Consuming Culture
July 12 – September 21, 2024
An exhibit exploring popular culture, with a focus on consumerism in contemporary society
A new exhibition of work by Toledo, Ohio-area artists James Dickerson & Dustin Hostetler, Philip Hazard, Bernadine Rais and Michael Sheets. The exhibit will include new media, traditional oil painting, photography, mixed media collage and neon artwork.
The exhibit will open with a free, Public Reception on Friday, July 12, 2024 from 6 – 9 p.m.
The exhibit continues through September 21, 2024.
Comprising a variety of art mediums, the Consuming Culture exhibit offers artistic perspectives of the marketing and commercial spaces that surround us. Among the artworks on view will be a 12-foot-wide mixed media and neon work by Philip Hazard. Michael Sheets will be showing his Diner Still Life series, which depicts iconic diner food with expert technique reminiscent of 17th century still life paintings. Paintings by emerging artist Bernadine Rais will also be on view, presenting thoughtful scenes of solitude in commercial spaces, inspired by her studies of artists such as Edward Hopper.
20 North Gallery is excited to announce the debut of a series of collaborative works by Dustin Hostetler and special guest artist James Dickerson. Curated specially for Consuming Culture are photographs by Dickerson and all-new digital illustration by Hostetler.
James Dickerson (Toledo, Ohio) who also creates under the name “dirtykics,” is a self-taught photographer whose work has been published in The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar and more. Recently, in 2024, his work was featured through solo exhibition at the Toledo Museum of Art (Ohio) in the Robert C. and Susan Savage Community Gallery. He has been recognized with honors including a 2023 Mosaic Award from the American Advertising Federation of Toledo (Ohio) and a 2019 Merit Award through The Arts Commission (Toledo, Ohio). Dickerson’s documentary-like artwork as a street photographer captures spontaneous encounters with a “listen-first, photograph-second mentality.”
Philip Hazard (Toledo, Ohio) lived in New York City for over 25 years, where he enjoyed a long career in the neon sign industry. Hazard received his B.A. from The University of Toledo (Ohio) in Film and Design and his M.F.A. from Bowling Green State University (Ohio). Hazard’s diverse personal life experiences influence the content and subject matter of his multi-layered mixed media work that combines paint, photographic silkscreen, mixed media and neon.
Dustin Hostetler (Toledo, Ohio) is a lifelong designer and creative with deep roots in Detroit and Chicago. In his professional design work, Hostetler has created illustrations for clients including The Washington Post, PBS, Havas, Converse, Motorola and American Eagle and currently leads global strategic communications at Ford Design. For his exhibition artworks, Hostetler creates illustrations and typography utilizing new media techniques.
Bernadine Rais (Sylvania, Ohio) is an up-and-coming painter who received her B.S. in Biology from The University of Toledo (Ohio) in 2018. That same year, she received The University of Toledo School of Visual and Performing Arts Director’s Award, which entered her work into the University’s public collection. Working in oils, Rais creates narrative scenes, often depicting commercial spaces that have earned her honors such as Best of Show in The University of Toledo’s Art on the Mall and Second Award in the category of Painting at Crosby Festival of the Arts (Toledo, Ohio) in 2023.
Michael Sheets (Toledo, Ohio) holds Ed. and M.Ed degrees from The University of Toledo (Ohio) and has been an active and prolific painter for over three decades, with his works included in nearly 300 private, corporate and public collections throughout the Untied States, Canada and Europe. In the early 1990s, Absolut Statehood, an advertising campaign for Absolut Vodka, featured one of Sheets’ popular Stones Series paintings. Sheets’ painting of the iconic Absolut bottle rendered as an etched river stone, Absolut Ohio, was published in both USA Today newspapers and Time Magazine and has also been included in histories of that well-known ad campaign.
For purchase inquiries, please contact
20 North Gallery:
419-241-2400 or info@20northgallery.com
Consuming Culture Installation Images:
