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The Mason Community Players will perform “Seussical the Musical” July 28-31 at Mason Middle School.

The production pays homage to the fantastical works of Dr. Seuss and features a cast of local talent.

The community theater group will also be accepting donations of children’s books and financial donations for Reach Out and Read, a nonprofit initiative that provides books to doctors to give to pediatric patients.

Donations collected will be given to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Performance times are at 8 p.m. July 28-30, with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. July 30 and 3 p.m. July 31.

Ticket cost is $15; $12 for senior citizens and $10 for students.  Purchase tickets online at www.masonplayers.org or call 513-398-7804.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Community, Events |

Tags: Tags: art, drama, Mason Community Players, mason middle school, performance, Seussical the Musical

The City Gallery held in the Mason Municipal Center is a unique feature of the Mason Arts Festival.

The Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance has issued a call to artists to participate in the Mason Arts Festival.

Now in its sixth year, the juried event attracts about 3,000 people each year and features more than 120 local and regional fine artists showcasing a wide range of mediums, from sculpture and woodworking to jewelry and mixed and new media.

This year’s event is set for Sept. 18 at the Mason Municipal Center.

Artists are required to submit jury materials and a $25 jury fee. Once accepted, booth fee cost is $75. Prize money will be awarded to winning artists in each category.

The deadline for applications is July 30. The jewelry category is now closed.

The Mason Arts Festival also features a City Gallery, held inside the municipal center, that features more than 80 works of art in a gallery setting. Booth artists who want to submit hanging works of art in this juried event should submit applications by Aug. 5.

City Gallery jury fee is $15. Once accepted, artists will pay $10 to enter one piece of artwork or $15 to enter two pieces of artwork for judging.

The festival is free to attend and will feature performing artists throughout the day Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Go to www.masonarts.org to download an application. For more information, call 513-309-8585 or e-mail masonarts@gmail.com.

Posted in: Community, Events, Recreational events |

Tags: Tags: art, artwork, city gallery, judge, juried, mason arts festival, mason municipal center, mason-deerfield arts alliance

The Children’s Theatre of Mason will present “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” March 18-20 at Mason Middle School, 6370 Mason-Montgomery Road.

The nonprofit organization is partnering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Warren County to collect donations in the lobby on performance days.

Performances will be staged at 7 p.m. Friday, March 18; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, March 19; and 4 p.m. Sunday, March 20. Tickets are $10 at the door or order online at www.childrenstheatreofmason.com.

For more information, call the box office at 513-398-0116.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Community, Events |

Tags: Tags: art, big brothers big sisters of warren county, children's theatre of mason, drama, joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat, mason, mason middle school, performance

Local artist Chuck Marshall will lead a “Color Mixing for Oil Painting” workshop from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, March 19 at at the Snyder House at Cottell Park, 5837 Irwin-Simpson Road, Deerfield Township.

Marshall attended one year at the Cincinnati Art Academy before moving to southern California, where he studied at the California Art Institute.  While in California, he had the chance to study with select artists in the Plein Air style.

Marshall has worked as an illustrator and graphic designer.  His fine art has been featured in works such as International Artist and American Artist magazine and is included in private and corporate collections.

Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance is hosting the program.  For more information or to register, call 513-309-8585 or go to www.masonarts.org.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Community, Events |

Tags: Tags: art, chuck marshall, mason-deerfield arts alliance, workshop

Mason artist Denny Means' quilt square was added to the barn at Fleckenstein Park in Deerfield Township. The Enquirer/Cara Owsley

The Enquirer’s Paul McKibben recently reported on the new “quilt barn trails” trend in Mason and Warren County.

The Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance has already created one and is working on more, giving road-trippers a second reason to explore the countryside this spring.

Barn quilts trails are quickly catching on across the Midwest.  Ohio, Iowa and Kentucky have over 250 in each state, and the grassroots art project continues to spread.

The Florence Woman’s Club started a barn quilt trail project in Boone County in 2006. Today, there are 51 barn quilts in the Northern Kentucky county on the official trail and five more are planned. The barn quilts are throughout the county and a web site was created about the project, boonebarnquilts.com.

