"Campus Creatives: Ohio Valley's Emerging Artists" was in a lot of ways a flagship exhibition for 1628 Ltd., and was a major aspect of my internship with them. 1628, a co-working and event space as well as a non-traditional gallery, typically does a combination of an open call and individual invitations to artists to gather submissions for their quarterly exhibitions. This show, however, was different: we instead partnered with local universities and their professors to nominate students to apply. The goal was to showcase the works of young emerging artists, foster inter-school relationships, and give students who may have never exhibited professionally a chance to learn about and participate in the process.
As a college student myself at the time, I had a wonderful time getting to meet with these students and work with their professors. I was particularly proud of the workshop I hosted with Emily Wiethorn (an MSJ professor) that gave the participating artists a lot of tips on prepping and pricing their work for exhibition, as well as writing artist statements and biographies. I also really enjoyed the installation process for this show, as several of the exhibiting artists came to assist. I got to have great conversations with artists my age from different schools, and also share the knowledge I have about hanging and installing artwork.
More information on the artists and works in the show can be found on 1628's blog page, or their Instagram.
"Campus Creatives" featured 10 local artist students from 4 different academic institutions: Alex Albrecht (Mount St. Joseph University), Aleni Antalis (Xavier University), Kate Ensor (Miami University), Alfonso Huckleberry (Mount St. Joseph University), Healim Hwoang (University of Cincinnati), Brianna Lude (University of Cincinnati), Nicholas Namyar (Xavier University), James Plattner (University of Cincinnati), Orion Inez Varona-Alvarez (University of Cincinnati), and Jenna Wood (Xavier University).
"You don’t have to live in Chicago or New York to find a thriving artistic community. In fact, many of the most talented and exciting artists in the contemporary scene are living, learning, and creating in smaller – but just as passionate – cities all around the country. We are lucky to find ourselves in Cincinnati, an area with not just one, but many different prestigious universities with art programs. These institutions are shaping the current generation of artists, providing them the guidance to discover their creative voice, and the community to help hone and nurture that newfound self-understanding.
The Ohio Valley’s creative community is vibrant, unique, and on the cutting edge of the contemporary scene. This is due in no small part to the artists studying and creating in our local programs, which grow and adapt with each academic year. Though they come from many different places, and many may find themselves scattered all across the globe after graduation, their time here, in these cities and within these institutions, will have forever shaped their journey as an artist. From the practical skills learned, to the friendships foraged, to the body of work created that finally feels “right”, our local art programs give these students the time and space to radically change contemporary art, as well as their own understanding of themselves and what they want to put out into the world.
'Campus Creatives' highlights the work being made by emerging artists from four local institutions: Mount St. Joseph University, University of Cincinnati, Miami University, and Xavier University. With this latest generation comes a shift in our local artistic community, which can only be understood by exploring the work of those whose voices are quickly moving towards the forefront."
Exhibition Announcement
