Upcoming Exhibitions & Events
roots petals streams—Natalie Petrosky
roots petals streams
Natalie Petrosky
March 22 - May 4
Closing Reception: May 3, 12 - 2 PM
Artist Statement:
My occupation as a gardener is influencing my work, during which I am engaged in the meditative process of collecting sticks, rocks, and leaves. The little bits of fabric I collect and compose to form pictorial spaces is a similar process. I use the imagery of windows and fences in my paintings as frames for overgrown plants escaping and reclaiming their environments. Elements that comprise a natural environment can be combined into something greater than their parts. They contain lives and possibilities and their appreciation depends on the empty space between them. The negative space in my paintings gives the impression of a mosaic or stained glass windows but also of a forest canopy, the shattering of rocks, and the magical intermixing of all of nature’s elements. My work contains Rorschach-like compositions that suggest nature’s symmetries, geometry, mysteries, subtle irregularities, frayed edges, and unexpected mutations. I organize floral compositions that exist in conversation with their environments and not in precious bud vases. The gates and manmade structures that appear attempt to enclose, protect, and contain nature. These are ultimately futile attempts at preserving plants, gardens, and ourselves from the ravages of time, predators, and other forces of the natural world.
Bio:
Natalie Petrosky (b.1989, Akron, OH) is an artist living and working in Cleveland, OH. She received her MFA in Painting & Drawing at the University of Tennessee (2016) and her BFA in Painting with an Honors Thesis in Glass from the School of Art at Kent State University in Kent, OH (2012). She is currently teaching part-time at Kent State University in Kent, OH and works as a gardener in the summers. Petrosky makes primarily paintings and drawings, as well as sculptures, videos, and glass. Natalie recently had a solo show close at Columbia College in Columbia, SC. Her most recent notable exhibitions include: Laughing Through Your Window, Curve Line Space, Los Angeles, CA (2024); sticks, rocks, leaves, Kent State Downtown Gallery, Kent, OH (2024); Wild Bunch, Atlanta Contemporary, Atlanta, GA (2023); The Regional, The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO (2022); Watching the Seasons Change, Museum of the White Mountains, Plymouth, NH (2022); The Regional, Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH (2021); Something About Windows (solo), The Suburban, Milwaukee, WI (2020); VIRTUAL MICROCINEMA, RhizomeDC, Washington, DC (2020); and Over the Structures, CICA Museum, Gimpo, South Korea (2020).
REAL & IMAGINED —Diane E.W. Dick & Keith Joe Dick
REAL & IMAGINED
Diane E.W. Dick & Keith Joe Dick
March 22 - May 4, 2025
Inspire Artist Talk : April 5, 11 AM
Closing Reception: May 3, 12 - 2 PM
This exhibition highlights the distinct styles of Diane E.W. Dick and Keith Joe Dick, each bringing a unique perspective to creatures both real and imagined. Diane’s vibrant oil portraits of animals, influenced by her background in glass art and photography, contrast with Keith’s dynamic caricatures and chimeras in various mediums, including oil and mixed media.
Diane E. W. Dick attended Kent State University and San Francisco State University studying painting, glass blowing, photography, and figure skating. In recent years oil on canvas has consumed her artistically. As a former hot glass artist, she appreciates the buttery consistency of oil paint. The annual Sheep Festival in Ketchum, Idaho inspired her to paint powerful and simple sheep portraits. Diane became reacquainted with her oils. Since then various critters, furry or feathered, placed in vibrant environments have resulted in luminous larger-than-life portraits. In the past months her canine commissions have been frequent!
Keith Joe Dick graduated from Cleveland's Cooper School of Art majoring in graphic design, illustration and typography. As a professional sign painter he specialized in gold leaf, faux finishes, and pictorials. Hedesigned and painted scenic backdrops for feature films and commercials at the Hollywood Sign Company in Los Angeles. In Ketchum, Idaho he operated his own sign business and fine art studio. Currently artworks include caricature oil paintings as well as chimeras in acrylic. His mediums; pastels, pencil, charcoal, watercolor, oil paint, are on wood, cardboard and canvas. He is presently teaching FAVA's creative drawing classes.
