EVENTS
Art for All

It is true that a juried art show is only as good as the artists who enter. But it is also true that those who select and judge the artwork help define the show’s experience.

Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls has recruited three talented artists — jeweler Brandon Holschuh, fiber artist Ruta Marino and painter A. D. Peters — to judge its 41st Annual Juried Art Exhibit. The free opening reception is on Nov. 2, 6–8 p.m., with entertainment by acoustic guitarist Jimmy Maguire. The exhibit runs through Dec. 13.

Juror Peters is a nationally known artist of environmental art, who favors oils and mixed media on steel, aluminum, copper and stone. A longtime resident of northeast Ohio, Peters has previously been both a participant and juror of the show.

“I come back to the show because my roots are here,” he says. “It has a long tradition and is one of the oldest juried shows in Ohio. People look at this show as an opportunity. It has a great reputation. The Chagrin Falls shows get notoriously good artists.”

According to the center’s gallery director, Bridget Roush, about 300 pieces are expected to be submitted, of which about a third will be chosen. Any artist within a 250-mile radius of Chagrin Falls was invited to enter.

“Art is about discrimination, and it is very difficult for jurors. It is so subjective. It’s not like sports, where if I am faster than you I win. There is no confirmation with someone’s original art,” says Peters. “But I am looking for the best work from these artists, no matter what level. I don’t see the show as a competition, but as a way for artists to put their best work forward.” — Jill Sell

Valley Art Center is located at 155 Bell St., Chagrin Falls 44022. For more information, call 440/247-7507 or visit valleyartcenter.weebly.com.


PEOPLE
Canine Can-do

Dreamer and Uno are ready for action. Their mission: weave through poles, squirm through tunnels, jump over obstacles — and come home winners. The pair are two of the 250 dogs preparing to compete in the Central Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Association Agility Trials in Zanesville, Nov. 23–25. “Shelties,” as they are commonly called, are “essentially working collies in miniature,” according to the American Kennel Club. At the trials, which will be held at the Fieldhouse Family Sports and Wellness Center, that prowess will take center stage.

Abbey Beasley of Lewis Center is the owner and trainer of Dreamer and Uno. She’s worked and shown dogs for 12 years, concentrating on agility training for the past 11. That may not seem too remarkable — until you discover Beasley is only 19.

“The dogs are intelligent and quick,” the teen says, explaining that the heritage of the Sheltie has been traced to Scotland, where the dogs were used on farms to protect and herd cattle and sheep. “I like to watch the improvement they make when they have a problem with an obstacle and then understand it.”

Beasley, a sophomore at The Ohio State University, is studying animal sciences. Her career goal: to own a comprehensive canine sports medicine and rehabilitation facility.

Uno and Dreamer are two of six Shelties owned by Beasley. She credits Lucky, her first agility dog, with being the “most intelligent.” The 12-year-old male, considered among the best in his class, retired from the show ring earlier this year. Lucky and Beasley are now active with Agility Ability, a nonprofit canine therapy program that involves children with autism.

“Lucky is just really good in the program and with the kids,” says Beasley. — JS

For more information about the Central Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Association, visit cossashelties.org. For more information about the agility trials, visit furrydogs.com


OHIO FINDS
Campaign Season

Whether in our role as a “swing state” in the presidential election or as “Mother of Presidents,” Ohio has been host to spirited political campaigns since our earliest days. Before the advent of television (and, of course, the Internet), candidates relied on grassroots efforts unified by catchy slogans, timely issues and memorable graphics to make their mark on the voting public. Who doesn’t recognize “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too,” the unforgettable catchphrase that secured the 1840 presidential election for William Henry Harrison? But, would you recognize the gold bug used (unsuccessfully) by Grover Cleveland in 1896 to represent the importance of the gold standard?

From buttons to broadsides, political memorabilia can provide context and tactile connections to any one of Ohio’s 209 years of democratic process. The simple act of casting one’s vote represents the most basic of American ideals. What better way to commemorate that significance than by collecting these small, but important, pieces of history? For more information, visit apic.us (American Political Items Collectors group). — Amelia and Jeff Jeffers

“Ohio Finds” features fascinating objects brought to the attention of Amelia and Jeff Jeffers, co-owners of Garth’s Auctioneers & Appraisers, an international firm located outside Columbus.


PEOPLE
All in the Game

Dave Fullen, a highly rated senior table tennis player from Hilliard, has the 1994 film Forrest Gump to thank for his success in the sport some call Ping-Pong.

Well, at least partially.

Fullen was impressed with the table tennis skills of Tom Hanks’ character, who was portrayed as a member of the famous Ping Pong Diplomacy trip to China sanctioned by President Nixon in 1972.

“I never saw anyone play like that,” says Fullen, 60, who saw the movie when he was in his late 40s. “I know you can’t really play like Forrest Gump. But it was impressive, and table tennis is an Olympic event.

“It was also,” he adds, “something I could do as a lifelong sport. In the ’80s and ’90s, I was doing a lot of triathlons and marathons, but spent a lot more time in the waiting rooms of sports medicine clinics.”

So, Fullen joined the Columbus Table Tennis club and has been picking up awards ever since. Recently, he won a silver medal in the Ohio Senior Olympic State Games, qualifying him to compete in the 2013 Summer National Senior Games in Cleveland.

Next stop: The 2012 Butterfly Thanksgiving Team Championships, Nov. 23–25 in Columbus. The competition is free and open to the public. It is the first time the event will be held in Ohio.

“Once you reach a certain level, the game becomes more mental than physical,” says Fullen. “You have to outthink tricky players trying to outsmart you while playing really fast.”

And talk about full circle: USATT Hall of Fame honoree John Tannehill, a member of the real diplomacy team that went to China, is Fullen’s coach. — JS

For more information, visit columbustabletennisclub.org.