Plenty of area art exhibits to enjoy this fall: Where to go

Events span the gamut of artistic expression, and they’re not far away.
Portopia is a mixed-media, interactive art exhibit located in the Torchlight Pass building on Central Ave. in downtown Middletown. Multiple artist created an multi-sensory experience in the space formerly occupied by TV Middletown. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Portopia is a mixed-media, interactive art exhibit located in the Torchlight Pass building on Central Ave. in downtown Middletown. Multiple artist created an multi-sensory experience in the space formerly occupied by TV Middletown. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

With fall in the air, community members will want to take an opportunity to explore the latest art exhibitions on display throughout the region. Here are some of the latest.

Celebrate the opening of Year 28 at the Middletown Arts Center’s Lobby Gallery and meet exhibiting artist Gayle Cobb on Oct. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. “Cobb’s illustrations are magical and layered. She draws you in with rich colors and intricate details, transporting you along in the story,” said Kate Dykes, executive director of the Middletown Arts Center. Cobb is a Middletown native who specializes in realistic and children’s Illustration. From the difficulty the individual faces to the curiosity of children, her art focuses on the mundane and the imaginative; a reflection of the artist’s logic intertwined with creativity. Guests can experience this installation for free at the Middletown Arts Center, 130 N. Verity Parkway. The exhibition will be on display from Monday through Nov. 8. For more information, visit www.middletownartscenter.com.

The Fairfield Community Arts Center presents the Community Artist Showcase, an annual opportunity for area artists to exhibit their work. The exhibition is free. Artwork will be on display through Nov. 13. Featured artwork will include fine art, paintings, drawings, prints, photography, jewelry, sculpture and more. The Fairfield Community Arts Center is at 411 Wessel Drive in Fairfield. For more information, visit www.fairfield-city.org.

The BOOM! Exhibition, a collaborative partnership between the Fitton Center for Creative Arts and Artspace Hamilton/Strauss Gallery, will be on display at the Fitton Center through, Oct. 30. “When you see the exhibition, the quality of the work shines through. It’s outstanding, and it brings vibrancy and life, and color and energy to the Fitton Center, and you can feel it,” said Ian MacKenzie-Thurley, executive director of the Fitton Center. BOOM!, an explosion of sights and sounds, features electric art, aerosol art and a mossy piece that seems alive. For more about the exhibition, go to www.fittoncenter.org.

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum presents a new contemporary exhibition, Leverage by Bret Price. The 10-piece monumental sculpture exhibition will on display at the park until September 2022. The exhibition features a retrospective of the artists’ monumental work in the medium of steel sculpture from 1999–2020. Price is a contemporary multidisciplinary sculptor. In his work, one of Price’s main objectives is to convey a sense of unexpected movement and balance while confronting the challenges of the materials he uses. The artist bends and twists steel, manipulating the material to create sculptures that remind the viewer that our preconceptions can be limiting. Find out more at www.pyramidhill.org.

Miami University Art Museum and Sculpture Park and the Department of Art have partnered to present the Department of Art Faculty & Alumni Exhibition, on display through Dec. 11. The joint exhibition features artwork from current and emeritus faculty of the Department of Art, along with selected alumni. “We rarely have the opportunity here to see faculty work, and even to see the alumni work, because most of them move on. We have works that are coming from across the country for this exhibition,” said Jason Shaiman, curator of exhibitions, Miami University Art Museum. Featuring 55 different artists, the quadrennial exhibition features a diverse representation of art forms including sculpture, painting, ceramics, photography, video printmaking, collage, mixed media works and scholarly publications. The 64 pieces in the exhibition deliver an array of topics and meanings, through diverse forms, materials and presentation. For more details, check out www.miamioh.edu/cca/art-museum/.

Portopia is a one-of-a-kind, immersive art installation that transports visitors to another dimension, one of wonder and delight, through art and creativity, of unparalleled utopia. Located at the historic Torchlight Pass in Middletown, Portopia is a collective of 10 artists dedicated to creating the unexpected. The exhibition leverages dimensional art, sound, light, touch, and scent within a 5,000-square-footspace. Portopia is a short-term, temporary art exhibit that will launch each year with a new theme and a different team of artists, offering a whole new experience for guests. The current exhibition will be on display through Sun., Dec. 19. For more info. and to purchase tickets, go to www.portopia.org.

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