Inspire Talks 2025: Diane E. W. Dick and Keith Joe Dick in Conversation
Inspire Talks 2025: Diane E. W. Dick and Keith Joe Dick in Conversation
Saturday April 5, 2025 | 11:00AM
Are you an artist? Do you enjoy looking at art or making your own? Find
your community at FAVA (Firelands Association for the Visual Arts) in
Oberlin by attending the new Artist Talk series, Inspire 2025.
Three Artist Talks will be featured on the first Saturday of February, March,
and April, at 11:00 AM, in FAVA’s gallery located at 39 S. Main Street in
Oberlin. The events are offered free of charge with beverages and snacks
available.
Diane E. W. Dick attended Kent State University and San Francisco State
University studying painting, glass blowing, photography, and figure
skating. In recent years oil on canvas has consumed her artistically. As a
former hot glass artist, she appreciates the buttery consistency of oil
paint. The annual Sheep Festival in Ketchum, Idaho inspired her to paint
powerful and simple sheep portraits. Diane became reacquainted with
her oils. Since then various critters, furry or feathered, placed in vibrant
environments have resulted in luminous larger-than-life portraits. In the
past months her canine commissions have been frequent!
Keith Joe Dick graduated from Cleveland's Cooper School of Art
majoring in graphic design, illustration and typography. As a professional
sign painter he specialized in gold leaf, faux finishes, and pictorials. He
designed and painted scenic backdrops for feature films and
commercials at the Hollywood Sign Company in Los Angeles. In Ketchum,
Idaho he operated his own sign business and fine art studio. Currently
artworks include caricature oil paintings as well as chimeras in acrylic. His
mediums; pastels, pencil, charcoal, watercolor, oil paint, are on wood,
cardboard and canvas. He is presently teaching FAVA's creative drawing
classes.
Photography Biennial
FAVA’s Juried Biennial Photography Show 2025
Exhibition Dates: May 24 - August 10, 2025
Firelands Association for the Visual Arts invites photographers nationwide to submit their best work for entry into FAVA’s 2025 Juried Biennial Photography Show, opening Saturday, May 24 - August 10, 2025. All photographic processes are considered including but not limited to: digital prints, film photographs, photograms, alternative processes, etc., however we do not accept video submissions for this exhibition.
FAVA’s Juried Biennial Photography Show is a biennial juried exhibition held in odd-numbered years. The exhibition alternates with a curated invitational photography exhibition held in even-numbered years, in order to present in greater depth the work of individual artists creating in the photographic medium. This year our exhibition will be juried by Gina Osterloh. Learn more about Osterloh below.
Timeline:
Entry Deadline: Friday, March 7, 2025 (11:59, MDT)
Notice of Acceptance: Friday, April 4, 2025
Work must be received at gallery by: Friday, May 2, 2025
Exhibition Dates: May 24 - August 10, 2025
Reception: Saturday, June 21st 1 PM - 3PM EST
About the Juror: Gina Osterloh
Associate Professor of Art at The Ohio State University, Guggenheim Fellow 2024
ginaosterloh.com
Gina Osterloh (b.1973) is an artist, Associate Professor of Art at The Ohio State University, and a 2024 Guggenheim Fellow. Photography is the conceptual ground of Osterloh’s work– a place to refute assumed notions of identity and activate questions of perception and desire. She is known for photo tableaux of paper rooms with camouflaged figures. Osterloh also works with collage, performance, text, and sculpture. Solo exhibitions and performances include “Gina Osterloh: Mirror Shadow Shape” at the Columbus Museum of Art, her first museum survey with accompanying book featuring work from 2005-2020. Her “Demilitarized Zone / Image Without Weapon” at MOCA Detroit; “Gina Osterloh” at Higher Pictures Generation (NY); “ZONES” at Silverlens (Manila, Philippines); “Shadow Woman” as part of the performance series En Cuatro Patas at The Broad (Los Angeles); and Anonymous Front at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco). Group exhibitions include “Multiply Identify Her” at the International Center of Photography Museum (NY); “Not Visual Noise” at Ateneo University (Quezon City, Philippines); and “Energy Charge: Connecting with Ana Mendieta” at Arizona State University Art Museum. Gina Osterloh has an MFA in Studio Art from the University of California, Irvine (2007). Her work is represented by Silverlens Galleries and Higher Pictures Generation.
