This is the seventh annual Open Studio Weekend, featuring more than 100 artists in all visual media. Established professionals, exciting newcomers and students, alumni and faculty from Hite Art Institute will share their work in unique studio spaces.��

This year, the public may visit inside the����facility, a renovated warehouse at 1606 Rowan St. in the historic Portland neighborhood. Hite faculty and MFA students operate studios there in a range of media, including ceramics, drawing, fiber, glass, painting, printmaking, sculpture, mixed media, book arts and design.

This year also continues a partnership with��, which makes free bike rentals available to OSW attendees from noon to 6 p.m. Nov. 2 and 3.
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In addition, a distinguished panel of curators from around the region will select works by participating artists to showcase in the�� at Hite’s Cressman Center for Visual Arts, 100 N. Main St. All are welcome to a free opening reception during the First Friday Hop, 6-8 p.m., Nov. 1. The exhibition is on view through Dec. 14.
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Open Studio Weekend is 12-6 p.m., Nov. 2 and 3. Tickets are $12, or $10 for students, art educators and LVA members. A ticket provides access to all participating studios and includes a 60-page publication with maps to studio locations, suggested routes, information, and images of participants’ artworks. Tickets are available on .

All proceeds from the weekend tour benefit the Mary Spencer Nay scholarship at UofL and Children’s Fine Art Classes through LVA.

Participating Hite students, alumni and faculty, with their studio numbers, include:��

Betty Alvarez Painting 14,��Britany Baker Drawing 37,��Frank Baldwin Painting 29,��Megan Bickel Painting 17,��Lindsey Bishop Jewelry 36,��Anne Borders Painting 29,��Tiffany Calvert Painting 14,��Rita Cameron Painting 39,��Tom Cannady Painting 34,��Geoff Carr Photography 20,��Don Cartwright Painting 32,��Dave Caudill Sculpture 27,��Ying Kit Chan Mixed Media 14,��Xin Chen Glass 13,��Sandra Chu Painting 27,��Andrew Cozzens Mixed Media 11,��Sabra Crockett Painting 39,��Katy Delahanty Mixed Media 12,��Linda Erzinger Sculpture 38,��Cassie Fischer Painting 36,��Elizabeth Foley Printmaking 27,��Jeanne Freibert Painting 35,��Angie Reed Garner Painting 20,��Will Garner Drawing 20,��Terri Gilmore Sculpture 41,��Johnny Gordon Glass 34,��Jen Grove Calligraphy 23,��Claudia Hammer Painting 19,��Kaitlin Hennessy Mixed Media 23,��Bryan Holden Sculpture 17,��Noah Howard Mixed Media 12,��Casey Hyland Glass 19,��Dawn Johnston Painting 33,��Joanna Jorgensen Jewelry 33,��Kyle Keeney Mixed Media 35,��Megan Kociscak Painting 40,��Marti Kuehn Painting 34,��Lisa Kurtz Ceramics 29,��Lori Larusso Painting 11,��Erica Lewis Drawing 16,��Debra Lott Painting 44,��Aaron Lubrick Painting 29,��Scott Massey Sculpture 14,��James Russell May Painting 37,��Helen Merrick Painting 45,��Melanie Miller Glass 19,��Nancy Gordon Moore Painting 31,��Deb Ogburn Mixed Media 34,��Chris Owens Mixed Media 38,��Peggy Peabody Painting 33,��Amy Pender Glass 33,��Tara Remington Mixed Media 11,��Rosalie Rosenthal Photography 11,��Catherine Rubin Painting 32,��Debbie Shannon Printmaking 32,��Danny Seim Mixed Media 12,��Rachel Singel Printmaking 15,��Stacy Staggs Painting 37,��Debby Stratford Printmaking 31,��Chuck Swanson Mixed Media 31,��Victor Sweatt Painting 12,��Rachid Tagoulla Photography 13,��Maria Tinnell Fiber 40,��Susan Tolliver Painting 44,��Mark Traughber Drawing 19,��Caroline Waite Mixed Media 31,��Xuanyi Wang Painting 17,��Katherine Watts Printmaking 15,��Cletus Wilcox Mixed Media 23 and Jingshuo Yang Painting 16.

Grant Johnson, communications and marketing director for LVA, said the awards underscore the significant impact Hite Art Institute plays in the art community of Louisville and the strength and value of the two organizations’ longtime relationship.����

“As I have grown into a role at Louisville Visual Art and as a practicing artist in town, I see the Hite’s influence and presence interwoven throughout the city’s art community,” Johnson said. “As LVA provides exceptional education programs for young artists in primary and secondary school, we often see them continue their studies at Hite.”

The honorees were recognized in four categories:

• The 2019 Legacy Award Recipient is��, internationally-renowned sculptor whose work often addresses themes of American slavery and the ongoing struggle for Civil Rights.��Hamilton is a 1969 UofL graduate and received a��Doctor of Arts honorary degree from UofL in 2004.

