Wayne Artists Group Effort exhibit of local art starts Aug. 29
“Art of Creating Balloon Animals” by Martha Bollinger is just one of the pieces that will be displayed at the 2024 WAGE exhibition, opening Aug. 29 at Wayne Center for the Arts in Wooster.
The 2024 Wayne Artists Group Effort exhibition of local art is set to run at Wayne Center for the Arts Aug. 29 through Sept. 19, with an opening reception on the first night. This year’s theme for the annual event is “Artistic Circus.” The exhibition will include 26 artworks by 17 local artists.
WAGE was founded 38 years ago and currently has 20-25 active members. These members are required to attend at least four meetings during the year in order to have work included in the annual event. The visual arts group began with two members and has expanded over the years to a roster of 48. Initially a women’s artist group, WAGE now includes men.
“The group is a support group for artists, so we share and discuss the art that we are creating,” said Patricia L.K. Anderson, WAGE member since 1987 and curator of this year’s exhibition.
In the spirit of artistic support and encouragement, the annual WAGE exhibition is never juried. “We are not competing with each other but supporting each other,” Anderson said. “We aren’t judging each other but celebrating our personal ways of expressing ourselves.”
The theme for each year’s exhibition is suggested by members and decided upon in September of the prior year. Each member may suggest up to three ideas for themes, and the final choice is made by vote. The 2024 theme, “Artistic Circus,” was suggested by Julie Fisher.
“Having a theme holds our shows together, and it also holds us together as a group,” Anderson said. “All art for the show is created after the theme is decided, so we are working through the process together. We bring our work to the meetings, and as we have show and tell, we learn a lot about how each artist thinks and creates. This makes the meetings very interesting.”
Additionally, the group chooses one member’s work to be featured on the invitation card. This year they chose Monica Bongue-Bartelsman’s painting, “Juggling Act.” Bongue-Bartelsman has been a member of WAGE for over 25 years. Her selected piece is oil on canvas, and she also enjoys printmaking and photography. Recently, she has begun experimenting with fiber arts. She will have an additional work in the show: a set of wool balls that will look like the Earth seen from space.
The artist said she crafted the chosen piece to be joyful and childish. “Something you would hang up in a kid’s room,” Bongue-Bartelsman said.
While the piece is playful and Bongue-Bartelsman wants everyone who views it to make their own interpretation, she had an additional intent in its creation.
“I am very concerned about the consequences of climate change if meaningful and effective solutions are not enacted,” Bongue-Bartelsman said, “so, for me, the background is suggestive of climate changing from green to red if the Earth is handled carelessly.”
Bongue-Bartelsman said she is grateful to be selected by the other artists in the WAGE group. “It feels good to know that other people, especially artists, see your art as valuable and important,” she said.
Exhibiting artists in the 2024 show include Anderson, Bongue-Bartelsman, Barbara Baldner, Sue Bevis, Martha A. Bollinger, Natasha Edwards, Julie W. Fisher, Janice Mori Gallagher, Sally J. Kitchen, Robin Landis, Kelly Lockwood, Kristin Lorson, Ed Marthey, Lorene Meier, Joanne M. Murray, Jason Rakich and Susan Shie.
WAGE artists come from all over Wayne County, with a few members from Medina and Holmes counties. The artists are involved in nearly every type of art: all types of painting such as oil, acrylic, watercolor and ink; sculpture including flint knapping; mixed media including collage and assemblage; fiber art including batik, silk painting, echo printing, quilting, knitting, felting, rug hooking and handwork; and printing including echo printing and stamps. Many of these mediums will be represented at the exhibition.
Find more information regarding WAGE at www.facebook.com/contact.WAGE.art/.
“Artistic Circus” will run at Wayne Center for the Arts, 237 S. Walnut St., Wooster. The galleries are open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no fee, and no ticket is needed. The exhibit is closed Sundays.
“The public is wholeheartedly welcome to attend (the show’s opening reception),” Anderson said, which will take place the first night of the show on Thursday, Aug. 29 from 5-7 p.m. at the arts center. Light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served, and no RSVP is needed for the free event.
WAGE is grateful for everyone who made the upcoming exhibition possible: Wayne Center for the Arts staff; Kelly Aasen-Aboulkacem, who created the invitation card; Rene Meier, Robin Landis, Sally Kitchen and Susan Shie, all responsible for hanging the show; and Martha Bollinger and Sally Kitchen for the hospitality table.
“Creating art is wonderful for brain health, and studies have also shown that viewing art lowers stress and improves cognitive functions such as memory, problem-solving and critical thinking,” Anderson said. “When artists display their art, they are opening themselves up to the viewer, showing a little of their soul. I hope those attending the show will connect with the artists and the art. I hope that they will leave feeling uplifted.”