Artists in the News
Central Ohio artists are recognized regionally, nationally and internationally for their achievements. Here are some of the latest headlines:
German Photographer Lives, Works in Columbus
Dresden artist Martina Wolf is living and working in Columbus as part of a cultural exchange program between the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Ministry of Science and Art of Saxonia in Germany. Wolf, who arrived in July, will be here through mid-October.
Wolf describes her work, primarily photography and videography, as work that is produced in relation to concrete places, whose visual potential she transforms by translating actual perceptions into medial images. She is the winner of numerous grants and fellowships in her home country and will conduct a fellowship in Moscow in 2008.
Ron Cook Elected President of Early Music America
In July, musician Ron Cook was elected president of Early Music America (EMA) at its annual meeting in Boston. Early Music America is a nonprofit service organization for the field of historical performance in North America. Founded in 1985, EMA's goal is to expand awareness of, and interest in, the music of the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods.
Cook, a former GCAC board member, is Director and a founding member of The Early Interval, Columbus' resident early music ensemble. He also serves on the board of the Friends of Early Music, which presents the Early Music in Columbus concert series in cooperation with Capital University.
Local Artist Wins Ohio Heritage Fellowship
Columbus resident Yasue Sakaoka was one of three artists to receive an Ohio Heritage Fellowship this summer. Paul "Moon" Mullins, from Xenia, and Frances Babic, from Gates Mills, also received the award.
The Ohio Heritage Fellowship is an annual award of $1,500 given to individuals or groups whose work in the folk arts has had a significant impact on Ohio and its communities. The Ohio Arts Council, in partnership with the Ohio Folk Arts Network, give the awards. The folk and traditional arts grow out of particular cultures; are learned informally and are recognized as the artistic expressions of ethnic, linguistic, occupational or regional groups.
Sakaoka, a native of Japan, is an origami artist who shows her Japanese heritage in large-scale three-dimensional paper sculptures. Her work has been shown at the Galerie International in New York, the Dayton Art Institute and the Martin Luther King Arts Complex in Columbus, among many others. She is a GCAC Artists-in-Schools artist who teaches paper sculpture, traditional Japanese origami and kite-making in schools and community centers across the city.
