Summit Artspace’s new exhibition, “PRECIOUS – The Fine Art of Fine Craft,” features meticulously-crafted works in glass, clay, word, fiber and metal made by local artists, July 1 through August 13.

The community art center will host an opening reception with the artists on Friday, July 1, 5 to 8 pm.  The reception in the Summit Artspace Gallery is free and open to the public.

PRECIOUS is a celebration of the five major craft mediums—clay, glass, fiber, wood and metal. The pieces from 35 regional artists are representative of the best in contemporary fine craft. The artists experiment with materials resulting in innovative and exciting works of contemporary art that blur the line between craft and fine art.

Craft is often considered a functional or utilitarian piece with decorative elements added to it.  PRECIOUS has the goal of challenging the viewer’s concept of craft so that he or she may see the piece outside its practical role.

“Precious highlights regional artists working in traditional craft mediums. Many fine crafters showcase their work through commercial galleries or sales driven crafts fairs and festivals. This exhibition gives these artists the opportunity to reach beyond the purely decorative or commercial realm in order to emphasize more conceptual, formal, and aesthetic considerations within the tradition of fine craft,” said Joe Karlovec, Summit Artspace Gallery exhibitions manager.

PRECIOUS will feature the work of Jamie Ausperk, David Bair, Elizabeth Bennett, Leona Bowser, Bradley Brownfield, Bob Bruch, Mary Clark, Davin Ebanks, Kim Eggleston-Kraus, Shannon Hines, Julienne Hogarth, John E. Hogarth, John T. Hogarth, Kristin Kowalski, David Bryan Lile, Janice Lessman-Moss, Roza Maille, Kristina Malcolm, Susan McClory, Ryan Osborne, Andrea Palagiano, Chloe Piepho, Bob Pozarski, Nathan Prebonick, Erica Raby, Shani Richards, Carmen Romine, Kathryn Shinko, Rachel Smith, Larry Staats, Brittni Stump, Amanda Stumpf, Gail Taber, Diane Taninecz, Andy Thomas, Jack Valentine and Jim Weckbacher.

Lessman-Moss, a professor of Crafts/Textile Art at the Kent State University School of Art well-regarded for her work, was awarded a 2016 Governor’s Award for the Arts in Ohio from the Ohio Arts Council. The three Hogarths, Julienne and her husband, John E., and their son John T., submitted custom designed and crafted tables. Kim Eggleston-Kraus has shown her ceramic pieces in a number of local shows while Nathan Prebonick recently took home an award from a Summit Artspace show for his work. Glass artist Bob Pozarski is the creator of the beautiful handcrafted kaleidoscopes that are awarded to the winner of the annual “Kaleidoscope Art Show” put on by the Akron Society of Artists, the Artists of Rubber City and the Women’s Art League.

Also opening that evening in the Summit Artspace Transition Gallery is the exhibit “From the Walls Within,” featuring work by the Akron Art Museum staff.  It runs July 1-23, 2016. The community is invited to see the artistic talent of the people who design and mount the shows at Akron’s fine art museum.

There is no admission to the exhibits which are open Thursdays and Fridays, noon to 7 p.m.; and Saturdays, noon to 5 pm. They will be open during the Akron Artwalks of July 2 and August 6 from noon to 9 pm. Crafty Mart which is open in the Summit Artspace building for Artwalk stays open until 10 pm. For additional information, please visit summitartspace.org.

The BOX Gallery, the exhibit space of the Artists of Rubber City located on the first floor of Summit Artspace, will have a free opening the same night and time for its new show, 26th Annual Juried Show. Also, free admission, the BOX is open Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.

Visitors will have another opening to attend that evening from 5 to 8 p.m. at Rubber City Prints on the Summit Artspace first floor.  “Prints Exhibition Summit 2016” will run until August 27. It includes artists from Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. The reception and show are free and open to the public.

About Summit Artspace

Summit Artspace is a community art center bringing together in one location some of the best local artists, art education and arts organizations of the Greater Akron area. It is a project of the Akron Area Arts Alliance, a non-profit organization, promoting arts and cultural activities. Summit Artspace is committed to building public awareness of the value of arts and culture to the quality of life and the local economy. The Summit Artspace building, formerly the first site of the Akron Beacon Journal, houses the Summit Artspace Gallery, the new Transition Gallery, artist studios, the Akron Area Arts Alliance office, The Box Gallery and is the site of several art organizations as well as performance space workshop areas and meeting rooms. The facility is owned by the County of Summit, which has been a significant and valued supporter of Summit Artspace as community space.  www.summitartspace.org Find us on Facebook at Summit Artspace and on Twitter at @AkronAreaArts.