HOWLAND TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The As­so­ci­ated Art­ists of Pitts­burgh An­nual Ex­hi­bi­tion is be­ing held far­ther afield than usual, but the up­side is the op­por­tu­nity to visit along the way one of the re­gion’s cul­tural gems, the But­ler In­sti­tute of Amer­i­can Art in Youngs­town.

The museum’s Trumbull Branch, just east of War­ren and about 15 miles north of Youngs­town, is hosting the An­nual in its clean-lined, sun­lit gallery. Also of in­ter­est there is the per­ma­nently in­stalled Pi­erre Sou­l­ages tile mu­ral, “14 May 1968,” that was com­mis­sioned for the lobby of One Oliver Plaza, Down­town Pitts­burgh, and re­moved when the build­ing was ren­o­vated in 2009.

Sixty-eight works by 63 art­ists were se­lected for this 104th An­nual by ju­ror Louis Zona, ex­ec­u­tive di­rec­tor of The But­ler. The over­all ex­hi­bi­tion is not as strong as I would like, but there are fine in­di­vid­ual pieces that re­ward a trip.

Butler Institute for American Art
(Click image for larger version)

Paint­ing stands out as a me­dium, in David Stanger’s ex­qui­sitely ren­dered oils “Susheela” and “Win­dow at Night,” in­fused with hu­man­ity made more se­duc­tive by their un­der­ly­ing ten­u­ous­ness; the vi­brant, mo­tion-filled ab­stracts of Ron Bayu­zick (“Wabi-Sabi Re­flect”) and Scott Hunter (“Chess­briar IV”); Ben­ja­min Tho­mas’ starkly con­tem­po­rary (with a lu­mi­nist quality) “Between Fog and Morn­ing;” and con­sum­mate wa­ter­col­or­ist Robert Bow­den’s rep­re­sen­ta­tional, al­most to ab­strac­tion, row of ev­ery­day tools of “In the Kitchen.”

Fresh use of materials include Connie Cantor’s “Chrysalis.2,” a pen and paint composition of a flotilla of forms ranging from microbes to mandalas, and Yang Cai’s “Prayer,” a nude figure, gender undefined, bent in gratitude or supplication, carved into rock petroglyph-like, timeless in its evocation of the human condition.

Artists to watch include Shelle Barron whose trompe l’oeil “Study for Second Line” begs an expanded narrative — a series, a stage set, and Carolyn Frischling whose color-saturated “I Met You at the Corner” is eye-catching but the new media she employs (resin-coated Durst Lambda Fuji Crystal DP II print on aluminum panel) cries for formal inventiveness beyond Cubism/Surrealism. Similarly, the totemic pillars of Patti Menick’s “Sorrows” would be more forceful if the ghostly carved cement faces were enclosed in a material more fragile or organic than plastic boxes — for example, glass, metal-barred cages, missing or obscured panels on some.

Also exhibiting are many artists who consistently show well-conceived, handsomely crafted, visually appealing and/or challenging work. But with 550 members, the Associated should be able to pull together an annual that shakes up its host site and visitors alike. 

At the Butler main you’ll find American art from 1719 to the present, recently added Americana/Folk Art Galleries and the Beecher Center south wing, which presents new media and electronic art (don’t miss artist Audrey Flack’s arresting maquette for her sculpture of Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese princess turned British queen). An opening reception for the 79th National Midyear Exhibition, with juror Bob Godfrey, will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday (free but reservations required).

The Associated Annual continues through Sunday at 9350 E. Market St., Howland Township, Ohio 44484.  Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The Midyear continues through Aug. 30 at 524 Wick Ave., Youngstown, 44502. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission to both buildings is free. Information and reservations: 1-330-743-1107 or www.butlerart.com. 

Kutz and Zimbicki a SAMA

The annual gala at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, “African Odyssey,” will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday with games, entertainment and auctions. A solo exhibition by Bedford County artist Kevin Kutz comprising more than 50 works fills the main gallery, and Pittsburgher Kathleen Zimbicki is given a retrospective in the Margery Wolf-Kuhn Gallery.

“Reflections: Artwork by Kevin Kutz” continues through Oct. 10, and “Kathleen Cochran Zimbicki: 45 Years of Color, 1970-2015” through Dec. 5, at the museum on the Saint Francis University campus. Admission is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Information, including gala tickets ($175): 1-814-472-3920 or www.sama-art.org.

Post-Gazette art critic Mary Thomas: mthomas@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1925.

First Published: July 15, 2015, 4:00 a.m.