We are blessed to enjoy some of the best fall color anywhere. The parade of colors is courtesy of our wide variety of mixed hardwood forests that are joined by wonderful fall wildflowers and mature grasslands. They put our region among the best places to enjoy not just great fall color, but rich colors that persist over a period of weeks.
This year’s parade is already well underway.
The opening days of the season are dominated by sassafras, a smaller distinctively gnarled tree that loves establishing itself along woodland edges. Though in some local areas the color may be muted by the effects of our extended drought, sassafras can glow in a mosaic of colors that can include bright yellows and oranges, scarlet, even burgundy and purple.
Sassafras is especially common in the Oak Openings Region, notably Oak Openings Preserve Metropark along Girdham Road. One of the most obvious stands of sassafras is along the west side of I-475, north of Airport Highway.
Even if you haven’t noticed the tree itself, there’s a reasonably good chance you’ve tasted it. It’s the source of the root in root beer. Maybe you’ve been served sassafras tea, or maybe you’ve used fiÍe powder to thicken your gumbo. That powder is ground sassafras leaves.
As good as it is to taste, it’s even better visually, and not just or fall colors.
The tree has the unique distinction of having three distinctly different leaf forms. One is a simple unlobed leaf. Another is mitten-shaped. The third form is two-lobed and said to resemble a trident.
Especially this time of year, we think a better name for that third form is the ghost leaf. Check out the photo and see for yourself. It’s why children often call sassafras the ghost tree.
Huron Street Studios co-owner Ryan Thompson creates a piece of blown glass in his hot shop. (Courtesy Photo/B. Piri Photography)
Downtown art studios bring life to ceramics, glassblowing, sculptures
TOLEDO – Art is a tool that can be used for limitless purposes, one of which is education. Art can grab the hearts and minds of young people, particularly children who crave more than just reading from textbooks or listening to lectures.
Graphite Design + Build
Few organizations understand this better than Graphite Design + Build, a small company located on Huron St. in downtown Toledo. The company has just five employees who make sculptures and other artistic creations for local organizations, including the Toledo Museum of Art, the Arts Commission, the Toledo Zoo, the Toledo School For the Arts and Metroparks Toledo.
The organization first hit the streets of Toledo in 2011 and has produced quality art for almost 13 years.
Graphic Design + Build co-owner Jeremy Link presents a molding of an American lion skull. (TFP Photo/Steven Bieber)
Graphite Design + Build production artist Jonny Natole works with color at the Downtown Toledo studio. (TFP Photo/Steven Bieber)
Graphite Design + Build co-owner Jeremy Link offered a glimpse into ongoing projects and showcased his studio, where the company’s life-like sculptures and other projects are created.
Recently, Graphite Design acquired new office space. Their office now has three floors to provide additional room to plan, create and allow their imagination to run wild. Materials from their past, present and future projects cover nearly every inch of the office.
Link has been passionate about art his entire life. He started the company with co-founder Douglas Kampfer because too many places mistreated young artists. Thus, he wanted to provide an environment that treats young artists fairly and be able to conduct business their way
“Our main mission is to help educate with art,” he said. “Our favorite thing is to make sculptures and design spaces for museums, park systems, libraries and zoos. Natural exhibits are our favorite thing to do. Having realistic sculptures and informational exhibits working together is the easiest way to teach people.”
Link notes that some people learn better with a life-size figure of an extinct animal or an interactive exhibit rather than reading from a plaque. Both he and Kampfer remember the impact of seeing exhibits of dinosaur skeletons when they were kids.
One of their most recent projects involved creating 10-foot-tall seated sculptures for a Brazilian street artist, Alex Seena. He is most known for producing large black and white murals in the streets of Brazil.
They were put into contact with Seena through LAND studios in Cleveland. After the sculptures were built, Seena came to the Toledo studio from Brazil to paint them. The sculptures will be displayed at Wendy Park at Whiskey Island for a year.
Huron Street Studio: The gallery and hotshop are located on the first floor, and the pottery studio is on the second floor. (Courtesy Photo/Huron Street Studios)
Huron Street Studios+ Charmed Ceramics
Charmed Ceramics owner Kayla Kirk works on a large vase in her studio. (Courtesy Photo)
Next to Graphite Design + Build is Huron Street Studios (formerly known as Gathered Glassblowing Studio). The studio is run by business/life partners Ryan Thompson and Kayla Kirk, who run their separate businesses inside. They each invest their time and energy into building their own creations while teaching others how to create art for themselves.
Thompson runs Ryan Thompson Glass. He creates glass sculptural objects, glassware and commissions and sculptures from his glass-blowing studio.
Thompson fell in love with glassblowing while he was originally studying graphic design at Bowling Green State University. To fill an art credit, he took a glassblowing course in his third year and decided to switch his major.
He also offers workshops where guests can sign up for a glass pouring experience and create a glass item, such as a vase, bowl, paperweight or other small projects. While glass blowing might seem scary for some people, Thompson still encourages people to try it.
