The “Artisan Collection” of the Community Hospitals and Wellness Centers was recently expanded with new artists from the Tri-State area. Work by Wayne and Karen Coryell, Ralph Brown, and Ted Fisher have been added to the collection following a purchase at ArtSpace in Montpelier.
Chris Kannel, President of the Williams County Arts Council – which runs ArtSpace – recently delivered the seven new pieces to the hospital at Bryan. “We are very excited that ArtSpace can be part of expanding the largest public collection of art in the region,” Mr. Kannel commented, adding: “ArtSpace represents some of the best artistic talent in the Tri-State. That talent is proven when many of those artists also have a place in the permanent collection at the hospitals in Bryan, Montpelier and Archbold.” Phil Ennen, CEO of CHWC frequently purchases work directly from artists, but appreciates the convenience that ArtSpace provides. According to Mr. Ennen, “ArtSpace puts the artists all in one place – you can see all of the great work in one visit.”
Wayne and Karen Coryell live in Northwest Township, although they met and spent most of their lives in the Seattle, Washington area. Wayne and Karen have travelled extensively, and so their subjects are varied. Ralph Brown is a Montpelier native working in the Fort Wayne area. Ted Fisher was the shop teacher at Stryker for many years and now works from his home woodshop in Wauseon.
While the final destinations for the new artwork have not been decided, they will join the ranks of the finest talent from Northwest Ohio, Northeast Indiana and Southern Michigan. Each work of art at the three CHWC locations is paid for through contributions by individuals, families and businesses and those contributions are credited with a plaque next to each piece.
ArtSpace reopens after the holidays with regular hours on Friday from 4PM – 8 PM, Saturday from 9 AM – 1 PM and by appointment. The Arts Council also invites the public to its annual meeting to be held at ArtSpace on Tuesday, January 22 starting at 6:30 PM.
Comments or questions may be directed to artspace.wmscounty@gmail.com or to the Facebook page of the Williams County Arts Council.