O'Leary Bacon's "Children" is currently on display at the YWCA Women's Art Gallery.

Allow spring's exploration urge to direct you to innovative art this week ... No matter what your mood, you're sure to find acknowledgment in A Tear & A Smile. Join artist O'LEARY BACON and the YWCA WOMEN'S ART GALLERY (898 Walnut St., Downtown) for this new exhibit, featuring paintings in a variety of mediums, including oil, pastels and acrylic. Bacon, a former Kentucky state government employee, left her position to pursue painting, but uses her experience there as reference for her work. Her pieces seek to capture everyday people and life experiences, as she believes, "The best stories are the ones you have lived." Find out what she's lived: Opening reception Friday, 6-8 p.m. Through June 11. ...

May 7 marks the opening of Art by MacArthur Fellows at CARL SOLWAY GALLERY (424 Findlay St., Over-the-Rhine). The exhibition is a collection of paintings, photographs, prints, video art and sculpture by 18 artists who have received the MacArthur Fellows award. Over 60 works will be on view, including headlining pieces "Bowtie" by ELIZABETH MURRAY, "My Beating Heart" by PEPON OSORIO and untitled prints from CINDY SHERMAN's History Portraits series. Electronic sculptures by ALAN RATH and photography by ARTHUR TRESS will accompany the main exhibition. Through July 31. ...

We can assure a response after you visit the ALICE F. AND HARRIS K. WESTON ART GALLERY (650 Walnut St., Downtown) for a natural response by local artist NANCY FLETCHER CASSELL. Her ink paintings depict a personal, and matchless, view of the growth, death and regeneration of nature, particularly trees and earth. Cassell paints almost entirely in black and white, yet the simplicity of that choice doesn't detract from the riotous energy present in every piece. A frenzy of activity exists in each work: Her nature is explosive, leaving us teetering on anxiety and wondering why. The skill and detail of her pieces is immediately arresting, and closer inspection finds each stroke overlapped and stacked upon numerous times. The effect is a controlled hysteria of images that mesmerizes. Coupled cozily with the paintings, Cassell has added an installation of poetry and journal entries from various artists, charting other's responses to nature. Allow yourself to respond. Through June 12. ...

Round up the neighborhood and head to MAMMOTH COFFEE (515 Monmouth St., Newport). Pop Goes the Culture features artists JOSH BLAYLOCK and TIM SEELEY, the masterminds behind comic book company, Devil's Due. The company's mantra, "Pop Culture IS our culture," rings out loud and clear throughout the exhibit. The art features a strong mix of collaborative and individual pieces used in comic books such as G.I. Joe, Misplaced, Kore, Radiskull and Devil Doll. In addition to what the comic industry refers to as "blue line" drawings, wall-sized posters of cover art fill every available inch of space. Every piece is amazingly complex, and provides a thorough understanding of process from start to finish. The panels invite deeper exploration into the detailed drawing and depth of precision necessary in this form of sequential art. Through April 30.

Mini Reviews
YORK STREET CAFÉ (738 York St., Newport) features JOE KIEFER, an artist simple and honest in his approach to creating art. Kiefer's untitled exhibition features abstract work that investigates flowers, wine bottles and Zen ideals, invoking calm and whimsy at the same time. His use of oil pastels appears heavy, but upon closer inspection is slightly transparent. Through April 30. (JACQUELYN VAUGHN) Grade: B-

CLOSSON'S PHYLLIS J. WESTON GALLERY (2643 Erie Ave., Hyde Park) features The Family Series by favorite CONSTANCE MCCLURE. Endlessly inventive, McClure transmutes antique snapshots into art that touches the chiming chords of everyone's memory, without ever stooping to sentimentality. Youth appears attractive and fleeting in settings of another time, when life was fresh and promising to those posing briefly for a camera before going about their lives. Do not be misled by the accessibility of these works: McClure has always experimented with demanding processes, and this current show continues the exploration of multiple drawing methods. Through May 1. (JANE DURRELL) Grade: A