Labor Day came and went, and starting with that first weekend in September, there were exhibition openings all over town.

        Last weekend the Contemporary Arts Center presented the last show in its Fifth and Walnut streets space with more than 560 people attending the jam-packed reception. Loop: Back to the Beginning, curated by New York Gallery P.S. 1 chief curator Klaus Biesenbach, brings together 18 artists who use the loop for an investigation into altered perceptions of time.

        In Covington at the Carnegie Center for the Arts, directorBill Seitz had a big success on his hands. Installations & Performances, a show he wanted to do for three years, took up every inch of the museum's space, including the theater. More than 1,000 people attended the opening, a record-breaker for the center.

        The exhibition of 37 regional artists provided fresh approaches to installation art that easily translated to the eclectic group of gallery goers. Standouts were Carol Grape's portrayal of a family through needlepoint pillows set on bright red children's chairs and Jan Brown Checco's “Madonna and Chimp Chapel,” a mixed-media altar depicting the path from “vine to divine” by way of a Raphael-inspired painting of a saint holding a chimpanzee.

        Mr. Seitz intends to explore the possibility of an installation and performance festival using multiple venues and taking advantage of what he sees as a surge in regional artists working in installation.

        Also that weekend, Suzanna Terrill mounted a show of paintings by Robert Knipschild, and painter Donna Talerico held a show reception at Mullane's Parkside Cafi, 723 Race St., downtown.

        Last weekend there was another wave of openings, including Emily Buddendeck's Beauty and the Beholder at the Weston Art Gallery, where you can also see video installations by Charles Woodman and Gagik Aroutiunian; Stephen Pentak's paintings at Linda Schwartz Gallery, along with a mural painted by Stewart Goldman on the walls of the project room; Nathaniel Dunson at the African American Museum at Union Terminal; new work by Sarah Colby at Warsaw Project Space; Gilda Horn and Barbara Bonar at the York St. Cafi; 300 regional artists at Maple Knoll Village in Springdale; and Don Marsh at the relatively new Upstairs at the Greenwich, Walnut Hills.

        It's hard to believe anyone could suggest there isn't a vital art scene in Cincinnati. And with numerous openings all month, new venues and record-breaking crowds, it appears we don't have to wait until 2003 to see a rebirth in visual arts.

        First show: Netherlands-born painter Yvonne Van Eyden is curating her first show at Ohio River Grass (Oct. 5-Nov. 8) at 220 Wenner St., East End. Phone: 871-1158. The show, including the work of Cooper Burchenal, Fred Ellenberger, Stuart Fink; Diane Fishbein, Robert Fry,Peter Huttinger and Julia Ranz, is called Art in the Grass. Dennis Harrington from the Weston Art Gallery and Matt Distel from the CAC assisted Ms. Van Eyden.

        Examiner folds: The New Art Examiner has ceased publication after three decades covering regional art. It's the same old story: money. “Over the course of its 30 years the Examiner has repeatedly survived by the skin of its teeth through tough times that claimed many other, equally valued nonprofit arts organizations,” says Kathryn Rosenfeld, an editor since 2000. “This time, we finally find ourselves in the latter category.”

        Taft on TV: The Taft Museum of Art was featured in a segment on New York City TV. While the museum is undergoing renovation, several pieces from the permanent collection are on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Michel David-Weill, the museum's curator of medieval art and the Cloisters, called the Taft's 13th century “Ivory Virgin” “the finest example of this kind of work of art in America.”

        Vatican art: A collection of rarely seen art from the Vatican museums will come to the University of Dayton next September. The Mother of God: Art Celebrates Mary is a collection of 38 multicultural pieces spanning the early fourth century through the late 20th century that comprehensibly describes Mary's impact and influence on societies around the world. They include oil on canvas and copper, tempera and gold on panel, carved sections of sarcophagi in marble and statuary in wood, bronze, ivory, lead and soapstone. For more information, contact the Rev. Johann Roten at (937) 229-4214.

        Museum expanding: The Indianapolis Museum of Art is undergoing an expansion that will be completed in 2005. Plans feature three new wings, 50 percent more gallery space, and an outdoor garden court. The $74 million project will add 164,000 square feet to the museum.

        Outdoor sculpture: On Sept. 28, Without Walls '02, an exhibition of temporary, outdoor sculpture, will open for a three-week run at Mac's Farm and Sculpture Center, 10538 Plainfield Road, Blue Ash. Thirteen emerging and established artists will create sculpture in open fields, in trees and across a creek. The show is open to the public on the weekends from 11 a.m. until sunset. More information: www.macsfarm.org.

        Pottery show: For collectors of American Art Pottery, Treadway Gallery, 2029 Madison Road, O'Bryonville, will exhibit (and sell) pieces from Weller Hudson, Roseville, Fulper, Marblehead and Rookwood through October. You can take a look at www.treadwaygallery.com.

        Portrait competition: The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery has launched its first portrait competition, to be held every three years beginning in 2005. The Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition will provide a new opportunity for emerging artists to showcase their work at one of the Smithsonian's premier museums.

        The competition will be juried and open to all American artists. Submissions will be accepted beginning in the fall of 2004. The portrait may depict anyone the artist chooses. The winner will receive $25,000 and a commission to portray an eminent living American for the museum. The other 74 top submissions will be exhibited at the Ripley Center on the National Mall.

        The first competition will focus on painting and sculpture, however, in future competitions the Smithsonian will expand the media to include areas such as photography and digital imaging. More information: www.npg.si.edu.

        People: The Fitton Center for the Creative Arts in Hamilton has announced the recipients of the sixth annual Ambassador Awards for the Arts. The winners, chosen by a panel of 30 judges, will be honored at a special gala at the Hamiltonian Hotel on Sept. 25. Recipients include: Dr. Chris Tanner, Harry T. Wilks, Mary Lord, Neil Cohen, Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi, Ben Schneider, Sister Maura Barga, Richard O. Jones, and the Fine Arts Fund of Cincinnati.

        As part of an exchange between the Ohio Arts Council and the Czech Republic, Mark Fox will go to Prague to study at the Jeleni Studio.

        Ivanna Bond-Queneau returns to the Taft Museum as the 2002 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence coordinator.

        Gary Gaffney, professor at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, traveled to Cuba this month to install his one-person show at Gallery 21 of the Centro Desarrollo de Artes Visuales. The exhibit includes drawings, collages and mixed-media works on paper.

        Stuart Golder and Chris Seeman will exhibit in the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, Nov. 7-10. The show is one of the most prestigious craft shows in the United States.

        E-mail mbauer@enquirer.com

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