By Cincinnati Art Galleries

Elizabeth Nourse's "Peasant in Penmarch, Brittany" is on view at the Cincinnati Art Galleries until Oct. 8

Look no further than your neighborhood gallery to find innovative and fun art opportunities this month. Head to RAN GALLERY (3668 Erie Ave., Hyde Park) on Saturday, and you'll support a gallery and a local school. The gallery hosts an opening of a new exhibition, Across the Great River, to benefit Villa Madonna Academy. The exhibition will feature artists who lived in Kentucky and studied in the Cincinnati area during the 19th century, including FRANK DUVENECK, HENRY FARNY and DIXIE SELDEN. Mary Ran, gallery owner and Villa Madonna alumna, hosts this event to celebrate the school's centennial year and to benefit the fine arts department, which will receive all proceeds. The opening includes cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and valet parking. Opening event is 5-9 p.m. Saturday. Tickets: $35. 513-871-5604. ...

If you'd like to devote your entire Saturday to visual art, stop by the CINCINNATI ART GALLERIES (225 E. Sixth St., Downtown) for Elizabeth Nourse: A Career Retrospective. This special exhibition and sale features more than 60 paintings of the renowned Cincinnati artist ELIZABETH NOURSE. Respected throughout Europe a century ago, Nourse worked in oil, pastel and watercolors for more than 50 years, depicting mostly peasant mothers and children. The exhibition also includes a lecture by Mary Alice Heeken Burke, author of Elizabeth Nourse, 1859-1938: A Salon Career. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about a distinguished local artist. Opening reception: noon-4 p.m. Saturday (lecture: 1 p.m.). Through Oct. 8. ...

You're in for a triple treat when you head to CARL SOLWAY GALLERY (424 Findlay St., Over-the-Rhine) for a series of new exhibitions, starting with Multiple Editions by conceptual artist JENNY HOLZER. Presenting her ideas, arguments and sorrows in a distinctive collection of prints, posters, electronic signs and marble footstools, this sounds like it's not to be missed. The gallery also opens Beyond Tradition: Contemporary Art Quilts, an exhibition that showcases innovation in technique, materials and content in the art quilt movement. Designs range from abstract to representational, and everything in between. Work by more than 20 artists promise an eye-catching variety. Last, but certainly not least, peek into the photography gallery for JOSEPH STERLING's Age of Adolescence. Sterling's images invoke, both artistically and symbolically, an adolescent's world. Always offering fresh and innovative work, you won't be disappointed at this gallery. Opens 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday. Through December. ...

Looking to improve your technique? The POWDER FACTORY STUDIO (1409 Grandin Road, Maineville) offers instruction in drawing and painting for students of all ages and skill levels. Founder Greg Storer will offer a special three-day "plein air" workshop, which teaches artists how to make a painting without copying nature. Participants will paint at locations along the scenic Little Miami River and Kings Mills, producing four works in two days. Storer suggests using oil, acrylic or pastel as a medium for this workshop, Sept. 14-16. Info: 513-583-0259. ...

This weekend's fourth annual ART ALL OVER TOUR (noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday) in Oxford sounds more than a little appealing. The self-guided tour offers a look at artists' creative spaces within a 15-mile radius of Oxford. Over 30 artists will offer up their "spaces" for tour. For a map and info: 513-523-3740.

Mini Reviews
Currently on view at the new PEARLMAN GALLERY (1212 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine) is By Their Labor: Construction Photographs by HOWARD WELLS. As the premier exhibition at the ART ACADEMY OF CINCINNATI, this show definitely gives the impression that the AAC is primed and ready for action. Wells' exquisite photographs document the phases of the school's transition, the key players (visionaries, donors and construction workers) and captures the grace and beauty that makes up the building's inner workings. The exhibition is about conveying a message. Wells has delivered the reality of challenges involved in of making such a bold move, as well as the apprehension experienced those who set foot on the grounds of the former location. Through Sept. 23. (JACQUELYN VAUGHN) Grade: B