PIQUA — The Piqua Public Library will host the 2021 Ohio Watercolor Society’s 44th annual juried exhibition.

The OWS, a nonprofit educational organization, was founded in 1978. Members work to advance the stature of watercolor as a major painting medium, assist in the education of Ohio residents in aqueous painting, and foster a greater appreciation and interest in both the individual artist and the general public. The society sponsors an annual juried exhibition, watercolor workshops, critiques, demonstrations, and lectures.

The Ohio Watercolor Society show is on display in the Rollin Art Gallery. Horace Rollin was a local artist who donated 37 paintings to Piqua City Schools in 1928. Initially displayed in the lobby of the High School on College Street, school administrators gave the art to the Piqua Historical Museum in the 1980s. They were displayed in a gallery named for the artist. The Piqua Public Library took over the management of the Piqua Historical Museum in 1989. When the Library moved to the restored Fort Piqua Plaza, a new Rollin Gallery was created.

The Piqua Public Library celebrates local, national, and global artists on all three floors of the building. The permanent art collection includes nearly 300 works, many of which are on view throughout the year.

“OWS has been part of the Piqua art scene for over five years. The Library has been honored to be a part of this traveling exhibit which brings some of Ohio’s finest art to locations around the state,” Piqua Library Director Jim Oda said.

The Piqua Public Library has been hosting the OWS annual juried exhibition since 2013. This year’s 32 works need to be viewed on-site to appreciate them fully. The exhibit runs through April in the Rollin Gallery.