Seedlings Art Exhibit

It was gorgeous outside. The wind was blowing slightly, but not enough to ruin that first nice day after winter. I was approaching the old mansion and walked through the black gate. I come from a city with a major lack of community, so watching all these people at the Bowen House walking in and out looking at the displays and listening to the piano, was all new to me.

I walk into the old building and see the culture pop right out it. "We had piano students play here. It went quickly and then this young man starting playing and that's sort of how things go here," said Marcia Jeffrey, executive director of The Bowen House, as she was pointing to the man cranking out some old favorites on the piano.

After talking with Marcia, I walked around to get the feeling of this old building. Off to the one side is a gift shop, which has items to buy and also has some old exhibit pieces displayed.

Throughout the rest of the house is where the current exhibit lies. Throughout all the rooms now have the Seedling Art Exhibit, which has art work from elementary school children. I was really impressed. I am not an artistic person by any means, and I looked at all this artwork from children ages 6-12 and it is far better than anything I could ever do.

"The kids aren't inhibited. It's just great," said Bill McComb, Board President of the Bowen House. Bill helped me much on my tour of the Bowen House. He took me into the upstairs where real bedrooms still exist. He told me that they haven't had anyone stay there recently, but it has happened.

Overall, I was really impressed with the Seedlings Art Exhibit. It's on display through March 28. I really liked the little piggy banks that are displayed all throughout the house. There was a soccer ball one and also a Spiderman one that looked really cool.

Upcoming events

A Songwriters Workshop hosted by Andy and Chris Shaw will be going on Saturday, March 14, 2009 at the Bowen House from 1-3:30 p.m. Ages are 13 and up. This is one of the few events that are not free to the public ($15 for students and Bowen House members and $25 for general public). Both Shaws are in the Andy Shaw Band and have music available on iTunes.



There is going to be a literary evening at The Bowen House on Thursday, March 19, 2009. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. with live music, followed by a reading and presentation by Joanne McGonagle, author of The Tiniest Tiger at 7:00 p.m. All ages are welcome. There will be a discussion and refreshments at 7:30 p.m.

"Friends" of the Bowen House

The Bowen House is a great cultural arts center, but not the only one in the area. It's website links itself with three other places, Dairy Barn, Decorative Arts Center and Stuart's Opera House. These places all offer awesome cultural experiences within the small area of Southeast Ohio.
The Dairy Barn is located in Athens and is currently one of Southeast Ohio's art galleries. It was originally built and used as an actual dairy barn and was razed in 1977. It's currently listed on the National Registrar of Historic Places. Starting Friday, March 6 through April 9, Puppets and Mythology: Southeast Asia exhibit will be on display. It showcases Indonesian Puppet Theatre along with other Southeast Asia storytelling.
Decorative Arts Center is located in Lancaster and offers many one day exhibits and programs. For instance, Fifth Third Fridays, is a combined effort from Decorative Arts Center and Fifth Third Bank, and it had interactive galleries, live music and food. The dates of Fifth Third Fridays this Spring are March 6, May 1 and June 5.
Stuart's Opera House is in Nelsonville and is known for its performing arts. May 15-17 is 5th Annual Nelsonville Music Festival. Willie Nelson has be confirmed as a performer. Stuart's Opera House is enriched in history dating back to the 1800s.