New Hotel in Nashville Features Artworks by Jonah Ward

Two pieces of Jonah's artwork have been permanently installed at the Fraye Hotel, a brand new 200-room urban retreat in the heart of Nashville, TN, and the latest entry into Hilton’s Curio Collection. Jonah was contacted back in December 2020 by DAC Art Consulting, the same firm that contracted him to create 57 pieces for the suites of the Riverwalk Marriott in San Antonio, TX. For this Nashville project Jonah was asked to create two custom pieces inspired by the "subtle details alluding to a woman’s journey to carve her own path as a vanguard in Music City."

For the first piece Jonah draped molten hot glass between nails embedded in a vertical standing wood panel (60" x 60"), resulting in draping, abstract lines. The client loved this work because, for them, it resembled draping necklaces, fabric, horse bridles, and reins. Hotel guests will see this piece as they enter or exit the elevator bank. In the second piece, another glass burned panel (48" x 49"), Jonah burned wavy and curly lines onto rich, amber colored-wood that evokes a wild and wandering spirit. A photograph printed on plexiglass was superimposed over this panel to create the final artwork. This piece is located behind the front reception desk.

Exterior view of the new Fraye Hotel in Mid-town Nashville (left). 1 of 2 glass-burned panel art pieces near elevator bank (center). Close-up of the same piece using Jonah’s draping technique (right).

For more information or to make a reservation to see this artwork yourself, visit hotelfrayenashville.com.

Palo Alto Art Center to Feature Immersive Art Installation by Artist Jonah Ward

(Palo Alto, CA) - A new group exhibition at the Palo Alto Art Center titled “Fire Transforms,” opens September 17th and features artwork surrounding the “megafires” of California. Participating artists will interpret how fire’s transformative power works through its cycles of destruction and creativity. Artist Jonah Ward has been asked to create an immersive installation in the Glass Gallery, a separate room within the art center.

This exhibition will be guest curated by Rina C. Faletti, Ph.D., founding curator of Art Responds. Faletti has been wanting to do this show for almost four years but had to postpone due to pandemic restrictions.

"I have had Jonah Ward on my curatorial radar for many years. The way he works with natural materials, and focuses on the most important environmental issues today, has always intrigued me," Faletti explained. "I was looking for the right exhibition for him, and when I was able to offer him the opportunity to create a full scale, immersive installation in his own gallery space, I knew I had found it."

Jonah has titled his immersive experience “Born from within the Burning Forest” where visitors will walk through a “forest” of burned paper tree forms that will hang from the ceiling. Lighting from above will Illuminate delicate skeletal sculptures made of strands of clear glass contained within the trees, giving the feeling of empowered fragility. The surrounding walls will be covered in burned wood veneers and charred forest duff will cover the floors where morel mushrooms will be sprouting from the base of each tree.

“I feel the serendipity of events that has led us to this crossroad is unmistakable. All the connections, from the Glass Fire, the title of the show, the name of the gallery, my artistic perspective, I truly feel this was meant to be,” Jonah explained.

The show opens September 17 and goes until December 10, 2022. The center is located at 1313 Newell Road in Palo Alto, CA. If you’d like to learn more about the show, please visit the show’s website here.

Jonah's Work selected for "The Persistence of Beauty" Exhibition

Sofie Contemporary Arts in Calistoga, CA is pleased to announce the gallery’s first exhibition of 2022, The Persistence of Beauty. The invitational exhibition features a gathering of very diverse works by 12 accomplished Bay Area artists that have exhibited previously at the gallery, most from Napa County and the surrounding North Bay counties. The exhibition continues through June 12, 2022. An Artists’ Reception is tentatively planned for the afternoon of Sunday, April 10, from 2:00 – 4:30.