Inspire Talks 2025: Jean Kondo Weigl in conversation with Leslie Bowen
Inspire Talks 2025: Jean Kondo Weigl in conversation with Leslie Bowen
Saturday March 1, 2025,11:00 AM
Are you an artist? Do you enjoy looking at art or making your own? Find
your community at FAVA (Firelands Association for the Visual Arts) in
Oberlin by attending the new Artist Talk series, Inspire 2025.
Three Artist Talks will be featured on the first Saturday of February, March,
and April, at 11:00 AM, in FAVA’s gallery located at 39 S. Main Street in
Oberlin. The events are offered free of charge with beverages and snacks
available.
The next artist talk in the Inspire 2025 series will be held on 1 March
2025, 11:00 AM:
Jean Kondo Weigl in conversation with Leslie Bowen
Jean Kondo Weigl
A third generation Japanese American artist currently living in Oberlin,
Jean Kondo Weigl has taught in a variety of settings, most recently at
FAVA and Lorain Community College. With a BA in Art from Scripps
College, MA in Studio Art from Oberlin College, and an MFA in Painting
and Drawing from the University of Utah, Weigl has seen her paintings
exhibited broadly. In her words, the work is “about balance between
formal and pictorial elements and the depiction of narratives
commingling memory, imagination, allegory and authenticity.” Weigl
cites her heritage, personal experiences, and her family, as strong
influences on her work.
Leslie Bowen
A long-time friend and colleague of Jean Kondo Weigl, Leslie Bowen
majored in art history at McGill University, and then worked at the Alpha
Gallery, Boston, while continuing the study of painting with a variety of
artists. Bowen sites Milton Avery and Fairfield Porter as important
influences, along with more contemporary artists working in the same
tradition. She and her husband travel regularly to their home on Achill
Island, Ireland, whose natural beauty provides inspiration in abundance
to her work.
The Artist Is In: Michael Boyd Roman
About FAVA’s winter artist residency “The Artist Is In”:
During this residency artist are given the time and space to explore and create a new body of work, or complete one in progress. The artist will have their studio set up in our gallery space which will be open to the public during our regular house. This is a wonderful opportunity for visitors to interact with the artist, and see how artworks come alive, progress, and change over time. The artist will be present working during some regular house, and at scheduled hours over the weekends.
2025 Resident Artist: Michael Boyd Roman
About the Artist:
Originally from Atlanta, GA, Michael Boyd Roman (b. 1981) comes to Northeast Ohio to serve as an Assistant Professor of Design & Black Visual Cultures at Oberlin College & Conservatory. His mixed media and charcoal drawings seek to portray the ordinary grace of the contemporary Black experience informed by religious iconography juxtaposed against hip-hop and pop cultural references. His extensive experience as an art educator includes teaching K-12, with his work in higher education beginning as the Visual Arts Program Director at Morehouse College in 2013. Roman earned his MFA in drawing at California State University, Northridge in the spring of 2020, a MA in community arts from Maryland Institute, College of Art in 2007, and a BFA in painting from Syracuse University in 2004.
