KATHY EARNHART | The Butlers October exhibitions offer variety of art for public view

The Butler Institute of American Art and its branches are offering a variety of shows by artists of international reputation, regional importance and historical significance.
From technological installation art to classic photography, fiber art and avant-garde paintings, the Butler's exhibition program is bursting with energy this month with something for art lovers of every age and taste.
Beginning today through February 2003, The Butler's Beecher Center is featuring & quot;Love and Terror, & quot; the first Ohio exhibition of works by new media artists Jennifer and Kevin McCoy.
This exhibition showcases two projects, & quot;The Kiss & quot; and & quot;Horror Chase. & quot; Within the Butler's interlocking Flad galleries, visitors to the exhibition will encounter the shifting boundaries between love and terror, the sublime and the base.
Dr. Louis Zona, museum director, said, "The Butler is thrilled to host the art of this amazing couple who have helped to redefine new art media, presenting works which are both visually and intellectually challenging."
A reception to honor the artists will be from 1 to 3 p.m. today at the Butler in Youngstown.
In 1999, in conjunction with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Center, the artists took a studio on the 91st floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center.
& quot;Because it was an office space, we thought we would just create a fake office, & quot; Jennifer McCoy stated. The & quot;company & quot; the McCoys devised, "Airworld," reflected the corporate aesthetics that surrounded it, and blended seamlessly into the environment.
Coincidence
The company logo, two jetliners traveling in opposite directions, seemed innocent at the time. After Sept. 11, the visual element gained both an ironic and horrible meaning.
In 1999 the McCoys received the New York Foundation for the Arts grant in computer arts and a Jerome grant through the Walker Arts Center and were artists in residence at Harvestworks Media Center.
In 2000 they received a commission from The Alternative Museum in New York City to produce a Web-based art project.
The McCoys were the recipients of the 2001 Colbert Foundation Award for Excellence in New Media, The Downtown Arts Projects Emerging Artists Award and a 2002 Creative Capital award in Emerging Fields.
Their work was recently collected by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Articles about their work have appeared in Spin Magazine, Feed and The Independent.
The McCoys live in New York City. They received masters of fine arts degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., through the university's integrated electronic arts program.
The McCoys, who have been creating art together since 1990, have developed a body of work that is best described as a conversation that begins with their collaboration and extends to include the viewer.
From the beginning, the two have been interested in video and computers and how these media can be utilized to comment about the world around us.
Projects by the McCoys include installations, performances and Internet art that explores the ideas of genre, interactivity and automation.
Another display
Now on view now through Nov. 17 at the Butler in Youngstown is the long-awaited exhibition "Ronald Davis: Forty Years of Abstraction."
This retrospective of works by one of America's most accomplished painters includes the well- known constructions as well as new digitally mastered works and a group of gicle & eacute; prints.
The exhibition was organized by the Butler Institute. Director Zona will offer a public tour of this exhibition Thursday, beginning at noon.
Also showing
Through Oct. 27 a unique, autobiographical exhibition titled "Ben Schonzeit: The Secret Schonzeit" continues on view in Youngstown.
Surrealism plays a major part in this exhibition of works on paper by a master of photo realism. The exhibition is sponsored in part by Alltel.
The Butler's Mesaros Galleries, on the museum's lower level, is featuring miniature paintings from Gregory Halili's "Butterfly Collection" through Nov. 10.
Today is the last opportunity to view "Holger Keifel: Rescue Workers at the World Trade Center 9.11.01" and "Abe Frajndlich: Before, During & amp; After 9/11," two photographic exhibitions that document the attacks.
Also of interest to fans of photography is the current show titled "Christopher Rauschenberg: Rephotographing Atget." Traveling in the footsteps of the great French photographer, Rauschenberg has created a fascinating look at present-day France.
At the branches
On view at the Butler's Salem branch through Oct. 26 are outstanding works by regional painters Susan Danko, Lisa Meek and Margo Miller.
And at the Butler's Trumbull branch, at 9350 East Market St. in Howland, works from the Art Quilt Network (assembled by Smith-Kramer of Kansas City) glow in the highly praised, minimalist branch museum's galleries.
In Youngstown
The Butler in Youngstown will feature the exhibition "Tribute to the 1960s" Nov. 16-30.
The exhibition, drawn from the Butler permanent collection, will showcase art from that dynamic decade, a pivotal time of cultural change as well as innovation in the visual arts, music, theater and politics.
Included in the exhibition are works by Andy Warhol, Linda McCartney, Peter Max, Graham Nash, Larry Rivers, Roy Lichtenstein, Kenneth Noland, Jim Dine, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist and Richard Anuszkiewicz.
This exhibition's opening event, set for 7 to 11 p.m. Nov. 16, will feature AbbeyRoad the ultimate Beatles tribute band. The evening also includes food, prizes, giveaways and Beatles movies.
Cost of the event is $10 per person in advance and $12 per person at the door. A cash bar and free parking will be provided. For tickets, call (330) 743-1711, Ext. 122.
Free family days are planned in October for both Salem and Youngstown facilities. Contact the Butler (330) 743-1711, Ext. 114 for program information or for a fall-winter art class schedule.
XButler hours in Youngstown are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Butler hours at the Trumbull branch are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Butler Salem hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to all three facilities is free.