By Fran Watson

It's hard for artists to take a break from art, even during the holidays. Those of us who love it and live it do the Pink Bunny thing ... just keep on going. And nobody keeps going more than WOLFGANG RITSCHEL. The U.S. State Department has chosen him to be a member of the Department of State Fulbright Gallery. Add to that the acceptance of four of his paintings at the Salmagundi Art Club in New York, and that pink bunny has energy to burn.

In the past few months, there have been farewell parties all over town for SARAH COLBY. Her departure to join her husband, KIM HUMPHRIES, in his new position as manager of the Fine Arts Shipping Co. in St. Louis, triggered more heartfelt, sorrowful sendoffs than have been seen in the art community for a long time. As part of the Art Academy's admissions recruiting team, Colby approached her work with true enthusiasm, while continuing her own art work, teaching in the Academy's Art Camp, working with the Taft Museum of Art's Artists Reaching Classrooms program, and generally being an energetic "all things to all people" sort of person. Replace her? It will take a village.

It's finally here! The long-promised catalog from the Cincinnati Art Museum, and it was worth waiting for. The museum's thousands of acquisitions have been artfully boiled down to 330 pages of color photography and simply superior text. A history of the museum, written by ANITA ELLIS, director of curatorial affairs, prefaces the volume, citing familiar names who have contributed in many ways to the growth of the city and, most particularly, to its culture. At just $19.95, it's such a bargain! The museum offers two other books for the new year: GLENN MARKOE, CAM curator, has written a 1,200-year coverage of The Phoenicians to be on sale in the Museum Shop, along with Rich in Good Works: Mary M. Emery of Cincinnati by MILLARD ROGERS, the museum's emeritus director. Info: 513-721-2787.

There's always a lot of news in the Art Academy of Cincinnati News, the Academy's publication about and for alums, staff and students, but the current issue contains one of the most entertaining articles to appear in its pages for quite a while: TONY BATCHELOR writes about his 1999 trip to India, a country he has visited often and never tires of. Pick one up at the Academy, or go to www.artacademy.edu.

You've heard about them before? Now's your chance to attend one of the fabulous Semantics openings. Everybody will be there (they usually are), and networking is rampant. Friday evening from 7-10 p.m. the stars will be photographer MICHAEL JOHNSON and painter JENNIFER MEYERS. Info: 513-651-5460.

CONTACT FRAN WATSON: fwatson@citybeat.com

E-mail Fran Watson

Hog Wild (December 21, 2000)
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