“Glass is a little intimidating; there’s a lot of fire, and the space is very hot,” Thompson said. “But the team at Huron Street Studios is extremely skilled at working with glass, allowing people to have a safe, enjoyable experience while also getting to take home an object they made with their hands.”
Huron Street Studios co-owner Ryan Thompson pulls cane for a large-scale piece for Netflix’s “Blown Away” series. (Courtesy Photo)
Thompson recently gained popularity after appearing as a contestant on the most recent season of the Netflix show Blown Away. As a prize, he received a residency where he will travel to Tacoma, Wash. to work at the Tacoma Museum of Glass for a week.
Kirk runs Charmed Ceramics. She creates bowls, vases and drinkware in her studio. Her first exposure to pottery came in high school attending Northview. She returned to it after college, set up a studio in her basement, and practiced until she was able to make a living in the pottery field.
At her studio she offers a variety of different workshops. One option is to participate in wheel-throwing and hand-building for a one-off experience that lasts up to two hours. For people who want to dive into the world of pottery, she also offers a six-week beginner course and private events.
“They get to work in tandem with a working artist, try out the craft, get their hands dirty and play around in the mud,” Kirk said. “It’s a fun experience for adults to try something new and see what they can create.”
Kirk will be offering new classes in January or February. She also offered advice to aspiring artists.
“Keep trying the crazy ideas you have and see them to the finish line … keep trying. You need to be persistent and let failure fuel your forward progression because failing is the quickest way to learn something,” she encouraged.
Thompson and Kirk will have art available for purchase at the Local Artists’ Holiday Trunk Sale at the Edward D. Libbey House on Nov. 22-23.
Janet (Wozny Duszynski) Stoeckley graduated in 1942 from Woodward High School. She and several of her relatives who span across multiple generations attended classes at either the original Woodward building or the current one. At age 100, Stoeckley was the oldest alumni to attend Woodward High School’s Golden Bear Luncheon on Tuesday.
Golden Bear Luncheon honors first TPS tech school
Story and photos by Paula Wethington TOLEDO – Woodward High School alumni, family and friends gathered at the school on Tuesday for the Golden Bear Luncheon to honor graduates and Toledo Public School’s first technical high school.
But none were more “golden” among the Woodward Polar Bears than Janet (Wozny Duszynski) Stoeckley, 100, who graduated in 1942 from the previous Woodward building in North Toledo.
Stoeckley was the oldest person in attendance, and one of multiple alumni across generations in her family who went to Woodward. One of those relatives is her daughter, Cathleen (Duszynski) Heidelberg, class of 1966, who accompanied her to the event.
Stoeckly’s sisters also went to Woodward, and “this is where we grew up,” Heidelberg said.
Woodward High School Principal Jack Renz.
This was the second Polar Bear Golden Luncheon hosted by Woodward’s Alumni and Friends committee. Principal Jack Renz said anyone who graduated 50 years or more ago was invited.
“We celebrate them … we celebrate the school,” Renz emphasized.
More than 100 alumni made reservations for the event, ranging in graduation years from 1942 to 1979. For many of the golden alumni, this event served as an introduction to what’s new, as the old school building was replaced by the current facility in 2010.
Those attending the program had a chance to buy school spirit attire and tour the new building. The committee also reported on the results of their fundraising efforts, and TPS officials relayed stories from the history of the district.
Renz explained that Woodward High School’s origin was a vocational junior high school program for boys at the original Toledo Central High School campus. That site is now the location of the Toledo Lucas County Public Library downtown.
During the 1910s and 1920s, TPS opened a series of neighborhood high schools across the city. This was the era in which Woodward Technical High School opened in North Toledo and became a co-ed campus for grades 9-12.
With that, it was the first high school with a vocational curriculum in the city. Renz said the original building was near Wilson Park. The current building at 701 E. Central Ave. is on the other side of the park.
Woodward still offers what are now called Career Technology Education (CTE) programs. The CTE classes on site are diesel technology, graphic design and supply chain management. But it is primarily a comprehensive, neighborhood high school, with about 550 students in grades 9-12.
Woodward High School’s Golden Bear Luncheon honored alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago. It included a presentation on Toledo Public School’s 175th anniversary.
DeMita Baker, class of 1973, left, and her sister, Viveca Baker-Crews, class of 1977, wore Woodward Polar Bear spirit shirts for the Golden Bear Luncheon.
Heidelberg said the neighborhood connections remain strong, even as she has since moved to Columbus. Her mother was among the earliest members of the Woodward Hall of Fame project that started in 1980, which expanded its efforts to provide scholarships, field trip financial support and graduation gowns for students.
“We really want to support the kids in the neighborhood,” Heidelberg said.
Family ties also brought DeMita Baker, class of 1973, and her sister, Viveca Baker Crews, class of 1977, to the luncheon. Baker issued the invitation to her sister, and both wore spirit shirts in the school colors of blue and white.
