All artists welcome at Butler Art Center’s newest show
There are plenty of talented artists in Butler County, many of whom were waiting for an opportunity to display their gifts in public. The Butler Arts Center provided that opportunity on Friday night, Nov. 10, with the opening of the “We Are All Artists” show, which will last until Nov. 25.
The show featured artwork of all kinds — paintings, photography, crafts, sculptures and writing — from local artists with disabilities of some kind, whether physical, emotional or developmental.
For the Butler Art Center, this marked the return of a show last seen years ago.
Terry Kaiserman, owner of Butler Coffee Lab, wanted to not only revive the We Are All Artists show, but retain it as an annual fixture on the Art Center’s calendar.
“There’s tremendous talent in Butler … there really is,” Kaiserman said.
Kaiserman and Butler Coffee Lab covered all expenses and awards, ensuring there would be no fee for artists to enter. Additional support came from The Arc of Butler County and The Blind Association of Butler and Armstrong.
Butler Coffee Lab, located on East Cunningham Street — just blocks away from the Art Center — is known for employing and financially supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This includes purchasing artwork from members of the community, such as Kayla Roy, whose artwork was used to decorate the Butler Coffee Lab’s “Hot Pods.”
“(Terry) has a strong desire to give back to the community, and supporting people with disabilities is his primary goal,” said Shirley McCauley, office administrator at the Art Center.
Paul Scanlon, former president of the Art Center, had high praise for the quality of artwork displayed Friday night.
“I think the quality of art tonight is way higher than the first show we did,” Scanlon said. “There's some real talent here.”
One of the most prolific artists at the show was 37-year-old Stephen Chaney, who submitted several walls worth of paintings. Several of his pieces depicted fictional characters such as Mario, Kirby, and Beavis and Butt-Head.
“I’ve been an artist since I was a little kid, since elementary school,” Chaney said. “I was a Facebook filmmaker back in my 20s and 30s, and I've been painting since I was 31 years old. I spent one month making 30 paintings.”
Ben Hughes, who has also done some photography work for the Butler Coffee Lab, submitted several photographs to the exhibit. There were eight of Hughes’ photos on the walls, and other smaller prints for sale from $10-20.
A whole wall’s worth of crafts was contributed by Crystal Schroth, who is legally blind.
Alicia Rose, who also submitted several paintings, is no stranger to having her artwork publicly on display. Her art has been displayed at the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh.
The Butler County Chamber of Commerce turned one of her paintings into a Christmas card, and one of her more recent works of art is now on display in the Butler Coffee Lab. One of the pieces she brought to the Butler show was an abstract drawing of a coffee mug.
“I love drinking coffee,” Rose said. “So, I decided to come up with some crazy idea with abstract art.”
Rachel McCoullough brought a detailed painting of prairie dogs, entitled “Growing Together.” She says it was inspired by a trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo.
“My mom took me to the zoo and they had prairie dogs there, and they were so cool,” Rachel said. “It was great to see them at the Pittsburgh Zoo.”
Over the course of the show, visitors will have an opportunity to vote on their favorite artwork by placing a vote for “People’s Choice” in the provided ballot box. When the show wraps up later this month, the votes will be counted, and the winning artist will receive a grand prize of $100.
Not to worry — the other artists will each receive a consolation prize of $25.
