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06/09/2008: "Reception hosted by The Supreme Court of Ohio-"Ohio: The Law, the Land and the People""

On Tuesday, June 3rd 2008, The Supreme Court of Ohio hosted a Reception, titled "Ohio: The Law, the Land and the People", from 5:00-7:00 p.m. to acknowledge and celebrate the contributors and contemporary artists whose work is at the Ohio Judicial Center. In a statement issued by the Public Information Office of The Supreme Court of Ohio,

"The Reception marked the official launch of an effort to raise awareness of the art, and thank the collection's benefactors."

Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer invited me to make comments on behalf of the artists as a part of the planned activities for the event. I arrived at 4:30 p.m. and met several of the contemporary artists who have work in the Supreme Court Building. We each posed for a photograph with Chief Justice Moyer in the Courtroom.



The actual Reception began with remarks by Chief Justice Moyer who spoke of the importance of public art. In a press release prepared by the Public Information Office of The Supreme Court of Ohio, Chief Justice Moyer made the following statement:

"Since moving into the Ohio Judicial Center four years ago, the court has acquired a large collection of new public art that reflects the work of the judiciary, and builds on the impressive existing collection of original art throughout the refurbished building. This collection further joins two disciplines that on their face may appear quite different, art and law, but at their roots are aimed at the same goal, finding truth."

I spoke after he gave his remarks, and I spoke of the value of public art, and I acknowledged the contribution of the many contemporary artists who have created work for the Ohio Judicial Center. I was also invited to offer a few brief comments for the press release and I made the following statement:

"Speaking on behalf of the many talented artists who have created work for the Ohio Judicial Center, we are thankful for the opportunity that was given to us to help celebrate this historical building, and add to its beauty and aesthetics. It is our hope that our artwork, which depicts the rich heritage of the state of Ohio, will bring joy and inspiration to all who visit the Ohio Judicial Center."

Following our speeches, guests enjoyed catered hors d'oeuvres and beverages in the Grand Concourse, and the self-guided tours began. The areas of the building open to guests for the evening included the 1st floor, the Visitor Education Center, the area that includes the reflecting pools, and several additional areas of the building where artwork is on display.

The contemporary artists who were honored include the following individuals: Ron Anderson, Dale Chihuly (with Lino Tagliapietra & Ben Moore), Malcolm Cochran, Debra Dawson, Paul Emory, Paul Hamilton, Nicholas Hill, Frank Hunter, M. Katharine Hurley, Katherine Kadish, Kojo Kamau, Joe Lombardo, Abdi Roble, Aminah Robinson, Rudolph Scheffler, Andrew F. Scott, and Rebecca Taft. The event was well-attended with approximately 250 or so guests in attendance.

The contributors were acknowledged early in the evening by Chief Justice Moyer, and include: Sheldon Taft, Denny Ramey of the Ohio State Bar Association, Linda Thompson Kohli of the Ohio State Bar Foundation, James O'Donnell who is a photographer, William Laidlaw, and Justice Herb Brown.

The Public Information Office of The Supreme Court of Ohio issued the following statement as a part of their press release:

"The collection includes more than 160 pieces of contemporary art and historic maps dating to the mid-17th century. Many of the pieces depict Ohio subjects from Hocking Hills landscapes to portraits of past Supreme Court Justices to photographs of Ohio's 88 county courthouses.

The artwork reinforces the art and architecture of the former 1930's-era Ohio Departments Building that was restored and opened in 2004 as the first building in the state's history devoted solely to the judicial branch. Some of this original art includes murals, relief sculptures and mosaics depicting scenes and people from Ohio history, important Ohio industries and other subjects."

Much of the art housed in the Ohio Judicial Center, was made possible by the support of the Ohio State Bar Association, The Ohio State Bar Foundation, and other art patrons. The printed program that was made available to all guests includes the following comments in the "Introduction & Welcome" section:

"…Both the law and art are fundamentally aimed at bringing order from disorder. The law does this for society, forming the very bedrock of civilization. Art does this in the physical realm, forming the basis of beauty…"All religions, arts, and sciences are branches of the same tree," Albert Einstein once said. "All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom…"

I attended this event with my wife and business partner, Robin Anderson. Robin worked closely with the Court Relations Program Manager to prepare my personal guest list, and to provide additional administrative support. We invited several of my art patrons, and a good number of people from the arts community to attend the Reception.

We both remarked at the close of the evening how pleased we were to have had the opportunity to speak informally at such an outstanding event, with representatives from the Columbus Museum of Art, the Wexner Center for the Arts, The King Arts Complex, several local arts galleries, The O.S.U. Faculty Club, Experience Columbus, The German Village Society, Greater Columbus Arts Council, Ohio Arts Council, and to speak with many of my fellow artists and art patrons.

My artwork consists of six, 4-by-8-foot oil paintings that depict the evolution of law in Western civilization. The paintings are on the 11th floor in the Rule of Law Gallery, and the series is entitled "The History of the Rule of Law". The artwork was commissioned by the Ohio State Bar Association, and is on permanent loan to the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Robin and I spent the last hour of the evening on the 11th floor, speaking with guests who came to view my oil paintings. I always enjoy sharing my artwork with the community, and it is a pleasure to hear questions about my paintings, and to share information about the artwork.

We also had the good fortune to meet two gentlemen from a local art gallery who invited me to exhibit several of my German Village plein air landscapes in a current exhibit at the Columbus Historical Society's Gallery.

It was an extraordinary evening and I do feel that events of this nature that bring artists and art lovers together benefit all. I look forward to many more events of this type. There is an increased focus on the arts in Ohio, and I would love to see many more Receptions in our future to celebrate the artwork of our many talented local artists.


