"Downtown Cats" mural in Downtown Canton

Illustration of "Downtown Cats" mural to be placed on
a building in Downtown Canton, OH

I am very excited to announce my largest commission ever: The "Downtown Cats" mural that will be placed on the building currently occupied by HEAP in Downtown Canton, OH. The building at 201 5th St. NW is in the heart of the Canton Arts District next to the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.

The mural depicts 4 cats sitting in windows shaped like those on surrounding buildings looking out onto a cityscape. Who are the 4 cats? The most famous downtown cats around, of course! Brewskie Butt, Art Adventures Studios official spokescat, and his housemates Noah, Slick and Who, will each be featured in one of the windows.

The mural will be painted in the studio on wood and then will be attached to the building. Each "window" will be approximately 4 ft. X 8 ft. Although I intend to blog about each step in the process, the formal unveiling of the mural is planned for July 2010.

I am very grateful to Tim Belden and the Timothy S. Belden Charitable Fund for commissioning the mural and for being such a solid supporter of the Canton Arts District. Tim is the genius behind the Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography, which has brought world class photography to Canton. I am also very grateful to Robb Hankins of ArtsInStark, the County Arts Council, for his support in developing this project, and to the Canton Development Partnership for their support.

There are so many amazing things going on in the Canton Arts District, and I am thrilled to be a part of all the excitement! Canton's downtown is being reinvented by the arts, and despite the economic difficulties facing the entire country of late, Downtown Canton continues to grow. As I post about the development of this project, I will also report on other great projects going on in the district.

Don't you wish you were in Canton?

Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT

Follow works in progress by BZTAT on Twitter by searching #bztatptg.

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OHnear Second April Galerie and the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.

2009 Fund for ArtsinStark

A special message from Robb Hankins, President and CEO of ArtsInStark, the County Arts Council:

There are just a few days left until Wednesday, May 20 and the end of the annual Arts Campaign run by ArtsinStark, the County Arts Council. If you haven’t already done so --- we’re asking you take a minute to make an investment. We’re about to pass 97% of our $1,450,000 goal. Donations of any size can get us to 100%. Please respond and then send this on to a friend.

DONATE on-line!

Your investment puts the arts back into our downtowns (First Friday) and back into our schools (SmArts programs have reached 10,000 kids). It also puts the arts back into our neighborhoods (200,000 people each year are reached by the arts because of our grants to Stark County’s 7 largest arts organizations and hundreds of smaller non profits.) Your investment can also mean more blockbuster shows like KIMONO (100,000 people participated with $6 million of economic impact).

Need even more reasons? Watch the campaign video.

Need to get more? Donors of $36 or more receive the SuperPass, good for big savings on arts and entertainment tickets --- plus the chance to win $1,200 in cash towards a dream trip. But please act before May 20 and show you believe in the power of the arts. DONATE on-line!

Robert J. Hankins (Robb)

President & CEO

ArtsinStark - The County Arts Council

"Growing the arts to create smarter kids, new jobs, and healthier communities."

900 Cleveland Avenue NW

PO Box 21190

Canton, OH 44701 - 1190

330.453.1075 ext. 202

330.453.1105 fax

330-265-8730 cell

RobbHankins@artsinstark.com

www.artsinstark.com.

If you "believe in the power of the arts", click here to "invest" in 2009 Fund for ArtsinStark which ends on May 20! See the campaign video.

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OH
near Second April Galerie and the historic Onesto Hotel.

Arts are helping young people to recover from trauma

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Posted May 14, 2009 @ 12:01 AM in the Canton Repository

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Recently, I was talking with a group of young people ages 8 to 13. Every one of them acknowledged that they had heard gunfire in their neighborhoods, and all knew someone who had been harmed by gunfire.

These youth live in fear every day, as do many others in our community. Community leaders talk about ways to make our community safer, yet children still live in fear.

Research shows that children who grow up living in fear tend to become perpetrators of violence themselves. We must find ways to address their trauma beyond simplistic no-tolerance policies.

As both an artist and a mental health therapist, I want to express my gratitude to an unlikely source that has provided me opportunities to reach out to youth affected by trauma.

Through Arts In Stark grants to three different community organizations, I have been able to encourage youth toward resilience instead of violence, providing them with the means to express themselves creatively and productively. I believe that to redirect a child’s hurt, you must believe in that child, and to believe in them, you must support their creative instincts. Arts In Stark has provided numerous opportunities for me and other artists to do just that.

