Turn your junk into art for Stella’s ‘Upcycle Show’

I’m curious. How many stockpiles of this-is-reallycool-I’m-going-to-makesomething-out-it items do you have colonizing the corners of your closet? Yeah, me too. Good news: There are art shows to get those collections gone and one of them, May’s “Upcycle Show” at Stella’s Art Gallery, is just around the corner. It’s time to create and recycle! Here’s your opportunity to get creative and do some spring cleaning in one fell swoop. I’m motivated, but it’s still early.

Spring is certainly in the air; just listen to the birds. But we are still stuck inside quite a bit, so get your creative juices flowing and pass the time with a cleanand-create project — a great way to keep the kids busy, too.

Here is one of my favorite projects from when I created Art Adventure Camp for Lake Metroparks: recycled sculptures. Dump the junk drawer and grab some glue!

Start with a heavy piece of cardboard or foam board for the base, spread out your junk (art materials) and start grouping and assembling. Think of shapes only and remember to leave open spaces so you can appreciate the silhouettes you create. Cuting strips of foam core can also help you build. Small toys and odd pieces-parts are fun to include.

The best part comes once the glue is dry. Find a safe spot and spray the entire sculpture black. Start small to learn how to best assemble the pieces, then go crazy on the second one. This is a fun family project.

Gallery at Lakeland

Remember to stop by the Gallery at Lakeland, 7700 Clocktower Drive, Kirtland, and check out “from WOMAN XIII… Created by women, of women & about women” before it closes on March 27. The artists’ reception will be held in conjunction with the annual Woman of Achievement Awards Ceremony on March 22.

Is your entry ready for the 11th annual “May Show at Lakeland Juried Art Exhibition”? Entries will be accepted May 2 and 3. The show opens on May 14. Pick up an application in the gallery of download from lakelandcc.edu/ gallery

Contact Mary Urbas, gallery coordinator, for more information at 440-5257029.

Rabbit Run

Applications for the 29th annual “Juried Art Show,” sponsored by Rabbit Run Community Arts Association, 49 Park St., Madison, and the Madison Public Library, 6111 Middle Ridge Road, will be accepted March 9 through 30. The show runs April 1 through 29 at the library.

Artists from Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties are invited to participate. Ready-to-hang entries must be delivered to the library between March 23 and 30. Small three-dimensional pieces also will be accepted. Ribbons and cash prizes will be awarded.

For more information, visit rabbitrunonline.org or call RRCAA at 440-428-5913 or the Madison Public Library at 440428-2189.

Stella’s Art Gallery

The March show at Stella’s Art Gallery, 8500 Station St., Mentor, “Estrogen, In Honor of Women,” will include art honoring women created by women and the men who love them. Will it include your work?

Artwork will be accepted between 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. March 7. The awards reception will be at 7 p.m. March 13.

The April show, “Rhythm,” will showcase artwork by the Riverside High School Art IV class.

And I already touched on the “Upcycle Show” in May, in which everything old will be new again. Use repurposed material to create decorative (home-decor) or functional (useful item) artwork. The third category is JUNIOR U16 (artists under 16).

Do you do well under pressure? Consider playing Junk Wars!

This is Stella’s team challenge for groups of up to five artists who will, during the “Upcycle” reception, work with a box of provided materials to create a single piece of art. You’ll have two hours to complete the task, and tools will be provided. The top three pieces will be displayed in “Upcycle.”

Call Stella’s at 440-266-9111 or visit stellasartgallery.com.

Valley Art Center

Valley Art Center, 155 Bell St., Chagrin Falls, was founded in 1971 by a small group of inspired artists. Five decades later it is thriving, and plans to celebrate its 50th anniversary have begun. VAC is looking for businesses and sponsors to help build a memorable celebration. The goal: $50,000.

It’s time for the annual Blossom Time Commemorative Poster Contest. Artists may submit only one full-color design, 11 by 14 inches, as a vertical poster. The image may reflect the general theme of “Blossom Time” or the 2020 theme: “Board Games.” The only wording that may be included is “Let the Games Begin.”

The work will be juried, and three prizes will be awarded: $250 for the winner, $100 for second and $50 for third. Entries must be received by April 17.

Visit valleyartcenter.org or call 440-247-7507 to learn more.

Creative Artists Association

The Creative Artists Association will meet at 5:45 p.m. March 16 at Kirtland Public Library, 9267 Chillicothe Road. The meeting will include a demonstration by well-known local watercolorist Connie Adams of Perry.

An associate member of the Ohio Watercolor Society, her favorite subjects to paint are barns and flowers. She has been teaching at the Kirtland’s community and senior centers and displays work at Northeast Ohio galleries.

CAA is hosting two workshops this spring open to the public. Each will be from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Kirtland Public Library and costs $50.

Christopher Leeper will lead the April 25 workshop. A fulltime artist, Leeper was president of the Ohio Watercolor Society for five years and wrote “Realism in Watermedia” and has illustrated four children’s books for the Smithsonian and the African Wildlife Foundation.

Cathy Wellner will conduct the workshop on May 23. Wellner has been teaching watercolor professionally since 1978. She was on the faculty of Continuing Education at the Cleveland Institute of Art and has taught workshops nationally and internationally, including a recent workshop in Lake Como, Italy. Her work hangs in hundreds of private and corporate collections both here and abroad.

For more information on CAA, contact Judy Lampman Homolish at judehom@gmail.com. For information about the workshops, contact Patricia Cooley at patricialcooley@windstream.net or 440-286-6401.

78th Street Studios

When people say bigger is better, they may have seen works by Pamela Dodds. See for yourself at Suite 215 Gallery at 78th Street Studios, 1300 W. 78th St., Cleveland. Her exhibition of lifesized paintings will be on view through April 17 and celebrated with a reception from 5 to 9 p.m. March 20.

Dodds’ work aims to bring focus to socio-political issues, including America’s structural segregation, domestic violence and sexuality.

For more information, call 586-925–5546.

Estrogen, In Honor of Women,” will include art honoring women created by women and the men who love them.