Local artist and activist Paul Kroner never envisioned that his art studio would become as much of a community cornerstone as it is today.
“When I ran out of space at my old studio in Lower Price Hill, I found this place, which has 1,200 square feet of gallery space in addition to a large studio … It’s a lot of walls to hang artwork on, and I didn’t want it to just be a Paul Kroner museum,” he said. “So I became an accidental gallerist.”
While there’s been plenty of local and national artists showcased at Studio Kroner since he opened it five years ago on Court Street near Over-the-Rhine, it’s almost become more of a community center than an art gallery.
Countless plays, panel discussions and musical performances have been held in the space, and Kroner has collaborated with organizations like the Cincinnati School for Performing Arts on local outreach. There’s even been two books of poetry developed from events held at the studio. But he’s never held his own exhibition at Studio Kroner—until now.
“What Have I Done?” opens this Thursday, April 17 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Studio Kroner’s opening. The exhibition is his first solo showing at his own studio, and will spotlight sculptures, paintings, illustrations and more from the 1982 University of Cincinnati grad. Its title holds multiple meanings for the prolific artist.
“I’m always blown away by how many really talented people trust me to represent their work for a month or to use this space for their art. Oftentimes I sit and think to myself, ‘How did I get here? How did this happen?'” he said. “The title has the casual context of ‘Hey, what have you been doing?’ and I can say, well, let me show you what I’ve done. But also, it asks why. Why would I do it this way? Why would I focus on the community? Why wouldn’t I just showcase my own work in my own studio all the time?”
Studio Kroner is often home to work that ties into pressing social topics—like “All Else Pales,” an exhibition focused on environmental causes that recently won Best Gallery Show at CityBeat’s own Best Of awards. But many of the gallery’s patrons are unfamiliar with Kroner’s work, as he doesn’t often display his own paintings.
“The gallery has been a really good way for me to get involved with the local arts community and make me feel like I’m part of the city. But there’s a lot of people unfamiliar with my own artwork,” he said. “I’m here out front entertaining hundreds of people for a gallery opening, but I’m also in the back creating work that I’d like to have seen and shown. Five years in is a real milestone, and it seems like now is the moment to sit and reflect on everything I’ve done as both a gallerist and an artist. It just feels like it’s finally time.”
He’s most excited to show off a series of sculptures he calls “Liminals,” which he forged using a new creative process. Each piece began by sculpting in wax at a small scale, casting directly from wax to bronze, then scanning the pieces to make a new version at a much larger scale. Alongside plenty of illustration and acrylic work, he’s also completed four new paintings to be revealed at the gallery’s opening.
“They’re all sort of a reflection for me on what it is to be in the public so much, and what it means to be an individual within the context of my own personal world and the world at large,” he said. “I don’t wed myself to any particular style of art. It might be a really direct, observational, representational portrait, it might be an abstracted sculpture, and it might be a surrealistic painting or sculpture. It might even be an animation. My style ranges all over the place, and this will encompass all those different varieties of artistic expression.”
In the gallery’s future, Kroner hopes to continue doing what he’s already doing, which is “creating shows with a variety of different artists who have different demographics and different followers, so that I start to cross pollinate all these different neighborhoods or communities or segments of the city and have them overlap.”
For example, the next work on display following his solo exhibition will be a celebration of Native American culture from local artist Ken Landon Buck. Titled “Serpent Mound: Observations of the Seen, the Unseen, the Mystical, and the Reverent,” it will focus on indigenous culture in Ohio and the cultural significance of the nearby historic landmark.
Shortly after that, the studio will showcase artwork from youth in the Fernside program, a grief counseling organization for children who have lost siblings, parents, or other family members at a young age.
The exhibitions Kroner chooses for the gallery are part of his goal to support Cincinnati’s art scene—in all forms, from all people.
“When I started this gallery, I had a vision of creating a space that could hold conversations. Having an orchestra conductor or a choreographer or a poet come together and talk about their fields, and trying to look at arts as a collective. On top of that, people have a need and a thirst for somewhere to talk about societal issues,” he said. “And yes, we’ll continue to showcase art, but I really want it to be the tip of the spear of a larger conversation. Oftentimes, the most interesting thing here is what’s happening in between the walls of the gallery.”
“What Have I Done?” opens this Thursday. For more information, visit Studio Kroner’s official website.