“I liked music. I liked being in the choir and the orchestra,” Baker recalled from her high school years.
Crews said she participated on the track team and a future teacher’s club when she was in high school, later becoming a teacher. She remembered how the travel and opportunities as a student helped add to what she learned in class.
“I always took my students on field trips after that,” she said.
Polar bear school spirit shirts sold during the Woodward High School Golden Bear Luncheon.
“It took them about six months to get organized and admit students,” added Robyn Hage, Bowsher High School choir director and TPS historian.
Several events, such as Woodward’s Golden Bear Luncheon, a classic car show at Beverly Elementary, a student reading challenge and a history lecture series hosted at the high school buildings, all have included an anniversary theme or presentation this year.
Toledo Public Schools formed on May 8, 1849 with the first classes taking place on Oct. 8, 1849. To learn more about the school’s history, go to woodwardhighschool.net.
Cathleen (Duszynski) Heidelberg, class of 1966, accompanied her mother, Janet (Wozny Duszynski) Stoeckley, class of 1942, to the Woodward High School Golden Bear Luncheon.
A Box of #2 Pencils Runs Amok, by Steven J Athanas
Art exhibition celebrates everyday inspiration, creativity
Review by Kelly McGilvery | Artwork by Steven J Athanas
Steven J. Athanas.
TOLEDO – Steven J Athanas is an eminence grise in Toledo’s arts and culture community – though he is primarily known as a musician/frontman, he is also a writer, poet and a visual artist.
“I’ve kind of hung up my rock-and-roll shoes and put my energies into my visual art, which is … there’s a certain irony in it,” he said. “My dad is probably upstairs laughing. You know, I go from one high paying career as a musician to a visual artist. He must think I must have bumped my head.”
Life After Life, the new exhibition of his works in mixed media, is a riot of color and words. The show mixes pop culture and high art with a playful, poetic, handwrought sensibility.
Life After Life runs through Oct. 18 at the University of Toledo Carlson Library. Library hours are Monday-Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to midnight; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday 1-8 p.m.
The majority of the works on paper in this show are created with Micron pens, watercolors and colored pencils, with a dab of nail polish or coffee, when needed. Poems, plays on words and illustrations mix together to build a testament to the joy of following everyday inspiration where it takes you in a sketchbook.
Fig. 23F: Manet’s Mayonnaise (Steven J Athanas)
A good portion of this exhibition is from a series Athanas calls Bad Homophones, but are rather quite good homophones. The best example is Fig. 23F: Manet’s Mayonnaise, in which the women from the Edouard Manet painting Olympia are shown on the label for a jar of mayonnaise. The homophone series gives the sense of being pleasantly ensnared in a cryptic crossword. The numbered and lettered titles beg the question, “What is the imaginary encyclopedic compendium from which these illustrations are drawn?”
Athanas’ playful spirit is highlighted even in the titles of his works, which evoke worlds with just a few words. The Chicken Juggler is an illustrated 10-verse rhyming poem about a boy who taught himself how to juggle chickens. You’ll not find a finer 360-degree rendering of airborne chickens anywhere. If Tinkertoy made a living, breathing alphabet, it might look just like Athanas’ penmanship.
A personal favorite in the exhibition is the whimsical illustration, A Box of #2 Pencils Runs Amok, which delivers exactly what it promises – an exploration of the many moods and directions of a series of pencils. The standard materials for the piece – Micron pen, watercolors, colored pencil – are supplemented with splotches of coffee.
The Chicken Juggler (Steven J Athanas)Fig. 13A: Mr. Rogers Floats Barefoot Through Space. (Steven J Athanas)
One wonders about the genesis of the nonsensical Fig. 13A: Mr. Rogers Floats Barefoot Through Space. Mad Libs, names in a hat, or merely an affirmation that something funny can result from a few stray words pulled together in a sketchbook?
Life After Life is not just fun and games, as several very thoughtful pieces consider legacy, aging and loneliness, including the title poem, which quietly prods us all to call our parents while we still can.
The show’s illustrations are supplemented by several of Athanas’ excellent Calder-esque hand-formed wire sculptures adorned with ceramics and colored tissue paper.
“I’m always trying to explore new ideas. I don’t want to be pigeonholed. You know, some people have told me, ‘How can you work with so many different mediums?’ If it didn’t work, I wouldn’t keep doing it,” said Athanas.
For more work by Athanas for the Toledo Free Press, see his Plight of a Homewrecker column and his editorial illustrations in these very pages for an idea of the breadth of his modes of expression.
Toledo Public Schools is lending a hand to the hurricane relief effort by accepting donations of the following items: bottled water, contractor trash bags, cleaning supplies and toiletries. No cash donations are being accepted.
You can bring these items today, Wednesday and Thursday to two drop-off locations:
Toledo Pre-Medical and Health Science Academy, 3301 Upton Ave. (Door 12 entrance). Drop off between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
TPS Administration Building, N. 1609 Summit St. (main entrance). Drop off between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