Inspired by the way artists and others have responded to the challenges of repeated fires, evacuations, closures, political upheaval, isolation and the stubborn march of Covid, gallery director and curator Jan Sofie set out to assemble an exhibition that expressed the abiding presence of tenderness, tranquility and simple beauty in the world, in spite of difficult circumstances. The work selected has a wide span of media and approach, yet all portray a shared joyful and resilient spirit. There are lush colors, both exuberant and quiet swaths of paint, antiquated objects reimagined, photographs of real sights from nature that appear unreal, text as image with hidden messaging, quilt-like constructions of cardboard, paint and linen thread, and natural materials like Madrone bark used in a dense collage

“In some ways I feel like we and the gallery are just coming back to life,” gallery director Jan Sofie said. “The exhibition repeatedly reveals what remains true and what we still cherish and celebrate. I’ve thought a lot lately about this concept of unstoppable beauty, and am grateful for the imagery and fierce attitude of hope and recognition these artists bring, often in the face of personal loss and in spite of all that has happened. I’ve been lifted by this, and want it to be shared.”

The exhibition includes artists Will Ashford, Don Bishop, Beka Brayer, Monica Bryant, Arminee Chahbazian, Terry Holleman, Anne Pentland, Todd Pickering, Susan Proehl, Inez Storer, Susan Stover and Jonah Ward. Each continued to focus on particular ideas and subjects that were their ongoing interests, but with a determined goal to keep working. Many said that it had sometimes been difficult to carry on in the past months, but when motivation or energy lagged, they tried turning to new types of studies, working more intuitively or in other, different ways than their usual patterns. Interestingly, The Persistence of Beauty also demonstrates how the realities of illness and isolation can be simultaneously experienced along with the unlikely companions of wellness and connection. “Art can powerfully express and validate this paradox,” said Sofie. “Artists constantly work with transformation, and this show is a strong example of that practice. It’s like a well, and can replenish us as we drink from it.”

Jonah Ward will have 5 works on display during this show, three large pieces from his glass burned panel series and two restored works made from madrone bark (48" x 48") that were once displayed at the Restaurant at Meadowood before it burned down in the Glass fire in 2020.

"Once Jan announced the name and idea behind this show I instantly knew which pieces I wanted to submit," Jonah stated. After announcing a renovation of The Restaurant at Meadowood in mid 2020, Jonah's work was returned to him. On September 28, 2020 the Restaurant burned to the ground along with everything in it. "This truly sad but serendipitous series of events really struck me as starkly personifying the Persistence of Beauty."

Sofie Contemporary Arts is located at 1407 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga, and open Wednesday through Sunday, from 12:00 to 6:00 pm or by arrangement. For more information, please call 707.942.4231 or email gallery manager Scott Sofie (scott@sofiegallery.com) or gallery director Jan Sofie (jan@sofiegallery.com). Visit sofiecontemporaryarts on Facebook.

The two madrone bark pieces (48” x 48”) that were once on the walls of the private dining room at the Restaurant at Meadowood fully restored for The Persistence of Beauty” exhibition.

Jonah Ward to Participate in the 2022 La Quinta Art Celebration

La Quinta, CA, August 5, 2022– For the fourth year in a row, Artist Jonah Ward has been invited to participate in the La Quinta Art Celebration (formerly the La Quinta Arts Festival®) ranked the number 1, Fine Art and number 1 Fine Craft Festival in the nation for the past 7 years*.

“We are thrilled to continue the tradition of a world-class art event in La Quinta,” said Paul Anderson, CEO of SCOPE Events, LLC. “We’re adding experiences that will enhance this amazing art celebration and we look forward to bringing together the community and over 220 artists to celebrate the creative spirit.”

Artists are selected through a rigorous jury process that reviews the works of over 1,000 applicants vying for a coveted spot. 220 of the foremost contemporary artists, including Jonah, were selected to share their works to an estimated 25,000 attendees in a spectacular outdoor gallery. This 4-day event guarantees patrons an unparalleled cultural experience. Amenities include music, performance art, and trendy food, refreshments, wine and beer.

"I'm very excited to have been invited back for a third time to be a part of this prestigious La Quinta Art event and sharing my work with this Southern California audience," Jonah stated. "I'll be pulling out all of the stops for this one!"

The 2022 event will take place Thursday through Saturday, March 6-9, 10 am to 5pm, on the grounds of the La Quinta Civic Center Campus, a short drive from Palm Springs. Jonah will be set up in booth 520 this year.

For more information on tickets and for a list of other artists participating, please visit the festival's website at laquintaartcelebration.org.

* Source: Art Fair SourceBook, a guide to juried arts and crafts fairs in the United States

Festival takes place amongst a beautiful outdoor setting featuring 220 artist booths.