Atelier Kondo Weigl: An Artist and Her Students
Atelier Kondo Weigl: An Artist and Her Students
October 26 - December 8
Reception:October 26, 12 - 2
Jean Kondo Weigl, Leslie Bowen, Deborah Campana, Colleen Lavelle, Carrie Schwimmer, Cornelia Maude Spelman, and Jennifer Spencer
From March 2020 to July 2021, FAVA closed its doors due to the covid pandemic and began mounting exhibitions and offering classes and activities that could be accessed remotely. One of the online classes that FAVA offered, Jean Weigl’s Color Theory and Design, focused on the properties of color and the exploration of color relationships and interactions through executing a series of non-representational/abstract paintings in acrylic paint. The Online Acrylic Painting Class was introduced when a number of participants in the Color Theory and Design class expressed an interest in taking a painting class wherein they could incorporate representational subjects and expand their technical skills in drawing and painting in general. When the shutdown ended, the Acrylic Painting class continued to be offered as an online class, with as few as four and as many as seven participants, yet with a steady core of participants who continue to grow individually as artists and as a group of committed, supportive peers. Join us for an in-person showing of their work in our South Gallery!
45th Annual FAVA Members’ Show
45th Annual FAVA Members’ Show
October 26 - December 8
Reception: October 26, 12 - 2
Join us for our 45th Annual FAVA' Member’s Show! This exhibition features local and NE Ohio artists of all mediums and skill levels, and is open to all FAVA Members. The call for entries for our 45th Annual Members’ show will be release by the end of August!
Elevate: Body & Mind | Masquerade Closing Reception
Join us for a night of art, music and dancing to celebrate the closing weekend of Elevate: Body & Mind featuring artists Brandon Dean, Nick Lee, and Davon Brantley!
Where: FAVA Gallery
When: Saturday, October 12th 7:00PM - 10:00PM
7:00 - 8:00 Meet & Mingle
8:00 - 10:00 Dance Party
Bring your own masquerade mask or pick one up at the entrance!
*limited quanitites available*
Elevate: Body & Mind
Elevate: Body & Mind features three NE Ohio Artists of Color with unique stylistic approaches to portraiture. Exploring identity through themes of cultural heritage, psychological landscapes, and personal mythologies. Join us for a closing reception Saturday, October 12th, time and additional details to be announced.
AQM XX: Contemporary Quilt Exhibition
AQM XX: FAVA's 20th Biennial Contemporary Quilt Exhibition
May 11 - July 7
Reception & Awards: Saturday, June 22, 12-2
The Artist as Quiltmaker(AQM) is the second longest running art quilt exhibition in the world. The Firelands Association for the Visual Arts (FAVA) deliberately chooses not to define ‘quilt,’ thereby encouraging both established and emerging artists to submit innovative artwork—pushing boundaries and challenging expectations—whether they use traditional or non-traditional techniques or materials.
Our thirty-eight exhibiting artists hail from twenty states and one Canadian province. Nineteen artists are first-time entrants and fifteen are repeat exhibitors. AQM was originally envisioned by one of FAVA’s founders, quilt historian Ricky Clark. This year, AQM continues the tradition of celebrating the best in contemporary art quilts at FAVA for its 20th iteration!
Join us for the AQM XX reception and awards Saturday, June 22nd from 12-2! During the Oberlin Chalk Walk 10 - 4 the same day we'll have a free quilt inspired art activity for visitors of all ages to participate in the front yard!
ART HEIST: Small Works Exhibition — FAVA's 2024 Micro Fundraiser
Art Heist: Small Works Exhibition is a micro fundraiser featuring donated small-scale artworks at accessible prices! All works will be available for immediate purchase! The works will be hung within a color blocked area of the gallery walls, and as the works are "stolen" (sold) a chalk outline will be made to mark its disappearance! With a maximum size limit of 16″x16”, this exhibit promises to be an impressive showcase of creativity and talent. This exhibition will be hung salon style so that we can showcase as many artists as possible!
All proceeds will help support FAVA in continuing our mission: to foster creativity and community by exhibiting contemporary visual art, educating people of all ages, and strengthening cultural awareness throughout the community.
Learn more and submit a donation entry on our website HERE!
Queer People From Life
QUEER PEOPLE FROM LIFE
Get your pencils, embroidery hoops, markers, chalks, paints, you name it ready for an evening of fun and creative figure drawing with figure model Edson Rosas (he/they).