• The 2019 Benefactor of the Year Award Recipient is��, a prominent collector and commissioner of art by local and international artists. His Great Meadows Foundation has funded numerous UofL educators including, recently, Hite professors Ying Kit Chan, Mary Carothers and Rachel Singel.��

• The 2019 Visual Art Educator Award Recipient is��, longtime Hite Professor of Art. Grubola also served as chair of the Department of Fine Arts and director of the Hite Art Institute for 16 years, overseeing many changes including��the addition of a program in glass along with the construction of the Cressman Center for Visual Arts – the university’s first, permanent, non-medical facility in downtown Louisville.��

• The 2019 Emerging Artist Award Recipient is��, MFA Candidate at Hite.��

The awards draw energy from the past, present and future and strengthen bonds between successive generations of artists, educators and appreciative audiences, Johnson said.

“Recognizing educators and patrons alongside artists, the Louisville Visual Art Honors embrace the entire ecosystem of visual culture, every part of which enhances the prominence, quality and purposes of art in our visually-vibrant city,” Johnson said.

Honors will be bestowed at a����11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, Feb. 1 at the��Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, 1701 West Muhammad Ali Boulevard.

This is the sixth annual Open Studio Weekend, featuring more than 100 artists in all visual media. Established professionals, exciting newcomers and students and faculty from the the Hite Art Institute will share their work in unique studio spaces.��

This year, for the first time, the public may visit the�� facility, a renovated warehouse at 1606 Rowan St. in the historic Portland neighborhood. Hite faculty and MFA students will operate studios there with capacity for a range of media, including ceramics, drawing, fiber, glass, painting, printmaking, sculpture, mixed media, book arts and design.

This year also continues a partnership with , which makes free bike rentals available to OSW attendees. LouVelo will lead a free guided bike tour of downtown and Portland studios departing from Hyland Glass at 12:45 p.m. on Nov. 3.��
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In addition, a distinguished panel of curators from around the region will select works by participating artists to showcase in the 2018 Louisville Open Studio Weekend Juried Exhibition at Hite’s Cressman Center for Visual Arts, 100 N. Main St. All are welcome to a free opening reception for the exhibition during First Friday Hop, 6-8 p.m., Nov. 2.
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Open Studio Weekend is 12-6 p.m., Nov. 3 and 4. Tickets are $12 (a 40% decrease from last year), or $10 for students, art educators and LVA members. A ticket provides access to all participating studios and includes a 60-page publication with maps to studio locations, suggested routes, information, and images of participants’ artworks. Purchase tickets on����or at the Cressman Center. All proceeds from the weekend tour benefit the Mary Spencer Nay scholarship at UofL and Children’s Fine Art Classes through LVA.

Participating Hite students and faculty include: , , , , , ,��,��, , Reid Broadstreet, , Rachid Tagoulla,��,��, , ,��,��, ,�� and .

The prestigious $5,000 award is an opportunity for local artists to enhance their careers through a targeted enrichment experience of their own design.

“My most recent body work has been on Jewish memory, identity and legacy,” said Szwedzinski. “As an artist, I am continually mindful of who I intend as my audience. I question why it is important for me to make work about Judaism and how my work connects to contemporary issues.”

Szwedzinski will use the award to visit the Jewish Contemporary Museum and the Holocaust Center in San Francisco, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Archives in Washington, D.C., and the Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as well as to take a course at the Rare Book School in Philadelphia.

“I believe that the act of remembering is a powerful tool in fostering empathy and breaking barriers of bias,” Szwedzinski said. “It’s important, now more than ever, to remind people that when true diversity is present in a community is when we all thrive.”

honored Szwedzinski with a June 21.

The Hadley Prize is awarded from the George and Mary Alice Hadley Fund at the . Focused on the arts and humanities, particularly visual arts, crafts, theater and the Louisville Free Public Library, the endowment has supported the community for more than 25 years.

The winner is selected through a blind process by a diverse panel of arts professionals from Louisville and the surrounding area. The 2018 prize drew 40 applicants from the greater Louisville area, including Southern Indiana, whose work demonstrated mastery in ceramics, graphic design, drawing, crafts, painting, photography, sculpture, video, film and printmaking.

“Art soothes and calms our collective souls. Art causes us to question and to think. Through the years, art has been used to tell the story of those who came before. The work of KCJ Szwedzinski is powerful and will cause those who see her work to pause and reflect on this horrific period in our history,” said LVA’s Executive Director,��Lindy Casebier. “Louisville Visual Art is pleased to partner with the Community Foundation of Louisville in support of KCJ’s growth as an artist and in turn share that personal growth with others in our community.”

Szwedzinski’s itinerary has been designed to fuse personal history and artistic inspiration, “to synthesize seemingly disparate bodies of knowledge – archival practices for historical information and my personal inherited legacies.”

