The Galleries at CSU to Host “Hephaestos Challenged” and “25 Under 25: The Emerging Photographer” Exhibits from Jan. 16 – March 1

The Galleries at CSU, located at 1307 Euclid Ave., announce two exciting exhibitions for the spring semester of 2014: “Hephaestos Challenged” and “25 Under 25: The Emerging Photographer.”

The exhibitions, opening with a reception from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16, feature works in a range of media and methodologies, including installations exploring deep personal images and ideas, intimate objects made from soft and delicate materials, and social sculpture, where political activism and art converge. Exhibiting artists and curators will be at the opening reception for a 6:30 p.m. gallery conversation with viewers.

Admission is free. Normal gallery hours are by appointment on Mondays and Tuesdays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and noon to 8 p.m. on Saturdays. The Galleries are closed on Sundays.

Both exhibitions will be on view until March 1, 2014.

“Hephaestos Challenged,” in the North and Center galleries, will offer a contemporary sculpture exhibition that explores the work of female sculptors teaching at universities in the region. The exhibition explores the change in academic sculpture programs in recent years from a male-dominated esthetic, characterized by processes involving hot massive metals (Hephaestos), to a more female-directed, nuanced-approach, involving more subtle forms and materials. 

Artists exhibiting include Lisa Austin of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, who is collaborating with Lane Cooper of the Cleveland Institute of Art; Carmel Buckley and Alison Crocetta of the Ohio State University; Kate Budd of Akron University; Isabel Farnsworth of Kent State University, and Cleveland State University’s (CSU)own Irina Koukhanova. The exhibition is curated by Robert Thurmer, director, The Galleries at CSU.

 “25 Under 25: The Emerging Photographer,” in the South gallery, represents the second installment in CSU’s new series of student-curated exhibitions. Ryan Upp, a graduating senior who has served on the Galleries’ exhibitions committee as the undergraduate student representative for two years, proposed the event. The exhibition explores contemporary photographs by the next generation of artists.

Artists exhibiting include Shane Black, Jacqueline Bon, Davit Botchorishvilli, Nicolas Bruno, Brendon Burton, Robby Cavanaugh, Marley Cumbee, Elisabeth Dare, Amelia Fletcher, Robert Moses Joyce, Breanna Kulkin, Sarah Haley, Jessica Neuwerth, Brian Oldham, Nicholas Scarpinato, Alison Scarpulla, Felicia Simion, Steven Sites, Victoria Smyrniotis, Alex Stoddard, David Talley, Gina Vasquez, Erika Victor, Brad Wagner and Rob Woodcox.

“As I embarked on curating a show to recognize the emerging photographer, I quickly realized that all of the artists I felt drawn to were really quite young,” said Upp. “The professionalism and expertise in the work I uncovered rivaled that of photographers who have been in the business for years. The work is timeless, provocative and has a universal theme of innocence.

“When we are young we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can.”

The Galleries at CSU

The Galleries at CSU, housed at 1307 Euclid Ave. in the heart of the Cleveland State University Arts Campus, features three distinct exhibition spaces, a multi-purpose media space, a resource library, a meeting area, as well as state of the art lighting, surround sound and new-media capabilities. For more information, please visit csuohio.edu/artgallery/ or call 216.687.2103.