“Barn quilts are the most unique public art form in that they celebrate a county’s history. They celebrate a county’s people,” said Meredith Raffel, executive director of the Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance. “They celebrate art.”

The arts alliance (then known as the Mason Area Arts Council) unveiled its first barn quilt on the group’s trail last October at Deerfield Township’s Fleckenstein Park.

Mason artist Denny Means painted that quilt and will paint the next one on an existing barn at the Ahimaaz King House and Carriage House at Carter Park in King’s Mills.

The design will be a reflection of something associated with the King family, said Raffel.  The Kings, she said, were quilters and made “crazy quilts during the 1800s.”

The unveiling of the King property quilt will happen Aug. 27 before the alliance’s the Powder Keg 5K Trail Race race fundraiser at the mansion.

The first two barn quilts are on public property, but some of the future ones will be on private property, said Raffel.  The alliance will be working on a secondary program for people who want a barn quilt but not necessarily on the trail, she added.

Those interested in the Warren County barn quilt project can call the alliance at 513-309-8585 or e-mail masonarts@gmail.com.

Posted in: Community, Community, Events, News |

Tags: Tags: art, deerfield township, fleckenstein park, mason, mason area arts council, mason-deerfield arts alliance, quilt barn trail, warren county

Local artist Chuck Marshall will lead a series of artist painting demonstrations and workshops beginning in March and running through June.

The first workshop – Color Mixing for Oil Painting — will be held from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, March 19.  Cost is $85 per person.

Marshall attended one year at the Cincinnati Art Academy before moving to southern California, where he studied at the California Art Institute.  While in California, he had the chance to study with select artists in the Plein Air style.

Marshall has worked as an illustrator and graphic designer.  His fine art has been featured in works such as International Artist and American Artist magazine and is included in private and corporate collections.

Other scheduled demonstrations and workshops with Marshall include a portrait demonstration on April 15, a Plein Air “boot camp” workshop from May 23-27 and a still life demonstration on June 18.

Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance is hosting the programs, which will be held at the Snyder House at Cottell Park, 5837 Irwin-Simpson Road, in Deerfield Township.

For more information or to register, call 513-309-8585 or go to www.masonarts.org.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Community, Events |

Tags: Tags: art, artist, chuck marshall, demonstration, mason-deerfield township arts alliance, painting, plein air, workshop

Sergei Polusmiak

The Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance will host area musical artists from noon – 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12 at Christ’s Church at Mason, 5165 Western Row Road.

The event is part of the larger ArtsWave (formerly Fine Arts Fund) Sampler Weekend taking place across the area that weekend.

The event kicks off at noon with a meet and greet.  World-renowned pianist Sergei Polusmiak and students will take the stage from 1 – 2:30 p.m., after which he will take audience questions.

Northern Cincinnati Youth Orchestra co-founders Marva Rasmussen and Carolyn Quinn will present their string musicians from 3 -4:30 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session.

The event is free and open to the community.  For more information, contact the Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Community, Events |

Tags: Tags: art, artswave sampler weekend, christ's church at mason, fine arts fund sampler weekend, free, mason-deerfield arts alliance, music, northern cincinnati youth orchestra, sergei polusmiak

Sweet Art of Mine will feature the works of Mason artist Nadia Nazim through Jan. 29.

The exhibition, Visual Delights, features Nazim’s creative medium of painting with a mix of abstract, calligraphy and landscapes in acrylic media.

Nazim, who lives in Mason with her husband and two children, says she does her best work in the middle of the night, when she is moved by the solitude and spirituality.  Her work showcases her inspiration in the visual diversity of the university, she said.  A graphic designer with experience in Adobe PhotoShop, Illustrator and other graphic software, Nazim is working towards a certificate in Communication Design at UC Raymond Walters College.

The exhibition is free and open to the community.  Hours are 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Jan. 18-22 and 25-29

Sweet Art of Mine recently opened its new and larger gallery at 117 West Main Street. The gallery also features paintings, pottery, jewelry, metal works, wood craft and photography.  For more information, call them at 513-770-4200 or go to www.sweetartofmine.com.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Community, Events |

Tags: Tags: acrylic media, art, calligraphy, gallery, landscapes, mason, nadia nazim, painting, sweet art of mine, visual delights