Some of our very talented members are part of a group called the PerSisters Painters. They are holding their 2021 show “The Hill We Climb” at the B. Smith Gallery at the Medina County District Library from October 4 thru October 31. MCAL Members in this group include Janet Baran, Lee Buether, Bonnie Gordon, Carol Klingel, and Judy Totts. Please support these members and stop by their show during library hours! Below are some of the work on display.

I usually start my letters with something about the season but this time I want to share with you a conversation I had with my daughter recently. She teaches art in the Chicago area. One of her classes is an A.P. class. They have to have a personal question that they will spend a year exploring through multiple works of art. She said it is not enough to just create a pretty picture, but why are you making art? What is it you are trying to convey? I realized I have not given much thought to this. I am a pretty picture painter. My challenge now is to create a Why and explore this question in my future paintings. As a friend said, by doing this, we as artist reach deeper and think about what we are doing. What is your WHY? I would love to have you write something about this for our Newsletter. MEETINGS - We had our first in- person/ Zoom Members Meeting a few weeks ago. I think it went well. Thank you all for wearing masks and participating. I certainly enjoyed connecting with everyone and finding out what you all were up to. Our upcoming meetings will follow this same format of mask wearing and no refreshments until the Covid numbers come down. I know some of you who zoomed had a hard time seeing Doug’s work. His paintings were stunning. Vince will put a gallery together of the artist’s work on our Website so you can get a better sense of it. If you haven’t looked at our Website in a while I encourage you to take another look. There is so much information on it, and it is very easy to navigate. Vince has done a great job in keeping it current. Thanks Vince. SECRETARY - Linda Long, one of our new members, has stepped up to be our new secretary. Welcome aboard Linda. MONEY SAVED - The Art League has secured a new storage locker. By moving our property to Storage Rentals of America, the Art League will realize a cost saving. Thank you George Hearth and Darrell Kent who moved all our belongings in and rebuilt a shelf. ART OPPORTUNITIES - Brother’s Antiques contacted MCAL to see if anyone would like to hang their work at their store. They can do various sizes and mediums. The store would showcase your work and take 30% plus handle taxes. If you are interested please contact Frankie 330-723-7580. in-personmask-wearingin ,artists Deanna Clucas has offered to look into Laurel Lake Retirement Community as a possible place for us to hold an exhibit. A date will be forthcoming. If you are interested in showing your work there or helping out please contact her. The new Cool Beans Show is up. The Theme is ‘Holidays’. When you are in Medina check it out. MEMBERSHIP - Please remember to renew your membership if you haven’t already. Don’t forget you can’t exhibit in the Aquarius Show in late January/ February unless your membership has been paid by Dec.20th. Kathy Stokes-Shafer, MCAL President

ARE YOU READY? Paint the Park, a Plein Air competition is being presented by the Peninsula Art Academy, Oct. 14-17—Best of Show prize of $2,000 and 4 Awards of Excellence of $500. To help you gear up, David Rankin is offering Plein Air Procedures Zoom Workshop, August 26, 6-8 pm. A $10 or more donation to Peninsula Art Academy is requested to register for the Zoom Class Workshop. Please give us your name, phone, and email in order to send you a Zoom link. This year's event will consist of painting in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Map will be provided) and it will be judged by David Rankin, internationally renowned watercolor artist, and instructor As always, canvasses must be stamped by Peninsula Art Academy before painting between Thursday, Oct 14th, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm and Saturday, Oct 16th, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm the last day of painting. The reception will be on Sunday, October 17th, from 3-6 pm, to accommodate out-of-town entrants. The entrance fee is $50 to hang one painting. Additional paintings may be submitted for $25 each providing they have been stamped. Submitted paintings must be framed and ready for hanging by 5:00 pm Saturday, October 16th. For details and links click here!

Hello, plein air painters.... below is a listing for the next two Wednesdays for our plein air painting locations. Now that it's October, the weather is more changeable than during the summer, so we'll be playing it week by week. This week's location is rather special, and if it rains, I'll try to get permission for us to reschedule at that spot before the end of the season, which regrettably, is quickly approaching. So bundle up and prepare for the weather, and come join us if it's not raining. As always, our location will also be posted on the Medina County Art League's Facebook page: Wednesday, October 13, 2021…..Coonrad Farm/ CVNP Ranger’s Station, 10340 Riverview Rd., Brecksville, Ohio 44141. This site is not usually open to the public, but we’ve obtained permission from the Park Service to come to paint this Wednesday. Situated up a hill overlooking the Valley, this property was once a dairy farm and part of the growing cheese-making business in the Cuyahoga Valley after the canal and railroad were built in the 1800s. Besides wide views of the Valley, there is also a barn and a lovely brick Victorian farmhouse. The drive is located about 1 1/4 miles north of Boston Road on the west side of the street. Wednesday, October 20, 2021…..Crown Point Ecology Center. If anyone has any questions, please contact me. Betty

