Workshop in Large Scale Enameling,
25th Annual Commemoration

Inventory

Historical Note

A workshop in large scale enameling was held on March 1995 as part of the 25th Annual Commemoration of the May 4th shootings. The workshop gave participants an opportunity to create enamels as a "lasting record of [their] visual and/or written response to the events of May 4, 1970" (workshop flyer). The workshop was held over four sessions on March 4, 5, 11, and 12. Registration was open to all Kent State faculty, students, and members of the community-at-large.

Emeritus professor of art, Mel Someroski conceived of the workshop and taught it with Deanna Robb, an art instructor. The workshop met at Van Deusen Hall’s Large Scale Studio. Materials were provided with support from the Ferro Corporation, Educational Equipment Corporation, Greensteel, and the 25th Anniversary Coordinating Committee.

Part of the workshop included group discussions about each artist’s creation, as well as the writing of an artist statement by each participant. Additionally, three artists received purchase awards after their enamels were chosen by an exhibition jury. Tina Grondin won the first place prize of $100.00. Heidrun Hultgren and Bruce Woodward each received $25.00 honorable mention prizes.

Scope and Content

The collection of enamels was donated to Kent State University Archives by the participants of the workshop. The enamels and corresponding artist statements became part of the 25th Annual Commemoration exhibit held in KSU’s Archives and Special Collections.

The enamels are mounted in a collage fashion on five, half-inch-thick wooden boards (25 X 40 in.; 14 X 25 in.; 17 X 22 in.; 18 X 20 in.; 26 X 28 in.). Sizes of individual enamels vary. Some artists created two or more related enamels.

May 4 Collection -- Box 108

1. Diagram identifying artists for mounted enamels
2. Flyer announcing workshop
3. Letter from David L. McCombs to Deanna R. Robb, 10 January 1995
4. List of workshop participants
5. Memo from Mel Someroski to the 25th Anniversary Coordinating Committee, 16 August 1994
6. Newspaper clippings
7. Names of purchase award recipients
8. Workshop folder
9. Artist Statements:
• Allensworth, Diane -- A Prayer for Reconciliation
• Allensworth, John -- May 4 Remembered
• Anderson, Pam -- Fractured Bands of Colour
• Anderson, Rachel -- They Died
• Collier, Cory -- Confused
• Flynn, Annie -- A Perf[e]ct Collage
• Gourley, Lori -- A Child Hears
• Grondin, Tina -- Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
• Holland, Tiff -- May 4, 1990
• Hultgren, Heidrun [untitled] [2 related works]
• Lovin, Mary C. -- Have We Learned?
• Massey, Grant -- The Pen
• Massey, Julie -- Why?
• Massey, Julie -- Rain or Shine?
• Massey, Theresa -- [untitled]
• Parsons, Jackie -- Lost
• Pearson, James A. -- Father. Forgive Them All . . . [3 works]
• Prochnow, Katy -- Fright and Confuse
• Shinn, Dorothy -- Robert Smithson’s Partially Buried Woodshed & Views [four related works]
• Taylor, Rick -- [untitled]
• Thompson, Daniel -- If Light Were Music
• Vaughn, Stephanie -- [untitled]
• Westmyer, Stephanie -- Rays of Hope to Heal [2 related works]
• Woodward, Bruce -- Remember [2 related works]
The following artists contributed enamels, but did not write corresponding artist statements. Titles for these works were unavailable.
• Byer, Marlene
• Crabtree, Steve [4 works]
• Flynn, Jim
• Louden, Orcelia [2 works]
• Prochnow, Virginia
• Reid, Carol [2 works]

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