The Brighton art district has added a new gallery with bold ambition.
U-turn Art Space is a collective run by five area artists. From its inception just two months ago, U-turn's vision is to add more colors to the city's canvas by featuring innovative art from inside and outside Greater Cincinnati. Collective member Matt Morris believes that showcasing works from out-of-town artists also build up the local arts community.
"We have our specific places of study, like DAAP, UC, the Pendleton Art Center, and these shape the artists here. But by bringing emerging art from other places, we gain young and creative views that are not necessarily related to [those] ideas. More voices are added to the conversation."
Morris originally hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. U-turn's other partners - Molly Donnermeyer, Patricia Murphy, Zach Rawe, and Eric Ruschman - are Northern Kentucky natives that are active in other galleries and arts organizations.
The gallery features a new exhibit each month - some from established artists, some from newcomers. Don't Be Scared Be Prepared, an installation of pen-and-ink drawings and paintings that employ entire walls, shows Nov. 7-28. Miami, Fla.- based Jessie Bowie, fresh from a New York City residency, employs surrealism with the energy of storyboard style in this, her first Midwestern exhibition. Concurrent with the U-turn show, Morris' Pairs Well With multimedia exhibit shows at Aisle on Findlay Street.
Through visual art, U-turn seeks "an opportunity for discourse, ideas, and play to be forced together." Their members feel that audience and artist should find enjoyment as well as enlightenment. At U-turn's recent Halloween party, for example, the costume contest winner was presented with a ghost trophy, an original creation by collective member Zach Rawe.
U-turn Art Space is located at 2159 Central Avenue in Brighton. Regular hours are Saturday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., with other hours available by appointment. Admission is free, with on-street parking nearby.
Writer: Elena Stevenson
Source: Matt Morris, Partner, U-turn Art Space
Photography by Scott Beseler
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