CoBe Gallery

If you love art, downtown Cincinnati and contributing to great causes, this month’s Final Friday at the Pendleton Art Center is the place to be.
Along with the usual Final Friday festivities on October 26, patrons of the Pendleton Art Center, located at 1310 Pendleton Street, will have the opportunity to donate to the Suicide Prevention Coalitions of Northern Kentucky and Hamilton County.
Refreshments and entertainment will also be provided and several artists are donating a portion of there sales that night to suicide prevention.
“In the United States, a suicide is completed every 16.7 minutes, and no less than five other people are affected by that suicide,” explained Sue Davis, member of the NKY Suicide Prevention Coalition. “Suicide rates in the country are higher than homicide rates, so it’s important to raise funds to help prevent this ongoing tragedy.”
Andrea Becker, an artist at CoBe Gallery, 315 at The Pendleton Art Center, is one of the artists donating a portion of the evening sales to suicide prevention. Her interest in suicide prevention is both professional and personal.
“Working as a counselor as well as an artist gives me the opportunity to draw attention to the issue of suicide prevention in a unique way,” explained Becker. “Not only has my life been touched by suicide in a personal way, but I also counsel people every day who have been affected by suicide. Through awareness and education, we can make a difference in helping to prevent suicide. Together we can make a difference. A life is too much to lose.”

The event runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Valet parking is available for $4.
For more information contact Sue Davis at 491.0089 or
Andrea Becker at 431-4770

CoBe gallery will be open on Tuesday, September 25th from 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm for the TriState Association for Corporate Renewal (TACR) Wine-Tasting Social event at the Pendleton Art Center to view art and talk with artists. This event is promoted this to over 1,000 attorneys, bankers, turnaround specialists, acquisitions and others in the corporate renewal profession. More information is available on their website.

Robert Coomer will be at the Mason Art Festival on Sunday, September 23rd, from 10am to 5pm! Visit their website for more information or see their postcard below.

Andrea Becker will be at the Loveland Art Show Sunday September 23rd, 11am-5pm. View their website for more information.

Sara Pearce has agreat blog about art news in and around Cincinnati. Today she mentions Robert Coomer’s recent awards:

Sara Pearce’s Art Blog

On, Thursday, July 26th, deep beneath the hills of Indiana, Robert Coomer received his 5th national medal for cave photography. His image, humorously named “Double, Double, Toil and Trouble, Waters Churn, and Cavers Bubble” won the Best of Show medal in the National Speleological Society’s (NSS) B+W Print Salon. This makes his 4th for the B+W print salon, the other was in the Digital Print Salon. His image, “Dance with Light” took 3rd place. Both images were shot in a cave in southern Kentucky.

The following night at an awards dinner, Robert Coomer was name as a Fellow of the NSS. Fellows of the NSS are designated for their efforts over the years to further the goals of the Society through cave exploration, science, conservation, or administration. No more than 10 percent of the NSS members may be Fellows. The current percentage is quite a bit below 10%. Robert Coomer has served as editor, webmaster, and as a board member for the Greater Cincinnati Grotto, the local chapter of the NSS. He has also worked hard to help various non-profit caving groups and cave conservancies.

The awards dinner and photo competition took place during the National Speleological Society’s annual convention which was held this year in Marengo, Indiana. Both ceremonies were held about a half mile deep underground in the Marengo Warehouse & Distribution Center, one of America’s largest underground commercial storage facilities. It was once a large limestone mine and quarry.

Robert Coomer said. “I’m proud, and honored to have received both awards.”

Robert Coomer grew up in Brown County, Ohio and now lives in Batavia. Though locally Robert is know for his images of rural barns and farmscapes from Adams, Brown, and Clermont counties, he has been shooting cave photos for almost 10 years. When asked why he has chosen to take cave photos, he said, “Because it’s a challenge! It’s like being in another world. My images become abstract studies in darkness and light, even though they may quite literally be exactly what I saw. It’s a world very alien to most people. They’ll look at my images and wonder if they are real. Besides being a visual challenge, they are also a logistical one. Because caves are dark by nature, I have to provide my own light. Many times I may have a crew of 3 to 10 other cavers helping me to fulfill my vision, by carrying and holding flashbulbs and other equipment. Without their help, I couldn’t do it.”

Robert goes on to say, “Caves and are very fragile environment and are heavily affected by the world above them. I hope my images will help others to appreciate the beauty that may be just beneath their feet, and consider their environmental impact.” Robert Coomer is a charter member of the Rockcastle Karst Conservancy, an organization to help protect caves and provide cave education in the Rockcastle County area of Kentucky.

If you would like to see more of Robert’s images, visit his website at www.RobertCoomer.com . His prints can be seen and purchased and Row House Gallery in Milford, the Pendleton Art Gallery at Newport on the Levee, or online at www.ArtofOhio.com. On Final Fridays, Robert, his wife Tabka, and their partner Andrea Becker, run CoBe Gallery on the third floor of the Pendleton Art Center.

For more information on caves and caving, visit the NSS website, www.caves.org or the Greater Cincinnati Grotto’s website, www.GCGcavers.com. To learn more about cave conservation, visit www.RKCi.org

Please join CoBe Gallery in welcoming student guest artist, Carlissa Bartlett for the May Final Friday gallery walk. Carlissa is a 3rd grade student at Prince of Peace school in Covington, KY. Her love of art has been nurtured by a supportive art teacher and loving family. Carlissa recently recieved an Outstanding Young Citizen award for her dedication to community service and academic excellence. Her hard work and dedication is reflected in the artwork she has created for this show. Carlissa’s pieces will be on display on Friday, May 25 from 6-10pm at CoBe Gallery at 315, 1310 Pendleton St, Cincinnati, OH. Carlissa will be present from 8-9pm to greet visitors and answer questions.

Andrea Becker’s leather sculpture titled “Cheveyo” will be on display at the Greater Hamilton Art Exhibit form April 29-June 15, 2007, with a reception on Sunday, April 29, 3-5pm. The reception is free, informal, and open to the public.

Ralph Silvis has always done more that was expected, whether as a teacher, pastor or as a person. He would have made a significant impact on the people of Brown County if he had only fulfilled expectations, but he never stopped there. He always exceeded expectations.

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