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.
2024 Ohio Artist Registry Juried Exhibition
Morgan Free
ArtistBio
Morgan Rose Free is a Canadian artist predominantly working in sculptural assemblage. Her conceptual interests lie in human engagement with the outside world, often grappling with ideas around our current climate crisis, loss, desire, and our preoccupation with consumption.
Based in Columbus OH, she is a cofounder of Dream Clinic Project Space and currently holds the title of Assistant Professor of 3D Art and Interim Gallery Director at Muskingum University. She has participated in exhibitions and residencies across North America and has been awarded grants from The Canada Council for the Arts, MyMA and the Greater Columbus Arts Council. She received her MFA in Sculpture/Dimensional Studies at Alfred University and her BFA in Fibre from the Alberta College of Art and Design with honors.
Artist Statement
My mixed media works confront contemporary climate anxieties while celebrating the allure of the natural world, serving as a multifaceted response to our climate crisis. Offering solace, reflection, and critique, my sculptures blend found objects with handmade elements, juxtaposing textures and materials to depict the complex interplay between human desires and our planet’s needs. A recurring motif in my work is woven imagery intricately integrated into sculptures. Instead of traditional loom weaving, I meticulously create woven portals in MDF or plywood, a labor-intensive process that challenges the instant gratification of the digital age. Using acrylic yarn in vivid hues, I craft pixelated landscapes, inviting viewers to both immerse themselves in and question the scenes. My ceramics flower vases and candelabras take the form of slugs, spiders and other creatures often perceived as unsettling. These are transformed into sacred objects that celebrate and mourn a disappearing population of creepy crawly things that we need to learn to love. As we all must navigate how our guilt and our joy can exist together, my work embodies the present moment, merging woven portals, ceramics, found objects, and other diverse materials to critique capitalism, contemporary comforts, and societal systems.
