The Contemporary Arts Center celebrates innovation, free inquiry and diversity for its 2001-02 season.

        On view will be contemporary art from Cuba, Japanese animation form anime and a comprehensive look at the new style of “sprawl.” The center will take its exploration of environmental art into the community with reclamation projects.

        With the ground-breaking for the center's new home scheduled for later this week, center director Charles Desmarais says next season speaks to the strength of the center's curatorial staff, completed earlier this year by the hire of Thom Collins from Cincinnati Art Museum.

        The exhibition season:

        Sept. 8-Nov. 11, Samuel Mockbee: Architecture of the Black Warrior River; Rob Pruitt: 101 Art Ideas You Can Do Yourself; and Iran do Espirito Santo

        Nov. 17-Jan. 13, Cada Bario Revolucion

        Nov. 17-April 7, Paul Tzanetopoulos: Screen Room

        Jan. 19-April 7, My Reality: The Culture of Anime; Liam Gillick

        April 13-June 16, Sprawl

        June 22-Aug. 25, 2002, Ecovention and Evocations: Sharon Ellis, 1991-2001.

        Architect Samuel Mockbee uses recuperated materials — tin sheets, old tires, stuccoed hay bales, glass bottles and more — to build homes, chapels, playgrounds, fire stations through out impoverished Hale County, Ala. The CAC show will feature dozens of photos, drawings and models of the project.

        Cada Bario Revolucion is being presented in conjunction with Cuban artists' residencies at five regional universities (University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University, Art Academy of Cincinnati, University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University) and grew from two trips to Cuba by Mr. Desmarais and university faculty last year.

        “For a long time university art departments and museums didn't have a reason to communicate,” Mr. Desmarais says. Among the benefits he sees beyond the exhibiting of the art and student opportunities to work with the artists “are forging ties...” and “potentially expanding all our audiences.”

        New conversation and collaboration among them could lead to more international exhibits. “We'll see how this one works.”

        Sprawl examines the emergence of a group of international artists who create chaotic environments from fine art and found materials to address fundamental questions about human existence.

        Ecovention explores art that takes its inspiration from, and makes an impact on, the environment. The projects aspect of Ecovention will partner Contemporary Arts Center with artists, botanists, biologists, technicians, architects, urban planners, and even politicians to complete projects.

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