Ron Anderson
Ron Anderson Studio, LLC

Replies: 12 Comments

on Tuesday, June 10th, Mark said

Nice of the Courts to do this, it is also nice when any gov. body does what it can to bring art to the people, if it does. I will not realy comment in on this specific show, but lets face it, the government (Of the USA) does little, has done little and will do little for the arts, but that is OK. They can not help anyway and when they try they usually screw things up and only help those who do not need help. A show like the above will do little for artists in general. It is up to us, the artist, to do for ourselves. You want the government telling you what to create? I don't and the more involvment it has the more control it will want. We nned private art collectors, they are out there, we might all be suprised at who some of them are, trouble is there are so many of us (artists) and so few of them, they are next to impossible to reach. So we must just keep on keeping on.

on Tuesday, June 10th, biased said

That's great Mr. Anderson. Congratulations.

I sit with the injustice of never getting the call.

on Tuesday, June 10th, Ron Anderson said

Thank you to all who took a few moments to post a reply. I appreciate your comments, and am glad I had the opportunity to share this information on this site.

I will point out that at least in my case,there was indeed a call for proposals for this project.

Other artists were aware of the call for entries, and submitted their own proposals for the commission that I received.

Again, thanks for posting your comments.

on Tuesday, June 10th, biased said

Every where you go there are these little art circles that control the arts. If you are not a part of it, you are left out.

on Tuesday, June 10th, biased said

The USA is a Democracy. This event was elitism. The public was not invited or told about the event. Favoritism chose the artwork. Other artists had no opportunities, no chance to present work. The people built, use, and maintain these buildings and this art collection and we don't even get a chance to put our artwork in it?
Bull crap!

on Tuesday, June 10th, Andrew said

And as for you, 'biased', a call for artists generally drops the level of quality to the lowest common denominator. Individuals are purists, whatever direction they may choose to go in, politicos or not. Imagine a great chef, doing everything he wanted to, and creating a symphony of flavors. Then imagine that a group of ten, an accountant, the same great chef, a few assistants, the landlord, and the restaurant owner, all sitting down at a table each with a single vote, and deciding what they should serve, and how to cook it.
"Steak!"
"Fish is better for you!"
"But I'm a vegetarian!"
That's what committees do.

on Tuesday, June 10th, Andrew said

Ellen, I think it's great that a branch of our government took the time and made the effort to create an event that, according to John F. Kennedy's philosophy in starting the NEA, gives artists the opportunity to make and display their work. It is particularly worthy of note that the work chosen belongs to the region where the exhibit was held. There are pockets all over America, of people with the means and the interest to do a lot for artists and the arts; when left to themselves, they do wonderful things.

on Monday, June 9th, Ellen said

Andrew- I think it's a good thing for what it is....in other words, the event had credibility and substance. I, too, would LOVE to see the Fricks, Morgans, Rockefellers out there BUYING, buying & SUPPORTING the arts. However, for a branch of the government to give a reception and give credit to artists is very worthwhile. Besides, Ron, a very fine artist, is proud of this accomplishment and why not. I think your work is great, too, Andrew!
By the way, did anyone see the "new" Morgan Library? The entire side of the brownstone was ripped off & replaced with glass and chrome to create a huge coat check area and cafe: gallery rooms are smaller with less works on exhibit.

on Monday, June 9th, biased said

Fricken politicos picking their favorite artists again. There was no competition. There was no call for artists. Hand picked favorites. Totally unfair. Just plain crap. Never heard a word about this till it was over. Total bull crap!

on Monday, June 9th, Andrew said

Greetings fellow artist Ron,
There is a problem with events like these. In your rundown of the guest list, you mention a host of arts organizations and artists who came to the event, and the judicial people who sponsored it. There doesn't seem to be any outstanding representation of the people at large. Ellen, when you say that it is events like these that contribute so substantially to giving artists validation and reward for all our efforts, are you saying this is the best we can expect?
What I'd like to see happen, is that individuals acquire art for their homes and offices because they love it. I'd like to see that love grow larger and deeper roots into our national sense of what our country is about.
Unfortunately, what I wish for has been happening less and less as we move towards the future. Where are the Charles Fricks of the twenty first century? Bill Gates certainly isn't one of them, no matter how much he gives from his fortune to support a variety of causes.
Part of this, I believe, is due to what happened in the sixties. Art became a bitter vitamin pill, the cod liver oil that well meaning individuals who sincerely believed in what they were doing, tried to force down the public's throat. That killed our careers as artists, and much of the light weight interest that the public might once have had.
What we need to have today are people involved in promoting the arts who are as aware of public psychology as those who run political campaigns are. I don't see this. Instead, what I see are heavily promoted events that let a bunch of people that already agree with one another get together in tuxedos and talk about how important art is. This only further alienates artists and art from the general public, who generally don't have much of a presence in such venues. Newspaper coverage doesn't solve this problem, because as we all know, we only read what we're interested in.
The interest that the judicial branch showed in the arts is commendable, as are the efforts of everyone who contributed. But perhaps with the right people helping, a longer lasting and more profound effect on the state of our whole country's arts might one day become a possibility.

on Monday, June 9th, josé said

Congratulations Ron.

on Monday, June 9th, Ellen said

Sounds like a fabulous event! Bravo to the judicial/govermental community of Ohio for sponsering such a celebration of the arts. I'm sure that it was greatly appreciated that an artist of your stature contributed to the wonderful evening by attending, speaking and having your art on display. Next week I will attend a VLA (Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts) benefit in Manhattan to honor the arts. It is groups/people like these who contribute so substantially to giving artists validation and reward for all of our efforts. Celebrating the arts is good for everyone's spirit! Great blog, Ron!