Edson will be posing for a special figure drawing event in the gallery the closing night of OH Queer: Colorful Contemporary Craft, curated by Moo and Tirzah Legg.
March 13, 2024 from 5:30 - 8:30 at FAVA!
** Bring your own materials and a $10 model fee payable by cash, venmo, zelle, or paypal the night of the event**
OH Queer: Colorful Contemporary Craft
This exhibition is meant to highlight colorful contemporary craft works by queer Ohio artists. Housed in the West side of FAVA's main gallery space. This exhibition will be curated as a warm and colorful domestic space, a respite from the cold winter months to foster community. Sitting areas and cozy corners will encourage spending time among the artworks, and promote a tactile engagement with the work and space. We anticipate hosting craft nights, classes, and workshops that are craft centered, and aimed at community engagement.
Black History Month Public Art Project
Black History Month Public Art Project
Oberlin Highschool & FAVA
Supported by The City of Oberlin
February 1 - March 3
Located in the East Side of our Main Gallery
A collaborative project featuring work by Oberlin High School art students celebrating Black History Month with a gallery exhibition at Firelands Association for the Visual Arts (FAVA) in partnership with the City of Oberlin. Twelve works were selected by a blind jury to be made into banners which will be featured in a public art display of light post banners on the South Main Street in Downtown Oberlin! At the opening reception held at FAVA Saturday, February 3rd the top three student portrait works will be awarded cash prizes for their entries!
I Dream of You
I Dream of You
Candace Vickers
January 16 – February 18
Located in FAVA’s South Gallery
Love is always an adventure, but finding love later in life can sometimes be unexpected and reveal parts of our inner world we didn’t know we needed to explore. Candace Vickers’ exhibition takes you on a journey through the story of a love affair, now long since passed. She presents her story as a collage through photographs, quotes, poems, and mixed media installation giving the viewer a snapshot of the many emotions she experienced along the way. Joy, ecstasy, pain, sorrow, but never regret.
Loving Something Doomed
Loving Something Doomed
Morgan Rose Free
February 4 - April 2
Closing Reception: April 1, 1-3PM
Based in Columbus OH, Canadian artist Morgan Rose Free is a cofounder of Dream Clinic Project Space and has participated in exhibitions and attended residencies across North America. Free describes this exhibition as an amalgamation of her own romanticization of the natural world and ever-present climate anxiety, Loving Something Doomed attempts all at once to confront our climate crisis, mourn our losses, and create a safe soft place of beauty to escape to.
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Jennifer Masley
February 4 - April 2
Closing Reception: April 1, 1-3PM
Jennifer Masley is an artist based in Akron, Ohio and currently works as an adjunct instructor at Kent State University. Masley describes her most recent work as compositions of the familiar with the strange. She views them as a way of tryin to see her surroundings with new eyes and inject generic objects with personal memories.
Black History Month Banner Competition
Black History Month Banner Competition
FAVA in collaboration with Oberlin High School & the City of Oberlin
February 1 - February 28
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 4th 1-3PM at FAVA
Jurors: Jean Weigl, Brittnei Sharrod, Elizabeth Meadows, and OHS Principal Brent Betts
A collaborative project celebrating Black History Month with a gallery exhibition featuring work by Oberlin High School art students at Firelands Association for the Visual Arts (FAVA) in partnership with the City of Oberlin. Twelve works were selected by a blind jury to be made into banners which will be featured in a public art display of light post banners on the South Main Street in Downtown Oberlin! At the opening reception, Saturday, February 4th at FAVA the top three student works will be awarded cash prizes for their entries!
Fall Fest & Open House
Meet us in the front yard of the building Saturday, October 29th 12-3 for the New Union Center for the Arts Fall Fest & Open House! You can enjoy the FAVA Members' Show 2022 opening, refreshments, fall activities, musical performances, and open studios!