You may think that supporting the arts is a frivolous thing in light of the major financial crises currently facing our communities. When you look at the stellar programs supported by Arts In Stark throughout the community, however, you will realize how critical its efforts are to Stark County.

Enhancing community development through downtown revival efforts, supporting programs that redirect at-risk youth and promoting creative education in numerous school districts, Arts In Stark has stimulated growth that many thought was not possible.

When you believe in the arts, you believe in your community. I urge you to believe in the arts by supporting the 2009 Fund for Arts In Stark.

Vicki Boatright, Canton, OH

Kimono as Art: The Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota

I was privileged to have the opportunity to see the phenomenal "Kimono as Art" exhibit at the Canton Museum of Art last night in a special showing for local artists. Thanks so much to Arts in Stark for arranging the special showing and reception! I found myself completely speechless as I viewed this amazing exhibit, and even found myself with tears in my eyes at the virtuosity. I have seen exhibits at large museums in New York, Washington, Houston, Cleveland, Atlanta, etc., but I have NEVER seen something like this. Being totally void of articulation to adequately describe the experience, I am going to reprint a blog from friend Todd Walburn, co-owner of Second April Galerie, who was able to put it into words. Thanks Todd!

Kimono As Art by Todd Walburn

OK....I'll admit it. I was one of the ones thinking that the Kimono as Art exhibit was going to be one of those over-hyped art events that come and go without making much of an impact on the community in the long run. I can't help it if I'm cynical. It's just the way I am.

Even tonight, as I got ready to go to see the exhibit, I was excited but wasn't sure exactly what I might take away from the experience in the long run. I never studied Japanese art or culture and know very little about fiber art so I felt like I might feel a bit like a fish out of water.

Then I saw it.

Kimono As Art is not simply about art. It is so much more than the pieces you see before you as you walk through the galleries of The Canton Museum of Art and marvel at the beauty of these miraculous works. Kimono As Art is what Art is. It is about the talent, courage, tenacity and craft of the artist. It is a life-affirming glance at one person's vision and his ability to bring that vision to life.

This simply is something everyone should see. It reminds you of why artists do what they do. It illuminates the power of human beings to accomplish what others say would be impossible. It is beautiful far beyond my power to explain and it makes you feel fortunate to be living in a community that can offer such an experience.

I have always believed that great art has the ability to change the way we see the world and our place in it. This is really great art. I feel refreshed and blessed beyond my wildest imaginings. Yes, even a cynic like me.

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OH
near Second April Galerie and the historic Onesto Hotel.

Kimono as Art: Cat style

Ok, I am starting to give in to my entrepreneurial cat Brewskie's desire to be the official spokescat for Art Adventures Studios. He is getting ready for the big Kimono show at the Canton Museum of Art by wearing his feline styled "Ki-meow-no".

Life is an Adventure!

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OH
near Second April Galerie and the historic Onesto Hotel.

Kimono as Art: The Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota

BZTAT is excited to share with you the excitement and enthusiasm that is growing in Canton, OH for the phenomenal art exhibit "Kimono as Art: The Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota". The Kimono exhibit opens at the Canton Museum of Art on February 9, 2009 and last through April 26, 2009. Featuring 40 giant landscape kimono created by the Japanese Master Itchiku Kubota, the exhibit has two exclusive showings in the United States and then returns to Japan. Canton is the last stop, as the pieces will soon be arriving from Timken Museum of Art in San Diego, California.

Kubota spent much of his lifetime perfecting a lost textile process called Tsujigahana, a simple, subtle dye technique that had been lost over centuries. The centerpiece of the Kimono exhibit is his 30-piece landscape kimono panorama, “Symphony of Light,” which displays his rediscovery and refinement of the Tsujigahana technique. An homage to nature and the passing of seasons, “Symphony of Light” consists of fifteen kimono depicting autumn and fifteen depicting winter. The ten additional kimono in the exhibit celebrate Kubota’s reverence for the natural world of Japan.

There are may events going on around Stark County to celebrate this amazing once in a lifetime exhibit. BZTAT hopes that you will get a chance to see the kimono and some of the events! Special thanks to the Canton Museum of Art, Arts in Stark, and all of their sponsors for making this wonderful cultureal event possible!

Art Adventures Studios

Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT

Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OH

near Second April Galerie and the historic Onesto Hotel.