“This experience will broaden my ability to make work that is rooted in my own Judaic heritage,” said Szwedzinski, “while facilitating engagement of a more universal audience.”

The Hadley Prize is just one of the ways that the Community Foundation of Louisville supports local artists. Hadley Creatives is the Foundation’s six-month comprehensive professional development program for working artists that recently celebrated its inaugural class with an exhibition running through July 1 at . Five Hite graduates participated in the��program and exhibition: Miranda Becht (MFA 2017),��Sandra Charles (BFA 2015),��Rebecca Norton (BFA 2004), Cynthia Norton (MAT 2004) and Autumn Lindsey (BFA 2017).

Now in its fifth year, the event continues to grow, with more than 120��participating artists – more than ever before. Many of the artists have UofL connections, whether they’re alumni, faculty or staff, like Maria Tinnell, a graphic designer in the Office of Communications and Marketing who creates specialty miniature baskets. This year, her work was selected for display in the��juried exhibition at Hite’s Cressman Center (100 N. Main St.), where the Open Studio launch party will be held from 6-8 p.m. Nov. 3 during the First Friday Hop. And, her studio will be open all weekend for OSW visitors.

Tinnell took time out of her schedule to talk to UofL News about her work and the preparation that goes into Open Studio Weekend.��

In describing her work, she says, “I��am a fiber artist weaving baskets from linen thread and nylon cord. The technique of coiling baskets is a very old one. I have taken that technique and made it my own by using lots of color and non-traditional patterns and materials. People tell me all the time they have never seen anything like my baskets.”

UofL News: How did you get started making this type of art?

Maria Tinnell: I first learned this technique in college, I have a BFA from UofL; my major was��textiles. I took a class from Lida Gordon call Fiber Construction. I learned weaving, felting, braiding and coiled basketry. I fell in love with the technique. I still have the first basket I ever made; it was woven with wool yard and jute cord and is a fuzzy reminder of how I got started.

UofL News: Why do you participate in Open Studio Weekend?

Maria Tinnell: I have been a member of the LVA for several years, more than I can count, participating in shows and events and I went to school with Keith Waits LVA’s current Facility & Gallery Manager. I support the work that the LVA does encouraging young artists at summer camps and promoting local artists on Artebella. The money that is raised from the Open Studio Weekend helps fund those projects and I am happy to be a small part of that.

UofL News: What can guests expect if they come out for studio tours?

Maria Tinnell: I have always said my studio is wherever I am, because my art is portable. I take it with me everywhere I go. You might see me working on a bench outside on campus at UofL, my favorite spot is the fountains near Schneider Hall. That is what I love about my work, it does not require electricity or machines, just some linen thread, cord or rope and some needles.

For the Open Studio Weekend my ‘studio’ will be my front porch. I have a nice swing to sit on and work on a basket. You are welcome to stop by the South end of Louisville and see first-hand how I weave thread and rope into a miniature wearable basket, and if you are interested I will tell you the story behind the inspiration for some of my baskets.

Open Studio is noon to 6 p.m. Nov. 4 and 5. The cost is $20 or $10 for students, art educators and LVA members. Purchase tickets at��the Cressman Center or . Ticket sales support scholarships at Hite Art Institute and LVA.��

“Open Studio Weekend is our art community’s annual update. There’s no better way to get to know our artists, their work and the creative power of our city,” said��Chris Reitz,��Gallery Director of UofL’s Hite Art Institute, which hosts the event along with .

Now in its fourth year, the event has become so popular, with more than 20,000 visits to studios last year, event organizers added a new opportunity. This year, the Open Studio Weekend Exhibition at the Cressman Center for Visual Arts is juried. Three regionally-renowned curators serve as judges for the show: Kate Bonansinga, director of the School of Art in the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning at University of Cincinnati; Matt Distel, Exhibitions Director for The Carnegie in Covington and adjunct curator for the Cincinnati Art Museum; and Max Weintraub, galleries director at Indiana University’s Herron School of Art & Design.

“It is heartening to see such a diverse range of objects and interests represented in the arts community of Louisville. It was a pleasure to participate as a juror and gives me confidence in the long-term health of art making in this region,” Distel said.��

All proceeds from the weekend tour benefit the Mary Spencer Nay scholarship at UofL and Children’s Fine Art Classes through LVA.

“Open Studio Weekend is the perfect��occasion��to discover local artists and embrace the opportunity to invest in original art,” said Lindy Casebier, LVA’s Executive Director.

The event launch party is from 6��to��8 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Cressman Center. Open Studio is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 5 and noon to5 p.m. Nov. 6. The cost is $20 or $10 for students, art educators, seniors and LVA members, which allows participants to visit as many studios as they like and includes a nearly 50-page studio guide with area maps with suggested routes, artist locations, information and images of artists’ work. An event phone app is also available. Tickets can be purchased��at the Cressman Center or .��