Enduring Legacy Decorative Arts Center of Ohio Curator Talk Series
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What makes a handcrafted object endure? The maker's vision, the story it tells, and the traditions it carries forward.
Join curators Betty Talbott and Tracy Rieger as they reflect on how Ohio has long been a national center for decorative arts that balance function and artistry. Drawing connections from early factory production shaped by the state’s natural resources and transportation networks to today’s vibrant studio practices, they will explore how these traditions continue to evolve. The talk will also highlight works from the Enduring Legacy: Celebrating 25 Years of Ohio Decorative Arts exhibition, on display at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio from May 30 - August 30, and the enduring influence of craftsmanship across generations.
About the Curators:
Betty Talbott, the Director Emeritus of Ohio Designer Craftsmen and the Ohio Craft Museum, has served as a juror, a grant panelist, a lecturer, and curator, including the
Toledo Museum of Art, Zanesville Museum of Art, and the Hunting Museum. Her exhibition “Land of Latitudes” exhibited work by contemporary Chilean artists at the Riffe
Gallery in Columbus and “Shared Vision: Passions of the Human Spirit,” a showcase of work created in Ohio studios serving artists with developmental differences, organized at the Ohio Craft Museum. Internationally, she has served as a cultural envoy for the U.S. State Department, traveling to Macedonia assisting artists with marketing and for the State of Ohio instructing Chilean potters in technical ceramic production. Her own work has been featured in numerous periodicals and is in the collection of Purdue University, the Ohio Craft Museum, and The American Museum of Ceramic Art.
Tracy Rieger is an art exhibition curator, event director, and arts administrator with more than 30 years of experience leading cultural programming and managing arts organizations. She founded and directed the Quilt Surface & Design Symposium for over two decades, earning international recognition for its innovative textile arts programming while overseeing strategy, operations, and growth. Rieger has curated more than 40 exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad and held leadership roles in museum and retail gallery settings. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Ohio State University and is known for pairing artistic vision with strong operational leadership.
About the Exhibition:
Enduring Legacy: Celebrating 25 Years of Ohio Decorative Arts
May 30 - August 30, 2026 at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio (145 E. Main St., Lancaster, OH 43130)
A handmade chair shaped by practiced hands. Clay responding to a potter’s touch. The bold interplay of color across a quilt. At their finest, handcrafted objects transcend both material and function, becoming vessels of beauty that carry the unmistakable imprint of human life. Enduring Legacy honors Ohio’s deep-rooted craft tradition, bringing together artists working in glass, fiber, wood, metal, and clay. Each piece reflects the maker’s choices, instincts, and vision. Drawing from generations of tradition, these artists reimagine the past through a contemporary lens. What once served a function now speaks with a distinct artistic voice, revealing the natural beauty of each material. Set within the historic Reese-Peters House, the exhibition celebrates DACO’s 25-year commitment to preserving this legacy while showcasing how today’s artists remain connected to the past through innovative, enduring craft.
Join curators Betty Talbott and Tracy Rieger as they reflect on how Ohio has long been a national center for decorative arts that balance function and artistry. Drawing connections from early factory production shaped by the state’s natural resources and transportation networks to today’s vibrant studio practices, they will explore how these traditions continue to evolve. The talk will also highlight works from the Enduring Legacy: Celebrating 25 Years of Ohio Decorative Arts exhibition, on display at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio from May 30 - August 30, and the enduring influence of craftsmanship across generations.
About the Curators:
Betty Talbott, the Director Emeritus of Ohio Designer Craftsmen and the Ohio Craft Museum, has served as a juror, a grant panelist, a lecturer, and curator, including the
Toledo Museum of Art, Zanesville Museum of Art, and the Hunting Museum. Her exhibition “Land of Latitudes” exhibited work by contemporary Chilean artists at the Riffe
Gallery in Columbus and “Shared Vision: Passions of the Human Spirit,” a showcase of work created in Ohio studios serving artists with developmental differences, organized at the Ohio Craft Museum. Internationally, she has served as a cultural envoy for the U.S. State Department, traveling to Macedonia assisting artists with marketing and for the State of Ohio instructing Chilean potters in technical ceramic production. Her own work has been featured in numerous periodicals and is in the collection of Purdue University, the Ohio Craft Museum, and The American Museum of Ceramic Art.
Tracy Rieger is an art exhibition curator, event director, and arts administrator with more than 30 years of experience leading cultural programming and managing arts organizations. She founded and directed the Quilt Surface & Design Symposium for over two decades, earning international recognition for its innovative textile arts programming while overseeing strategy, operations, and growth. Rieger has curated more than 40 exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad and held leadership roles in museum and retail gallery settings. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Ohio State University and is known for pairing artistic vision with strong operational leadership.
About the Exhibition:
Enduring Legacy: Celebrating 25 Years of Ohio Decorative Arts
May 30 - August 30, 2026 at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio (145 E. Main St., Lancaster, OH 43130)
A handmade chair shaped by practiced hands. Clay responding to a potter’s touch. The bold interplay of color across a quilt. At their finest, handcrafted objects transcend both material and function, becoming vessels of beauty that carry the unmistakable imprint of human life. Enduring Legacy honors Ohio’s deep-rooted craft tradition, bringing together artists working in glass, fiber, wood, metal, and clay. Each piece reflects the maker’s choices, instincts, and vision. Drawing from generations of tradition, these artists reimagine the past through a contemporary lens. What once served a function now speaks with a distinct artistic voice, revealing the natural beauty of each material. Set within the historic Reese-Peters House, the exhibition celebrates DACO’s 25-year commitment to preserving this legacy while showcasing how today’s artists remain connected to the past through innovative, enduring craft.
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Where is it happening?
Bexley Public Library, 2411 E Main St,Bexley, OH, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherBexley Public Library
