 513 N. Main St. in Lima, waiting for opening night of the Every Body Art Show, which is hosted by the Council for the Arts of Greater Lima and Wild Rose Photography.
Emily McBride | The Lima News
LIMA — “Your body is an always-changing, never finished, work of art. And it deserves a freakin’ art show,” said Amanda Rose, a photographer at Lima’s Wild Rose Photography LLC.
Her studio, in collaboration with the Council for the Arts of Greater Lima, will be doing just that in a downtown Lima art show called ‘Every Body’ this Saturday.
The event was Rose’s idea and it stemmed from a reaction to something she encountered on the job.
“Some women contacted me asking me to photograph them even though they are plus-sized. They had been told ‘no’ by other photographers. It just stunned me,” said Rose. “So, I decided to start photographing plus-sized women, and women with scars and disabilities, for free.”
After doing many of these, Rose wanted to put on a body-positivity-themed art show. Her first step was to contact Bart Mills, director of the Council for the Arts of Greater Lima.
“What attracted us to this idea is how important this is — and it’s always been important — but image challenges art anew… Art serves a purpose just for pure aesthetics, and that’s great. But at its best, it serves a purpose to stimulate a conversation about important issues that we’re dealing with as a society,” said Mills.
When she saw the size of the venue, which is located on the first floor of 516 N. Main St., she said, “I knew it was too large for just me.”
The idea for a juried art show was born.
The Every Body art show is “not only about normalizing bodies, but normalized everything that makes a person unique: body type, gender identity, skin color, scars, wrinkles, or disabilities,” said Rose.
Mills said he hopes that the event initiates conversations about “the varying images of beauty… I think that we are at a really unique period in our society where people are really being vocal about how important it is that people feel good about their bodies … whatever body type [in terms of] color, size, or ability. [The show is] really part of a larger conversation about inclusion … Most of the artists who participated are already working in this field [where] it’s ‘top of mind,’ and we’ve had conversations with mental health service organizations and educational groups about wanting to come to the show.”
A call went out for submissions for the show with a deadline of June 20. There was no entry fee and each artist could submit up to seven pieces.
There were over 200 entries from local artists from Lima as well as around Ohio, including Canton, Toledo, Findlay and Dayton.
“This exceeded all my expectations,” said Rose.
“There are four winners, and all four winners that the judges picked are phenomenal,” Rose said.
There were two judges for the three main awards: Kristin Lee, director of the magnet programs for the Lima City Schools, and Sally Windle, Executive Director at ArtSpace/Lima.
A fourth award, the ‘Mental Health Awareness’ award, was sponsored by Lima-based Therapy Works of Northwest Ohio owned by Heather A. Koontz, who served as the judge.
Out of 200 pieces submitted, 50 pieces from approximately 40 artists were selected on July 3 to be exhibited.
The winners will be revealed during Saturday’s opening event.
Rose — while not a judge for the event — said she had her own personal favorite in the exhibition. It is a life-sized 3D body emerging from a flat canvas: “The piece just speaks to what the show is all about,” Rose said.
Rose earned her associate’s degree from The Modern College of Design in Kettering where she studied drawing, painting, photography and graphic design. She then worked in graphic design for a company in Lima until opening her in-home studio. The studio was built this past year by her husband, Scott Rose, Visual Art Teacher at Allen East Local Schools.
Beyond what hangs in a museum, Rose said, “These are some of the best works of art I’ve ever seen.”
Rose specializes in portrait photography and a portfolio of her work is available to view online at wildrosephotographyllc.com. She shoots indoors in her studio or will travel to shoot on location. A single wall at the event, which is in addition to the juried event, will feature her photographs.
The opening for the show is Saturday, July 23. There will be music by Wendy Chappell-Dick and a women’s choir. Cookies will be donated by Sara’s Sweets. The Council for the Arts of Greater Lima will provide water, sodas, and alcoholic beverages (for which tips are appreciated).
In addition to the opening, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, the venue will be open to the public to view the Every Body exhibit on other “pop-up” days, with different events scheduled for each date:
• 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 28, In2itions will offer tarot readings for donations only.
• 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, August 4, there will be performances at the Lima Land Poetry Slam Open Mic.
• 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, August 11, ‘Joni and Jazz’ night will feature Wendy Chappell-Dick, Jeffery Yoder and Dean Edwards.
The event itself is free and open to the public to attend. There will be a selfie wall and all art will be for sale. One hundred percent of the sale of art will go to the artists. Many of the exhibiting artists are expected to be present at the opening event.
Sponsors who contributed cash prizes, lighting equipment, signs, marketing, cookies, invites and hanging equipment included The Cheap Sign Company, Sara’s Sweets, The Paper Co. in Van Wert, Wendy Chappell-Dick, Sanchez Vinyl & Vibes, In2itions, Lydia Schimpf, PRSTATON Photography, Huntington Bank in Kenton, Fisher Investments, Therapy Works of Northwest Ohio and Lima Land Poetry Slam.
Reach Rose by email at [email protected], by calling or texting 419-230-5828, or through her social media at facebook.com/WildRosePhotographyLLC.
