Prepare for Your ArtAround
ArtArounds are your chance to get up close and personal with local institutions and artists. Extensive preparation has gone into each series of tours, screenings, activities, and visits, and we will be forever indebted to the local volunteers who have so generously donated their time and talents to making your Arts Impact Ohio experience richer and deeper.
Here are a few reminders as you prepare for your ArtAround visits:
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Attendees will choose their ArtAround on-site at the Renaissance Hotel upon checking in to the conference. Tours are first-come first-served and may fill up.
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All registered Arts Impact Ohio attendees may attend an ArtAround; there are no additional costs or fees required.
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All tours take place simultaneously on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 15 (departure times listed below), rain or shine!
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Because tours have limited capacity, each attendee must present an ArtAround ticket at the time of tour departure to participate. No exceptions.
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Each ArtAround is different; some require more walking, some take place outside, etc. Choose the one that you will be most comfortable taking part in.
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Tours are jam-packed with content, so we must leave on time! Please make sure you are in the Renaissance Hotel lobby at the time listed several minutes prior to departure time to ensure you are not left behind!
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Click the buttons below to read more about each ArtAround
#1 Museum All-Access
Museum All-Access ArtAround participants will board a coach bus for a short, five-minute ride to the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA), where they will split into four small groups of 10-15 and take part in walking tours led by museum staff.
Small group visits include:
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a curator-led tour of one of TMA’s current exhibitions, either Marisol: A Retrospective, Expanding Horizons: The Evolving Character of a Nation, or In a New Light: Impressionism and Post-Impressionism (led by curators Jessica Hong and Erin Corrales-Diaz, and Research Associate in Glass & Contemporary Craft Kelli Fisher, respectively)
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a tour of the TMA Museum Store, including a discussion of how original artwork made by local artists is procured and made available for purchase (led by Calvin Fought, retail operations coordinator)
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an overview of the TMA’s conservation work led by Director of Conservation Vanessa Applebaum and a behind-the-scenes look at its three main Conservation spaces, including the Upper Conservation (objects/paintings), Lower Conservation (textiles), and Works on Paper – with a bonus look at any objects currently being worked on (led by Emily Cummings, assistant objects conservator, Marissa Stevenson, assistant conservator of textile based collections, and Nate Coryell, Works on Paper Collections care assistant, respectively)
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a tour of TMA’s Glass Pavilion, including a demonstration of glass blowing and the work of the Glass Pavilion generally (led by Kacey McCreery, community engagement glass artist)
Time permitting, ArtAround visitors will have the opportunity to visit each of the four sites in turn. Buses will then return participants to the Renaissance Hotel. Admission to all museum sites is provided with your ArtAround ticket at no additional cost.
The coach bus for the Museum All-Access ArtAround departs promptly at 2:45 p.m., with participants returned shortly after 5:30 p.m.
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Number of participants who may join this ArtAround: 56
#2 Educational Excellence
Visitors to the Educational Excellence ArtAround will board a coach bus for a short five-minute ride to the Toledo School for the Arts (TSA), where they will split into three small groups of 15-20 and take part in walking tours and other on-site activities led by school staff.
Small group visits will include:
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a tour of The Portal, TSA’s community-centered store, gallery, performance venue, and event space, which opened in 2023
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a general tour of the TSA building, with stops at classrooms, studios, learning labs, rehearsal spaces, and common areas (classes will not be in session)
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a participatory “make-and-take” art-making session that will allow participants to create a small glass pendant (completed on-site and mailed to you at a later date)
Following these small group tours, all ArtAround participants will join TSA’s student dance ensemble and steel drum band for special performances of works-in-progress in their black box studio. Time permitting, each ArtAround visitor will have the opportunity to visit each of the three sites in turn. Buses will then return participants back to the Renaissance Hotel. Admission to all TSA sites, as well as the creation of the original artwork and its mailing costs, are provided with your ArtAround ticket at no additional cost.
The coach bus for the Educational Excellence ArtAround departs promptly at 2:45 p.m., with participants returned shortly after 5:30 p.m.
Number of participants who may join this ArtAround: 56
#3 Art by Bus
Art by Bus ArtAround participants will board a coach bus for a 90-minute tour of public art on display in and around the downtown Toledo area. This tour will be led by Ben Cook, public art manager for the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo (ACGT). Participants will learn about the creation of various pieces of art and discuss ACGT’s recent use of GIS mapping of the city’s extensive public art collection. Some points of interest may include the option to briefly disembark the coach bus for closer examination. Transportation is provided with your ArtAround ticket at no additional cost.
The coach bus for the Art by Bus ArtAround departs promptly at 3:00 p.m., with participants returned by 4:30 p.m.
