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Past Shows
July 8 - Aug 7, 2008
The Spirit of Special People
The month-long Gallery exhibit showcases beautiful works of art created under the umbrella of the Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities. Works from Art on Wheels is also included. The exhibit includes painting, mixed media, fabric, pottery and 2 dimensional works. The majority of the art works, as well as boxed art cards, are for sale. The exhibit is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 9:30 - 4 pm. Brecksville Center for the Arts is located at 8997 Highland Drive, Brecksville. Call 440 - 526-6232 for information.
April 1 - 30 2006: Key's Accessible Expressions Ohio
Experience first hand the talents of nearly 60 artists. BCA is pleased to host this exhibition, celebrating its Tenth Anniversary Tour season. Very Special Arts Key's Accessible Expressions Ohio is a program of Very Special arts of Ohio, a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the creative power in people with disabilities.
"Hannah Huber was the center of attention when students came to BCA to see her artwork which was chosen to tour Ohio."
January - February 2006: Works by John R. Marefka
The Gallery at BCA will exhibit the works of John Marefka from January 13 through February 24. The exhibit will show three styles: Abstract, Industrial and Impressionistic art. Mr. Marefka's paintings are experiments in color, texture and light. Using a pallet of primary colors, John works the paint until the right texture is achieved. Once this is accomplished we have the visual effect of highlights dancing across every brush stroke. John's abstracts are just the latest step in a long line of visual exploration. Prior to the abstract period John's work was of an industrial nature. “I think the subject matter of the American worker's plight was just to intense for most collectors” said John. Still, John's work did find a limited audience at The Lisa Bockrath Gallery, Cleveland.
Before the “Industrial Phase” John was working with pop images. His show at Art at the Powerhouse in Cleveland was well reviewed by The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Throughout his career John has been interested in politics and social issues. His “Social Commentary” works have been shown at the William Busta Gallery, Cleveland and various coffee houses and restaurants throughout Northeastern Ohio.
John graduated from the University of Akron with a Bachelors of fine Art in 1980. He currently lives in Brecksville, Ohio with his wife Lori and their son Michael John.
November 29 - December 30: Beyond the Classroom: Brecksville Art Teachers
What do art teachers do in their spare time? Seven art teachers from the Brecksville - Broadview Heights City School District would like you to see what sparks their creative interests in an upcoming exhibition: “Beyond the Classroom: Art Faculty Exhibition” to be held at the Brecksville Center for the Arts from November 30 to December 30, 2005. Elementary art teachers Chris Litkovitz and Barbara Stupp will be joined by High School art teachers Joe Applebaum, Anne Jones, Gail Schuplin and Chris Zielski and student teacher Stephanie Leonardi from Cleveland State University. These teachers will exhibit a variety of recent artworks in media ranging from painting, relief sculpture, textiles, metal works, photography and digital imaging.
Brecksville - Broadview Heights City Schools have a reputation for a strong art department and art students who produce award winning artwork on the regional, state and national level each year. Art teachers at every level work to develop artistic skills and a love for artistic expression in each student. This show is intended to be a community celebration of fine art and an example to students of how professional artists present their work for consideration. An opening for “Beyond the Classroom” will be held on Friday December 2 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Brecksville Center for the Arts. Musical entertainment will be provided by Nicholas Megalis, (“theatrical, dramatic, artistic fusion”,) Christina Shelton, (techno), and Nic Ruvolo, (violin). The community is encouraged and invited to attend. Parking will be available at the Center for the Arts as well as at Central School.
Christine Litkovitz
Chris Litkovitz finds her inspiration in nature. Her work is both realistic and abstract. She uses a variety of media including watercolors, acrylics and photography. Chris has been employed by Brecksville-Broadview Hts. City Schools for the past 16 years and presently teaches 4th and 5th grade art at Central School. Chris has a BA from the University of Akron in Elementary Education with a minor in Art Education, as well as, a Masters in Secondary Art Education. When Chris is not teaching, she enjoys watercolor painting, pottery and landscape design. Most recently, she has been involved in nature photography, floral design and knitting.
Barbara Stupp
"When time permits I work with strings and sticks to knit, embroider and sew. I use traditional patterns and change, and rework them in unexpected ways, to make originally designed quilts, knitted garments and felted wool. I work intuitively, beginning with a loose plan and improvising along the way." Barbara Stuff has been teaching art to grades 1, 2 & 3 at Hilton & Highland Drive Elementary Schools since 1991. She received a BA from Kent State University with a major in Studio Art and received teaching credentials from Cleveland State University with a major in Art Education.
Gail Schuplin: Sculptural Oil Paintings
Artist Statement
I have been an Art Teacher in the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Schools for an eternity. Some of you will recognize this fact when I tell you that my first teaching assignment was K-6 at Wallings Road Elementary School. I am an American, a woman, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a gardener, an urban hunter and gather, a teacher, and an Artist. As a member of this all-about-me culture, I am constantly bombarded with noises, voices and images telling me what to buy, where to go, what to think, who to support, how to relax, how to live! I garden so that I can create a small, beautiful, harmonious world I can step into each day. But, it really is the color, shape, line, texture thing plus it is just amazing to see things grow.
My Art is joyful work. I need to create a reality that exists only in my head. I am goal and deadline driven, even if these are all self-imposed. If I have to live in the real world, why would I want to portray it in my Art? I enjoy creating Art that is narrative, good-natured, humorous, and aesthetically pleasing. I delight in adding a playful twist to an ordinary object or theme. My work has a sculptural element. I scour though thrift shops, flea markets, and all types of junk shops, to find objects to imprint in clay, then plaster cast. I love using oil paint; it gives my work a rich full-bodied appearance. I use animal images because they are wonderful, happy creatures, and they instantly portray so many things; warthogs and hippos/gluttony, dolphins and frogs/playful, giraffes and camels/resilience, crabs and armadillos/crusty, sharks and wolves/greed and flamingos are just so... wonderfully kitschy.
"AH, GOOD TASTE!
WHAT A DREADFUL THING!
TASTE IS THE ENEMY
OF CREATIVENESS."
PABLO PICASSO
However, no matter how fun and peaceful and beautiful life is, evil is always present. We must acknowledge it and keep our guard up. When I first considered putting ugly evildoers in my Artwork I hesitated, I didn't want their presence interfering with the fun and beauty that was happening. But, they have interfered big time in our lives. We cannot have our backyard barbeques or the trip to grandma's house without thinking of what evil is lurking.
Stephanie Leonardi
A moment of silence
Pastel 52” x 60” , 2005
Stephanie Leonardi is a student teacher from CSU splitting her experience between Anne Jones and Chris Litkovitz, both art teachers in the show. "This picture is from an actual photograph that I was drawn to. It was in the Plain Dealer on November 10, 2004. It was lying on a table in one of the lounge areas at CSU and it caught my eye from a distance. I picked it up and stared at it as I walked slowly to my next class. I wanted to draw something to honor our military soldiers who have lost or risked their lives for this country, and when I saw this picture I couldn't ignore it. I have contacted the photographer through e-mail to make sure it would be all right. At one point I thought it would be nice to give to the family, but there has been a lot of media and attention given to this photograph since then. For the most part I just want people to see it, stop and think about it for a minute. The original photograph does have the soldier with a cigarette hence his nick name Marlboro Man."