Women in Art at the Medina Library 3rd Floor B. Smith Gallery - This show features MCAL Members Joy Amos, Deanna Clucas, Teenia Geig-Koehler, Barbara Johns, Gail Martonicz, and Darlene Young. The show runs through September 26 during library hours. Whiskey Painters of America Exhibition and Sale at Cuyahoga Valley Art Center until October 7th. - This show features MCAL Members Sharon Borror, Deanna Clucas, Sally Heston, Barbara Johns, Bob Maurer, and Helga Reid. Women’s Art League Fall Show at Summit Artspace Transitions Gallery - This show will include some members of MCAL. The show opens October 8th with an in-person reception 5-7 pm. Closes December 18th. Kaleidoscope Holiday show opens October 8th through December 18th also at Summit Artspace in the main gallery in person and virtually. The show is open to members of the Alliance for Visual Arts. Akron Society of Artists, Artists of Rubber City, Cuyahoga Valley Art Center, and Women’s Art League of Akron. This is a highly competitive juried show. Members of MCAL are also members of these organizations. Current Women’s Art League show at Laurel Lake Retirement Community award winners are Deanna Clucas Best of Show, Sally Heston 2nd place, and Helga Reid Honorable Mention As always if you know of a show and would like it included in our newsletter, please email us the details!

September 27, 7 pm, Root Community Room Join us on Monday evening, September 27, at 7:00 P.M. to meet and hear multi-talented Peninsula artist, DOUG UNGER. Trained as a portrait painter at the Cleveland Institute of Art, he excelled and graduated as a Page Scholar with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He was assistant to the Dean and received a Master’s Degree from Syracuse University and also studied on a scholarship with colorist painter, Henry Hensche, one of Charles Hawthorne’s best students, at his School of Art in Provincetown. He taught for 35 years at Kent State University, receiving the title of Professor Emeritus at retirement. In addition to his renown as a representational artist in oil and pastel, he has expanded to become a more traditional craftsman in wood, making his own musical instruments. He sees a parallel between instrument making and painting. Essence is whatever most sums up the heart and soul of something, its truest, most indispensable qualities. This meeting will also be broadcast via a Zoom Meeting. Additional details will be coming shortly.

The current Cool Beans art exhibit is up through October 6th. The theme is "Animals/Wildlife". The represented artists are Roger Beach, Mary Kenny, Denise Benko, Cindy Craft, Judy Totts, Cheri Polk, Kathy Juliano, and Chris Kelly. Please drop in, have a beverage, and enjoy some beautiful art.

It is our pleasure to announce that we have had a number of our MCAL members admitted to the 2021 Ohio Watercolor Show that is being held at the Gallery of Lakeland Community College, in Kirkland, Ohio. Our members in the show are as follows: · Fred Graff · George Harth · Karen Martin · Rick Surowicz Fred Graff received the Silver award for his painting "Island Departure"

Forty-eight years ago in March of 1973, plans were being made by the Medina County Art League to sponsor the very first Art in the Park. A planning committee consisting of the president and chairperson Jean Nichols, Co-chairperson, Georgia Shy, members Jean Evans, Elsie Snyder, Barbara Gillette, and Marion Doyle, representing the Medina Historical Society. They presented their proposal and received permission to hold the event from Mayor Fred Greenwood, the Medina Uptown Park Advisory Committee, The Police Department, and the Medina Chamber of Commerce. The date for the event was arranged for Sunday, July 22, 1973 – noon till dark, for one day with a rain date of July 29, 1973. Several hundred brochures and applications were addressed and mailed by the committee and helpful League members. They sent them to painters, potters, and varied crafts persons both professionals and amateurs. Other community organizations were invited to be involved too as they would be a great asset to the cultural life and civic spirit of Medina County. Included were the Musical Arts Club, Welcome Wagon, Medina Rotary, The Masquers, and the Community Design inc. This last group, under the direction of Elmer Zarney and Ken Lipstrew, were responsible for the uptown merchants upgrading their buildings and storefronts. In conjunction with Art in the Park, the Medina Historical Society had a “Walking Tour” of the historical homes surrounding the park including an open house at the Munson House which at that time served as the headquarters for the Historical Society. The committee appreciated the advice and assistance of Elmer Zarney, owner of Zarney Graphics, who designed and donated hundreds of brochures using a Victorian theme to coincide with the recent renovations of the Victorian buildings surrounding the park. A week before the opening, a poolside “Press Party” was held at the home of Jean Nichols. It was well attended and very rewarding as quite a bit of publicity preceded the opening. Color inserts of the Medina County Gazette featured articles of guest artists, maps, and layouts of all participating artists. Articles also appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal and announcements were made on the Radio Station WDBN and others! The Saturday before the official opening, Fred Graff mapped out the placement of spaces for the exhibitors and with the help of the Uptown Park Committee and strong League members, snow fencing, and stakes loaned by the Medina County Highway Dept. was erected. The fence not only designated the artist’s space but was used for hanging the art on. There were no tents used at that time, but with card tables, easels, and the snow fencing for displaying art and with artists demonstrating – Art in the Park took off. According to published accounts over 8,000 people visited, 5,000 purchases amounted to $10,000! Many encouraging letters and calls were received stating how much everyone enjoyed the exhibits, and the exhibitors were looking forward to 1974 for the second Art in the Park!

