Pushing Buttons

The Cincinnati Arts Association’s Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Art Gallery in the Aronoff Center for the Arts debuts its 2007-08 exhibition season with three new exhibitions related to the exploration of fiber: Ecstasy and Odyssey: Site-Specific Installations by Robert McConaughy; Pushing Buttons: Art Quilts by Jane Burch Cochran; and Sewing Stories: Fabric Collages by Ellen Scott.

Jane Burch Cochran (Rabbit Hash, KY) produces richly embellished art quilts that combine buttons, beads, patchwork and recycled fabric pushed to a nearly obsessive state. For Pushing Buttons, Cochran will feature a selection of new and recent works that addresses themes of race, the environment and the human psyche.

A renowned quilt maker with a distinguished career spanning more than twenty-five years, Cochran has shown her quilts in numerous regional, national and international exhibitions. A small selection of her extensive exhibition history includes such venues as Carl Solway Gallery, Linda Schwartz Gallery (both Cincinnati, OH); Dairy Barn Cultural Center (Athens, OH); Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft (Louisville, KY); Everson Museum of Art (Syracuse, NY); Dutch Textile Museum (Tilburg, The Netherlands); and the Museum of Art and Design (Helsinki, Finland). Her work is featured in museum, corporate and private collections that include Delta Airlines (Atlanta, GA); George R. Stroemple Collection (Lake Oswego, OR); University of Kentucky Art Museum (Lexington, KY); Federal Reserve Bank (Cincinnati, OH); Fidelity Investments (Covington, KY); Cincinnati Bell (Cincinnati, OH); and E.W. Scripps Co. (Cincinnati, OH). In 2004, she was awarded a major site-specific commission from the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. She has been the recipient of the Southern Arts Federation / NEA Fellowship (1993); Al Smith Artist Fellowship (Kentucky Visual Art Awards 1993); and a Summerfair, Inc. Individual Artist Award in 1993. Her work has been featured prominently in print including books, exhibition catalogues and periodicals.

Gallery Talk Series: Thurs., Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.

Families Create! Education Workshop: Sat., Sept. 29 at 10 a.m.