In “Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem,” sculpted in alabaster in England sometime between 1450 and 1470, eight carved figures, full or fully suggested, greet Christ as he arrives on his donkey. Some are bearded men holding books, two are women with their hair covered, two seem younger, and one is in a tree. Their hands are raised in prayer or greeting.

Former “Young British” Video Artists cum Filmmakers Steve McQueen and Sam Taylor -Woods’ current projects make for some strange and oddly dissonant bedfellows at a distance, but up close share some voyeuristically interesting, even morbidly fascinating pillow talk.

I stood eye to eye with E. Nourse recently at her current exhibition “Rites of Passage” at the Cincinnati Art Museum. The painting: her own lifesized self-portrait. Not given to idealization even when concerned with her own features, she portrays herself actively at work with a clear and unblinking eye. A strong light carves her features and illuminates the brush in hand as she confronts another canvas in her studio.

In Repartee, the current exhibition at the Phyllis Weston Gallery, the gallery brings together the work of classic, modern, and contemporary artists which appear to come mostly from the gallery’s existing inventory, a display of mostly paintings spanning both eras and regions.

Doug Navarra’s exhibition at Manifest Gallery is called “Marking Time.” It might also be called “Connecting” or “Making History Now.” Let me begin by describing some of the 11 drawings and two books^* on view. On reclaimed antique documents, which are the support (literally and figuratively) of the drawings, Navarra overlays geometric marks.

This just may be the perfect meld of mediums. Cool , exciting ceramics perform clay- defying acrobatics in successful combinations with 20th century Japanese woodcuts whose labor intensive prints match for a tempo of amazement. In recent years the little balcony area on the second floor has been the scene of more excitement than any other location at CAM, particularly for those of us who are partial to fine prints.

Arts organizations, municipalities and educational institutions in Kentucky have been awarded $204,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in the federal agency’s first round of grant funding for fiscal year 2014.

With a collaborative spirit, John Stobart, Robert Off and John A. Ruthven are exhibiting their recent works at Eisele Gallery of Fine Art located in Fairfax, Ohio from November 15 through December 29. All artists, they focus on different themes: John Stobart – maritime and historic riverfront scenes, Robert Off – miniature room boxes and John A. Ruthven – wildlife art.

Andrew Dailey’s illustrations take viewers into a world populated by hybrid creatures, part machine and part animal oddities. Genus Machina, on display in the Hutson Gallery, one of six galleries housed in the Carnegie, consists of sixteen drawings focused on the idea of manmade versus animal. Dailey, an adjunct professor at Miami University, received his BFA from Wright State University and his MFA from Miami University.

Workmen were setting up large, plastic-topped folding tables outside the Riffe Gallery in Columbus just as I began wandering through “The Modern Table” exhibition. I could see them through the gallery’s large glass windows. The sight provided a perfect juxtaposition: ugly, mass-produced tables versus beautifully designed, often handcrafted ones.

Three young furniture designers in Cincinnati are making their mark.  Here are their stories. How does a man with a law degree become a furniture designer?  It was a gradual process for Matthew C. Metzger, now 31, who made the transition from three years as a lawyer at top rated Keating, Muething and Klekamp law firm to designing mostly contemporary furniture out of a shop in Maineville, Ohio.

A quarter century ago I hitched a ride upon a comet. And although I didn’t realize it at the time, this ride would take me to the deepest recesses of inner space that I never even knew existed. Today we watch that wonderful, beautiful spark of light that touched us all so profoundly, streak out of sight, returning to his rightful place beyond the stars.

In 1859 Johann Schmitt painted the murals inside the Church of the Immaculata in Mt. Adams. Fifty years later, in 1909, Frank Duvenek painted his 3 murals in St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington. Duvenek was a student of Schmitt’s. These 2 distinct sets of religious murals are well worth visiting, no matter your religion or lack thereof.

With this installment I will be covering the ubiquitous ‘Platonic Solids’, named after the one and only Plato of Ancient Greece. From a strict and logical standpoint, these forms are defined as being regular convex polyhedrons, whose faces are all congruent and made of regular polygons. In addition, there must be the same number of polygons meeting at each vertex.

2013 was an odd year for new fiction: months of mediocre offerings were mitigated by the occasional novel of excellence and/or excitement.

Hypnotic eyes watch passing strangers whistle tunes of new pop culture, lugging thirty packs like a mother a lulling baby – careful not to drop or shake it for fear it might explode. Hypnotic sunset splendor igniting clouds gorgeously with chemical pinks and elegant golds, carefully staining the sky like a molding picture – anxiously fermenting as if an abandoned berry skin.

Roscoe Wilson was born and raised in northern Indiana and southern Michigan. His environmental values were shaped in this mostly rural Mid-western setting which enabled him to experience nature and discover an awareness that only a forest, lake, and field can offer.

Trish Weeks calls her show at The Carnegie Speaking of Color, a topic her work explores with zest and spirit. Weeks is enamored of color, besotted by it, can’t get enough of marvelous shades. She slips easily from almost naturalism (a couple of renditions of flowers in vases) to highly expressionistic views of nature that need their titles if the viewer is to know at all what the subject is.

The December aeqai is now ready for your holiday reading; we apologize that it’s a couple of days late.

The Cincinnati Art Museum is one of 895 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA ArtWorks grant. The NEA has awarded the Cincinnati Art Museum a $40,000 grant to support its 2014 Cincinnati Silver exhibition.

Calling all artists! Do you have a project you’ve been wanting to do, but you need a little extra cash to make it possible? The Artist Supper Club is here for you. The Supper Club is a quarterly potluck dinner where artists pitch ideas, everyone votes on the project they most want to see accomplished, and a grant of no less than $500 is awarded to the proposal with the most votes.

We are JuicyCanvas, the first online marketplace that enables art consumers to finally be involved in the creative process and customize, aka Remix, copyrighted artworks that can then be printed onto fine-quality framed art prints, apparel, and other select lifestyle ‘canvases’.

Landor Associates is bringing Santa into the 21st Century with their hi-tech, interactive windows this holiday season. People passing by can Instagram their selfies with the tag #LandorXMAS and be sorted as Naughty or Nice in one of Landor’s 4 Christmas windows. The windows tell a contemporary Christmas narrative, taking viewers along a magically modern journey to the North Pole with Santa and his elves.

Dacia Gallery in New York’s Lower East Side presents its Annual Holiday Celebration and Black & White Group Exhibition, from December 12 to January 17, 2014. The show offers an eclectic mix of contemporary artists working only in black & white, from renowned realist painters to rising stars in the art world. The opening reception is Thursday, December 12, 6:00–9:00pm.

Take a Walk in the Snow and Shop for the Holidays! The 7th Street Makers Market will take place at Covington Arts, 27 W. 7th Street in downtown Covington on Saturday, December 7, 11 am to 7 pm. The market hosts approximately 20 vendors selling unique items including embellished antique frames, custom jewelry, candles and more.

Free CAC Docent-led tours of the 21C and the CAC have been so successful they’ve decided to continue them through December.

ArtsWave invites readers to give friends and family the gift of the ArtsPass: for a $75 contribution, the pass offers discounts at local arts organizations, shops, restaurants, the Cincinnati Reds and more.

In 9 seasons Manifest’s projects have included works by artists in 49 states and 37 countries (culled from entries from 87 countries and all 50 states). Starting with its 10th season, and as a result of its new gallery expansion by 66%, Manifest is launching a new ongoing series of exhibits focusing on works by artists living in its own three-state region.

Still trying to find the perfect Christmas gift? For one of a kind gifts created by local artists try the Essex Art Walk this weekend located at the corner of McMillan and Essex.