The Ohio Artist Registry (OAR) is an exciting opportunity for artists to share their work, connect with the creative community, and establish an online presence—all on a free, virtual platform! The OAR encourages artists working in all art forms, throughout Ohio and beyond, to create a profile, which allows them to better promote themselves and their work. Being listed in the OAR provides artists with new opportunities to share their work with clients, galleries, patrons, and audiences. A listing in the OAR does not confer an endorsement, approval, or verification by the Ohio Arts Council.
For more information, contact Kathy Signorino, artist programs director, at kathy.signorino@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-6140.
2025 Ohio Artist Registry Juried Exhibition
Erin Smith Glenn
Professor + Entrepreneur Central State University and TheScarvinArtist LLCVisual ArtsFairborn OH 45324 United States Cell Phone: 9378566456 Birthday: March 31, 1985 Website: TheScarvinArtist
Bio
Erin M. Smith Glenn is an associate professor of art as well as an alum of Central State University, which is currently 1 of only 16 HBCUs nationwide with a fully accredited Fine Arts program. One of her recent and most notable accomplishments was being invited by the President of the CSU National Alumni Association to deliver the keynote speech for the 137th annual Charter Day celebration in March 2024. She holds a terminal degree of a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Cincinnati with a concentration in 2D studio art, working in a variety of media and mixed media. Since 2009, the same year her daughter was born as well as the same year she earned her respective M.F.A., Erin has exhibited works in Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Vermont, Texas, Louisiana, and Illinois, including an internationally renowned exhibit in Norfolk, Virginia, as well as numerous solo exhibitions. In 2022, she was awarded Best in Show for her 4×8 foot painting of her daughter in the “New Woman” art exhibit hosted collaboratively by the Pendleton Arts Center and the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Cincinnati OH. Upon completion of the new Clifton Cultural Arts Center building in early 2024, a gallery in honor of Elizabeth Nourse, a Cincinnati-native and the first woman to gain international fame through her artwork (1859-1938), is now housed within the new CCAC. The Elizabeth Nourse gallery will be dedicated primarily to women artists, which is profound considering only 11% of art by women is established in galleries and museums nationwide. As the inaugural artist of the new CCAC, the public was formally invited to attend the opening reception on March 9th, 2024. In an effort to increase the representation and visibility of Black women in more spaces that were historically reserved for non-Black women artists, Erin is excited to have had 1 of 89 works of art on display in “Riveting”, an exhibition of women artists worldwide from the esteemed collection of Sara V. Waddell that was exhibited from Juneteenth to September 8th, 2024.
Recognition of Erin’s works along with interviews, can be found at notable publications and sites including Create! Magazine, The Layered Onion, a social benefit organization where art and mental health intersect, as well as publicly installed works throughout Downtown Dayton, Dayton Public Schools and in CSU’s Foundation Hall II (a professor/student collaborative effort, 2011). Through her brand ambassadorship with Royal Talens, a leading international art supplier, expansion as both an artist and professor always finds it’s way from the studio back into the classroom, as a way to expose students to world-class creative materials. Speaking of world-class, Professor Smith Glenn was very excited to lead a trip to Paris, France in December of 2024 to study the Black art history and influences that have shaped modern-day Paris, as Black people have done world-wide throughout time. This trip follows her first successful faculty-led trip to Rome and Florence, Italy in 2022. Unlike her initial 2008 experience during her graduate studies as the only person of color in attendance, all participants of the CSU-led group to Italy in 2022 were women of color and Paris 2024 more than doubled and still included and all-Black class of students, respectfully, an important life mission of hers.
Among Erin’s lifelong pursuits is to continually practice her artwork and overall creative experiences, vowing never to stop “growing as an artist and individual”, while always striving to instill this concept in her students and her three children, Zion, Zachary and Zavier Glenn, as she does within herself. The “New Woman” award stated above has already begun to provide students with opportunities to engross themselves on the art scene. A major goal in her legacy is to greatly improve the involvement and status of people of color, especially Black women, throughout the art world, now and beyond her earthly presence. Erin proudly stands on the shoulders of many while she strives to be that same catalyst for others like herself.
Artist Statement
ERIN SMITH GLENN, MFA
C | 937.856.6456
W | http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheScarvinArtist
As a Black woman living and working in the Midwest, I am so thrilled simply for the opportunity to apply to exhibit in your space. I have attached 3 samples of my work that I believe strongly reflect themes of unity, justice, social equity, and the impact of Black art in promoting cultural diversity.
The first image from the left is titled “Sweet Songs of the Guardian Spirits”, acrylic painting on 36″x48″ canvas. It was created to celebrate a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar about his mentor, Fred Douglass and the “guardian spirits”, our ancestors (represented here as birds). The person, the scene and the birds are all native to my home state of Ohio, where I have experienced much trauma but also, much healing and growth. This painting also symbolizes the decriminalization of the Black man, as he sits and enjoys nature, unharmed and unaffected by anything else that may be going on around him.
The image called “The Spectrum of Nina Simone” is an acrylic 24″x24″ painting on canvas. Not only was she an unmatched pianist and innovative musician, but a fierce advocate for her people. So much so, that it led to her eventual diagnosis of bipolar disorder. As a Black woman who was diagnosed 2 years ago at age 37 with c-ptsd and major depressive disorder, to say I have been on a massive healing journey is an understatement. I went from being dormant in my craft to having drawn and painted over 2 dozen works as well as some innovative crochet designs (I’m also an established fiber artist). She and I have both hit major crossroads in our lives trying to be our unique selves in a cruel world. But I’m so glad our legacies and works continue to press on, just like the works of Dr. Martin Luther King.
“Afro Inspo” is hair as a political statement. Nuff said. The unique take on it, however, is the style I innovated called “acrylic squared” (patent pending). It is my example of “breaking the canvas” in order to achieve the idea of rebellion in the name of transformative healing.
And finally, “Sacred Warrior” is a 4’x6′ oil painting of my youngest child, Zavier. He may be the youngest, but he is no pushover at all; a complete force to be reckoned with and someone who doesn’t allow his young age to get in the way of his already accumulated successes. I am happy to say that this piece, along with two other 4’x6′ paintings of my children, were a major part of my healing journey in a new body of work I established this year called “From The Inside Out | Healing the Inner Traumatized Child”.
Peace, joy & love…Erin M. Smith Glenn, MFA