Cincinnati celebrates baseball, ASG with art
The 86th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will showcase Cincinnati’s love of baseball, but also its love of art.
Cincinnati Art Galleries called out to artists nationwide for its baseball-themed work for its All-Star Art Invitational. Most of the entered art is from local artists, but the gallery also received submissions from California and St. Louis.
Eastside resident Mark Daly played baseball as a child and coached for 14 years.
He created an oil painting of the first-ever baseball night game in 1935 at Crosley Field, which Daly said was a game-changing moment in baseball. “We’re blessed as a city with a great baseball tradition,” Daly said.
He said he tried to imagine what that first night game would have been like, with President Franklin Roosevelt flipping the switch for the lights.
Daly wants to invite the viewer into his work. He painted the picture upside down to keep himself from thinking too much about concrete people and objects versus a more abstract approach.
Clifton resident Richard Luschek used memories from his childhood as inspiration for his artwork.
He created three still lifes which feature his ball glove, lunch box and baseball cards from his childhood.
Luschek said he usually listens to Reds games while he is painting in his studio. He said it might take anywhere from one week to a few weeks to finish a piece.
“I’m pretty invested in these by the time I get done,” Luschek said.
Many different media and ideas were submitted, for the exhibition including oil paintings, water colors, sculptures, prints, photography and still lifes, landscapes and action shots.
“We really let them explore the idea,” galleries director Bari Sandler-Lansberg said. “They really took the theme and went with it.”
Entrants had to be at least 21 and the submitted work had to be created after 2010. It cost $25 to enter, with each artists allowed to submit up to three pieces.
The gallery received more than 100 entries, many of them local, and about 80 will be shown and sold at the gallery beginning Friday.
Sandler-Lansberg said she hopes this exhibit will bring in a different audience and more families.
Prices range from the low hundreds to about $7,500.
Friday’s opening night will be from 5-8 p.m. and will feature peanuts, popcorn, lemonade, wine and cheese. A second opening will take place Saturday from noon to 3 p.m.
The gallery will also be judged by Weston Art Gallery director Dennis Harrington.
The winners, who will be announced Friday,, will receive $1,000 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for third place.
The exhibition will run from Friday to Aug. 21. The gallery, located at 225 E. Sixth St., Downtown, is free and open to to the public.
Other baseball-themed exhibitions
Cincinnati Art Museum
Exhibition: Up at Bat: Warhol and Baseball
What: “Pete Rose”, 1985 painting, “Baseball,” a 1962 painting featuring Roger Maris, “Tom Seaver,” 1977 painting, baseball cards from early 1900s to present day, Warhol’s process used to create the images.
Where: 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams
When: Through Aug. 2, Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Free for museum, $4 for parking
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Exhibition: Diversity in Baseball
What: Artifacts, images, illustrations and stories of players who broke barriers in professional baseball, such as African-American and women players. Illustrations of players were made in-house by Brand Champion Jesse Kramer.
Where: 50 E. Freedom Way, Downtown
When: Through Sept. 12, Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-5p.m., as well as on Monday, July 13, during All-Star Week
Cost: $15 for adults, $13 for seniors 60 and older, $10.50 for children 3-12, children under 3 are free
Cincinnati Museum Center
Exhibition: Queen City Baseball: Diamonds and Stars
What: Baseball-related materials from the beginnings of baseball to the modern era, including players’ contracts and payment records, Negro League artifacts, early 1900s baseball cards, video footage of the 1919 World Series and autographed baseballs.
Where: 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate
When: Through Sept. 7 (closed this Sunday, July 12), Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: free