Galleries/Exhibitions

Going with the Grain: Wood Sculpture from the Permanent Collection
January 9 – April 24, 2010

'Enthroned Virgin with Child,’ c 1340, School of Ille de France

This is an exhibition directed toward artistic possibilities rather than aesthetic superlatives. It is also an exhibition that will delight all ages. Wood and woody materials, such as bamboo, offer the artist or artisan many alternatives. Wood is often a handy material that can be shaped by simple means. It can be cut, sawed, carved, or turned. Sometimes a piece of wood has been shaped by natural forces, such as water, into interesting configurations that tempt us to pick them up and use them for decoration or souvenirs of beach side excursions. Wood can be used for simple functional purposes, but its intrinsic beauty often encourages the artist to polish to show off colors and grain. Too, wood accepts many paints and stains.
Wood was one of the first media to be made into art, and it has been used to serve many artistic and cultural purposes. Included in the exhibition is sculpture with transcendent spiritual and historical meanings from Europe, the Americas, India, China, Southeast Asia, West Africa, and ancient Egypt. There are house and wagon models and even umbrellas skillfully constructed from split bamboo. The largest object is Chief Penokee; this “show figure” stood outside the Gobel Tobacco Store on Market Street in Zanesville beginning in the 1890’s. Visitors will also find more contemporary pieces by Ohio artists such as Raymond W. Thomas, Rosanna Moore, Gary J. Bryan, and Joan Quinn.

Paintings and Illustrations by Christopher Leeper
February 13 – April 17, 2010
Reception, 2 – 4 p.m., February 13, with Artist Talk at 2 p.m.

'Ghost Hollow,’ watercolor, Christopher Leeper

Christopher Leeper’s paintings set a standard for contemporary watermedia in Ohio. In addition, he presently serves as President of the Ohio Watercolor Society. Leeper’s outstanding ability as an instructor is familiar to students who have taken his workshops here at ZMA. The new exhibition, however, will present an excellent opportunity to view the range of his work, from Ohio landscapes and portraits to his original children’s book illustrations.

In many of his landscapes, distinctive qualities of light serve as inspiration. Leeper selects a lovely bit of woods, a stream, or field for this subject; then he glazes each element of the scene with the clear, cool light of a winter morning, or the golden hues of an autumn afternoon. This use of light is particularly evocative, and the viewer becomes drawn into the moment.

Christopher Leeper graduated from Youngstown State University in 1988 with a BFA degree in graphic design. Since graduating, he has worked as a fine artist, illustrator and graphic designer. Since 2000, he has worked full-time from his studio in Canfield, Ohio. He is a member of the adjunct faculty in the Department of Art at Youngstown State University.

Lil’l Abner and The Mountain Boys: Imperial Porcelain of Zanesville
February 20 – April 10

Imperial Porcelain

The Imperial Porcelain Corporation of Zanesville manufactured functional and decorative ceramics between about 1945 and 1960. The 43 pieces of Imperial Porcelain in the exhibition were donated by Mrs. Margaret LeMaster, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Fred Phillips, who had been investors in the Imperial Porcelain Corporation. Imperial made two series of whimsical figurals based on popular American cartoon characters of the 1930’s and 1940’s. These were the Dogpatch Series, based on Al Capp’s Li’l Abner cartoons, and the Paul Webb Mountain Boys Series, based on the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys cartoons done for Esquire and The New Yorker Magazine. Both series reflected 1920’s stereotypes of rural Appalachian dwellers as lazy, ignorant, violent, and ill-kempt. Webb and Capp, however, took the stereotypes and reconstructed them as comical in a broad but very human manner, and as independent, resourceful, and strongly devoted to family and friends.

The cartoon characters were translated into porcelain by P. H. Genter, General Manager of Imperial. The figurals were cast, fired, hand-painted, and packaged at the Zanesville plant. Most of the pieces in ZMA’s collection were made in 1947. Included in the exhibition will be examples of other Imperial Series, including the American Folklore Series.

Annual K-12 Academic/AAUW Exhibition
March 6 – March 25
Reception Saturday, March 6, 2 – 4 p.m.

Photo from 2009 reception

Delightful and dazzling works by Muskingum County public, private and home schooled children.

Size Matters! Selections from the Permanent Collection
April 10 – June 4

Carved ivory hinged peach, bridge scene, temple scene Artist Unknown, circa 19th C. Japan, approx. 2.5" tall

Ancient to contemporary paintings, textiles, prints, ceramics, and sculpture chosen to demonstrate that scale and size impact the viewer in many, perhaps mystifying, ways.

Art Quilts and Textiles by Susan Nash
April 24 – June 19
Reception Saturday, April 24, 5 – 7 p.m..

Quilt by Susan Nash

Unique colors, textures, shapes, and embellishment characterize the fiberarts of this Zanesville artist.

Ohio Ceramics: Deco to Modern
May 8 – August 7

Selected pieces from Permanent Collection

Ceramics that define Art Deco in Ohio and the transition in clay to the modern studio movement and modern dinnerware. Includes Roseville, Weller, Cowan, Meric, Hall China, and Homer Laughlin.

The Zanesville Museum of Art is located at 620 Military Road. The hours of operation are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00 - 5:00 PM, Thursday 10:00 - 8:30 PM, Saturday 9:00 - 5:00 PM. Closed Mondays and Sundays. For more information call (740) 452-0741.