In Good Company
By
Linda Lee Greene
“Aesthetics”
My dictionary lists four definitions of the word “aesthetics.” Number one is given as the way something looks, especially when considered in terms of how pleasing it is [outward appearance]. Number two takes a more general approach with an idea of what is beautiful or artistic [idea of beauty]. Three focuses on academics with the study of the rules and principles of art [study of art], and four the branch of philosophy dealing with the study of aesthetic values, e.g. the beautiful and the sublime [study of beauty].
These definitions suggest to me that not only can we find our individual pathways to aesthetics in art, but also in literature, music, Mother Nature, among others. One of my living/breathing resources for incorporating it into my life is the Grove City Arts Council. Town Center of Grove City and City Center of Columbus, Ohio, where I live, are about eight miles distant from each other, and both are vital components of the celebrated arts community of Greater Central Ohio. My first and brief membership in the council was in 1985, but as circumstances in my life then precluded my continuing commitment, I dropped out. I found it again though when I just could no longer do without the purpose and the direction it would be instrumental in bringing to my life, and I rejoined it in the fall of 2009, and have been an active member since then.
I was one among several new members of the council that fall. For reasons I suspect related to my own, that of needing desperately to find validation as artists, new members have continued to flock to the organization, swelling it from a traditional membership of perhaps fifteen or so to currently approaching forty. Its mission statement reads: “The Grove City Arts Council is comprised of a body of artists and art enthusiasts who are dedicated to sponsoring venues for diverse artistic expression, supporting young artists through the Art Scholarship Fund, and promoting interest in the arts in Grove City.”
Encompassing a
diverse group of highly talented fine artists, photographers, and crafters, we
meet once a month to avail ourselves of the networking opportunities brought
to the table by our members, as well as by outsiders, showing our artwork in
group shows, and raising money through our special events for our Art
Scholarship Fund. Without
question the scholarship program is our proudest achievement for we have the
opportunity each year of supporting the college art educations of three or four
high school seniors slated for graduation from the four high schools within the
Southwestern City School District.
Our
legacy of three decades of investment in the futures of our young people, of
enhancing the attractiveness and the quality of our communities, these traces
we are leaving of ourselves for the betterment of tomorrow’s world—traces of
the beautiful and the sublime, enhance the quality of our individual lives, as
well. When life’s other pressures
threaten my commitment to the council, I remind myself that a large part of
living life whole and wholly is to “feel pleasure in the pleasures of others…to
[have] a capacity for concern about events not directly related to our
self-interest,” to quote Judith Viorst in Necessary
Losses, and in my own words to
respond to that pull of my fellow members and those kids, all of whom rely on
me to help them realize their dreams.
A busy month awaits the Grove City Arts Council. Friday, March 24, 2012 will feature our yearly special event, Night on the Town, the total proceeds of the fund raiser, as always, deposited to the Art Scholarship Fund. Held in Grove City’s Town Center, your ticket avails you of a production of Neil Simon’s beloved play, Lost in Yonkers, to be shown at Little Theater on Broadway, art installations at Sommer House Gallery and Dreaming Tree Galleries, live music, and more. For tickets, contact Sommer House Gallery, Inc. (614) 871-4620 or log onto www.sommerhousegallery.com
Old Town East, a refurbished, historic neighborhood in Columbus will find many of us in a group artshow hosted by COBENICK STUDIOS GALLERY & EVENTS, 66 Parsons Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43215. The artworks will be on exhibit from Saturday, March 31 through Tuesday, April 10, 2012. Starting at 8:00pm through 11:00pm on Saturday, March 31st, the event will be launched with an open-to-the-public reception whereby you will have the opportunity of meeting the participating artists. For further information about the reception and exhibit, call (614) 260-2021 or log onto WWW.COBENICKSTUDIOS.COM
Ranging in age
from late eighties to early twenties, the group of first-rate, devoted, and
caring human beings of the Grove City Arts Council is infused with
abiding vitality and enthusiasm, each one whose
life purpose, to an enormous extent, is expressed in
his/her Shining
Creations as well as in efforts to support young people on the same
path.
If you are interested in learning more about the Grove City Arts Council, its programs, and to view samples of artwork of some of our members, log onto www.GroveCityArtsCouncil.org
Linda is the author of the soon-to-be-released novel, Guardians and Other Angels, published by Saga Books. She is also the co-author with Debra Shiveley Welch of the suspense novel, Jesus Gandhi Oma Mae Adams also published by Saga Books, and available at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.
To view the online gallery of Linda’s artwork, which includes several recently completed paintings, log onto www.gallery-llgreene.com
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