Main Gallery
Fine Art Exhibitions by Ohio Artists
The Main Gallery is our space for group, individual and juried art exhibitions. The exhibitions, which usually last for about a month and a half, display an assortment of artistic themes and media, and feature impressive work by artists across the state of Ohio and beyond.
The Art of Surviving a Pandemic
Exhibition dates: June 4th – July 10th, 2021
Click here to walk through the exhibition!
Watch the artists interview below!
2021 Main Gallery Exhibition Schedule
Ekphrastic Fantastic
February 12 – April 17
The gallery opens its doors back up to “Ekphrastic Fantastic”, a call-and-response exhibition featuring over 70+ artists and 140 works of art! Artists were tasked with the challenge of responding to an image taken of art, architecture, textures, and more found both inside and outside of the Cultural Arts Center.
*Ekphrastic – a vivid, often dramatic, verbal description of a visual work of art, either real or imagined (but we want you to turn your 1000 words into a picture (or 3-D item).
The Earth Is Us
COMING 2022
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, “The Earth is Us” will be moving to a Fall 2022 slot. Guest Curator, Char Norman, and a dozen invited artists will challenge us to think deeply about our relationship with the natural world which sustains all life. What kind of planet do we want to leave for our children? Look for art installations both in the gallery and outside in parks and neighborhoods.
Central Ohio Watercolor Society
April 23 – May 29
The Central Ohio Watercolor Society (COWS) is the region’s preeminent transparent watercolor society – and one of only 3 in the nation. The Cultural Arts Center is host for the group’s 2021 Spring Juried Exhibition. Come enjoy the way these amazing artists portray light and color, whether in realism or abstraction.
The Art of Surviving A Pandemic
June 4 – July 10
Local invited artists working in a variety of art forms (visual, poetry, performance, and music) will tell their stories about how they continued to work during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Where did their inspirations come from? Did they learn new techniques? Did they have to cope with the loss of loved ones? These are questions we all have been wrestling with.
Organized and curated by Leticia Vazquez-Smith, President of the Latino Arts for Humanity
Sharone Putter and Philip Sorensen
July 16 – August 21
The gallery hosts the work of two outstanding artists – CAC Instructor Sharone Putter presents a series of recent lithographs and mixed media drawings celebrating the world of construction. Lawyer and artist, Philip Sorensen, is celebrated in a posthumous exhibition of his work as a sculptor.
Elaine Fleck
August 27 – October 2
Artist Elaine Fleck presents a selection of mixed media works that merge fabric and oils into unique representations of the human figure, landscapes, and still life. The exhibition is a rich blending of textures and vibrant colors that focus on nature and how humans are an integral part of it.
Art and Jazz
October 8 – November 13
Visual artist, Karin Dahl, and composer, Chris Berg, explore how art and music combine to enhance meaning, showing that music plus art is more than either medium alone. The exhibit will include abstract paintings accompanied by original musical compositions. The artists will be joined for the opening by Ucelli: The Columbus Cello Quartet.
Out of Tunes
November 19 – December 31
Artist Brian Riegel takes reclaimed musical instruments and morphs them into fantastical mixed media sculptures. Most of these instrument sculptures are Steampunk/Dieselpunk inspired, and are bound to make you wonder what you might create from that old clarinet or trumpet that’s been hiding in the back of your closet.