Members' Show 2022
Join us for our Annual Member’s Show. Browse and shop for gift made by local artist! This exhibition includes all mediums, subjects, and skill levels!
FRONT: Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows
Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows, the second iteration of FRONT International, will run from July 16 through October 2, 2022. Building on the success of the first edition, FRONT 2022 will further the Triennial’s commitment to stimulating new and sustained cultural conversations within the region.
AQM XIX
The Artist as Quiltmaker is the second-longest-running art quilt exhibition in the world. FAVA deliberately chooses not to define ‘quilt,’ thereby encouraging both established and emerging artists to submit innovative artwork, pushing boundaries and challenging expectations, whether they use traditional or non-traditional techniques or materials. Juried by Elizabeth Kozlowski an independent curator and editor for the Surface Design Association’s quarterly journal, Surface Design Journal.
Katrina Ganson - Oberlin HS IB Program: Senior Exhibition
View Oberlin HS student Katrina Ganson's Senior Exhibition Online! The International Baccalaureate program builds on the Oberlin City Schools’ mission To set the standard for excellence in public education by motivating students to be inquiring and knowledgeable world citizens. International Baccalaureate is highly regarded throughout the U.S. and the world. An International Baccalaureate diploma allows students to earn college credit or advanced standing at many colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad.
TACTILE CURRENTS: Ceramics & Collage
Don’t miss our lates exhibition Tactile Currents: Ceramics & Collage, with local artists Bob Bruch and Randall James, including works by Harley Francis (1940–2017). Exploring texture, layering, and movement, experience the physical and intangible tactility of this work in-person at FAVA Gallery.
Open House
In addition to the opening of our Annual Members' Show, we are hosting a building open house on Saturday, November 20th from 1-3 in partnership with our friends at The MAD* Factory and Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra (NOYO). We’ll have cocoa and hot cider on the lawn (weather permitting), then ask you to don your masks and visit the classrooms, studios (including FAVA’s Dark Room, Ceramic Studio, and Fiber Arts Studio), and galleries! We’ll have live music by NOYO’s talented students, studio demos, and fun for everyone. This is a great opportunity to get to know NOYO and MAD* Factory as well. We hope you’ll join us!
Reception: FAVA's National Juried Biennial Photography Show 2021
Join us at the closing reception for FAVA's National Juried Biennial Photography Show 2021 Saturday October 23, 2021 from 1:00PM - 4:00 PM. Awards will be distributed at 2:00 PM. Please join us to view the exhibition and mingle with some of the artists!
FAVA’s Juried Biennial Photography Show
FAVA’s Juried Biennial Photography Show
Aug. 14 - Oct. 31, 2021
Firelands Association for the Visual Arts invites photographers nationwide to submit their best work for entry into FAVA’s Juried Biennial Photography Show 2021 opening August 14th, 2021 - October 31st, 2021. All photographic processes are considered including but not limited to digital prints, film photographs, photograms, alternative processes, etc., however we cannot accept video submissions for this exhibition.
FAVA’s Juried Biennial Photography Show is a biennial juried exhibition held in odd-numbered years. The exhibition alternates with a curated invitational photography exhibition held in even-numbered years, in order to present in greater depth, the work of individual artists creating in the photographic medium.
Entry has closed.
Juror: Barbara Tannenbaum
Available Awards: $1,100 offered in total awards including:
Oh To Be (Alone)
Oh To Be (Alone)
Paintings & Collages
By Allison B. Hall
July 10, 2021 - August 22, 2021
Art Auction Fundraiser
Art Auction Fundraiser
June 10 - June 13
SAVE the DATE!
FAVA’s 2021 Art Auction fundraiser will be held June 10-13 as a virtual event with a live opening reception. Limited custom charcuterie baskets will be available for curbside delivery or pickup before the live reception. We hope you’ll join us this year for food, fun, and (of course) some really great original art.
Online bidding will be open to everyone; Tickets for charcuterie baskets will go on sale soon. Please mark your calendar; an email update will go out once tickets are on sale.