Number of participants who may join this ArtAround: 56
#4 Stream of Creativity
Stream of Creativity ArtAround participants will walk to board the two-level, 64-foot-long Glass City Pearl for a 30-minute mural tour on the water, followed by walking tours of either the Glass City Metropark or the National Museum of the Great Lakes. The boat tour will depart from docks located a short five-minute walk from the Renaissance Hotel along the Maumee River. Seating options both above deck as well as inside a climate-controlled cabin will be available. Tours of the 170,000-square-foot Glass City River Wall, the nation’s largest mural, will be led by project manager Christina Kasper.
The boat will dock at the National Museum of the Great Lakes, where participants may choose from two available walking tours.
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Glass City Metropark: One group will continue outside for a walking tour of one section of the Glass City Metropark, to include discussion of the park’s recent construction, local community partnerships, and the recent unveiling of a new public art work (led by Nathan Mattimoe, art in public places director, The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo).
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National Museum of the Great Lakes: The other group will proceed inside the National Museum of the Great Lakes to view current exhibits and discuss exhibition design, curatorial processes, and the visitor experience, including how the museum supports these facets in its current and future states (led by Carrie Sowden, director, Archaeology and Research and Ellen Kennedy, director, Museum Operations).
Time permitting, museum visitors may have a brief opportunity to visit a portion of the Metropark as well, and vice versa. All participants will then board a coach bus for a short five-minute ride back to the Renaissance Hotel. All transportation and admission to the museum is provided with your ArtAround ticket at no additional cost.
The walking group for the Stream of Creativity ArtAround departs promptly at 2:45 p.m., with participants returned by 5:30 p.m.
Number of participants who may join this ArtAround: 56
#5 Director's Cut
Director’s Cut ArtAround participants will walk to the Imagination Station’s KeyBank Discovery Theatre, adjacent to the Renaissance Hotel, where they will view four films with roots in the Toledo area on the 58-foot-wide screen. Each film will be followed by a talkback session facilitated by Molly Kreuzman, program director for Ohio Goes to the Movies, a project of Ohio’s America 250 Commission.
Featured films:
Sons of Toledo
Directed by Monty Cole, written by Matt Foss and Monty Cole (film length: 20 minutes; talkback with Matt Foss)
After receiving the early morning news of his younger brother's murder, a mourning barber pushes through the muddy waters of grief to find the courage to do the impossible - give his brother one last cut.
Ploverville
Written and filmed by Christy Frank (film length: 20 minutes; talkback with Christy Frank)
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Wilis
Written and directed by Matthew Deimling Johns (film length: 10 minutes; talkback with Matthew Deimling Johns)
Of folklore from an old world, a sisterhood haunts the deepest hollows of the forest. Lore knows them by one name, Wilis.
Other Dan’s Ex-Girlfriend
Written and directed by Bianca Caniglia (film length: 12 minutes; talkback with Matthew Johns and Bianca Caniglia)
In this black-and-white comedy, Gracie – locked out of the apartment while cat-sitting – embarks on a sock-clad journey through the chilly city, navigating odd situations en route to reclaim a spare key. A chance encounter prompts Gracie to ponder fate's role in her misadventures.
Short breaks will be interspersed between each film, and the ArtAround will conclude with a brief overview of the Ohio Goes to the Movies project.
Popcorn will be served! Admission to viewings is provided with your ArtAround ticket at no additional cost. Note: Films contain references to domestic violence, strobe effects, and some coarse language.
The walking group for the Director’s Cut ArtAround departs promptly at 2:45 p.m., with screenings concluding by 5:30 p.m.
Number of participants who may join this ArtAround: 100
#6 Walk the Warehouse District
Walk the Warehouse District participants will walk as a group to downtown Toledo’s Warehouse District, where they will have the opportunity to visit several art and design businesses at their own pace.
The group’s initial destination will be the intersection of North Huron Street and Jefferson Avenue, a 10-minute walk from the hotel. From there, attendees may choose to visit these nearby sites:
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Gathered Glassblowing Studio, a local glassblowing and glass art studio, which will be featuring demos and have glass available for purchase (discussions led by local artist Adam Goldberg)
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Graphite Design + Build, a maker space and fabrication studio that encompasses sculpting, painting, and all elements of project creation (discussions led by owner, designer, and builder Jeremy Link)
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River House Arts, an intimate local gallery specializing in contemporary art (discussions led by gallery director Paula Baldoni)
OAC staff will be available to assist attendees in visiting any or all of these destinations at their own pace; you may then return to the Renaissance Hotel at your leisure or extend your visit to the Warehouse District at other local shops and dining establishments. Admission to the sites noted is provided with your ArtAround ticket at no additional cost.
The walking group for the Walk the Warehouse District ArtAround departs promptly at 3:00 p.m., with participants invited to return on their own.
Number of participants who may join this ArtAround: 100