I can’t believe September is here already. Hope your summer has been fun and productive. I know many of you have been in shows in the area and have won awards for your outstanding work. Keep it up. See info later in the newsletter to see who has done what. Please keep us posted if you hear of upcoming shows our members might be interested in. Networking is one of the benefits of being a member of MCAL. GREAT NEWS! Root Candle has opened their community room for our use again, so we are back at Root Candle for our September meeting on Sept. 27th at 7:00 pm. Our first in-person meeting in over a year. I am so excited to see you all again. I know many of you are vaccinated, but with the Delta variant of Covid being so contagious we are changing things to make it safer for all. We are going to REQUIRE MASKS, and there will be no refreshments. If you are uncomfortable with attending in person, Vince is planning to stream the meeting via Zoom, check the website for details. The program will also be filmed and put on our website for all to see at a later date. Carol Klingel has lined up a fantastic slate of speakers for our group this year. I leave each meeting inspired and stimulated by these artists presentations. I know you are too. Please look further in the newsletter for the full slate of speakers. ART IN THE PARK - Thanks to my fantastic committee for going above and beyond with organizing and lining up the artists and making sure everything ran smoothly. Also many thanks to the MCAL members who gave up their time to help with our tent and the scholarship tent, and to relieve the artists and bring them water. I heard nothing but glowing reports about how nice the event was and how great the volunteers were. It is a lot of work to put this event on. Next year we will need more help with the scholarship tent and getting the raffled art pieces to the winners. I know you will step up and help out. We did very well. We limited the number of artists so the crowds were spaced out. We had about 75 artists, and we made $1,135 at the scholarship tent. MEMBERSHIP - Don’t forget to renew your membership. If you have not sent in your check, please bring one to our September meeting. If you wish, you can make a donation to the scholarship fund at that time too. Or send it to our NEW PO Box 1071, Medina, Ohio 44258. ART OPPORTUNITIES - Linda Kenski was going to start up her portrait classes at Beuhler’s but with the rise in Covid cases, she has postponed the Sept. and Oct. classes. We will be looking into places we can show our work in and around Medina. Keep your eyes and ears open for ideas. We need someone to head this up. The responsibility will be to contact the store or organization, find a date that works for everyone, set times and dates for dropping off artwork and let our members know so they can participate. Please let me know if you are willing to take this on. Cool Beans has a show up now. The next show is on October 6th. The theme is ‘The Holidays’. Contact Darrell Kent, he needs a few more paintings for this show. WEBSITE/NEWSLETTER - Vince has done a fantastic job with keeping our website up to date and adding important information. If you missed a meeting or a newsletter, want to know about upcoming events, it is all there. Vince is also doing the Newsletters so please get him any information by the 5th of the month. Laurie does Facebook and Instagram so please keep the info coming to her as well.

September’s featured artist at the Medina Gem Company is Danica Zeise, daughter of Ed Jakubick. Artwork is available for viewing during regular business hours. A reception is planned for Sept. 25 from 12-2 pm.

We would like to congratulate our MCAL President, Kathy Stokes-Shafer for winning the Best of Category Award for Photography and Sally Heston for Watercolor at the Cuyahoga Valley Arts Center for the “Membership Show”. MCAL had others participate in this show including Bob Maurer, Deanna Clucas, and Danica Zeise. Read more at the following link: https://www.cvart.org/exhibits/membership-exhibition/