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THANK YOUWWW.CACGRANTS.ORG 216 515 8303

CUYAHOGA ARTS & CULTURE IS PROUD TO SUPPORT

ARTS COLLINWOOD • ART HOUSE • ART THERAPY STUDIOS • BAYARTS • CLEVELAND ARTISTS FOUNDATION •

CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART • LANDSTUDIO • HEIGHTS ARTS • ORANGE ART CENTER • THE SCULPTURE

CENTER • SPACES • ZYGOTE PRESS

TABLE OF CONTENTS: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Welcome to CAN Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4by Michael Gill

1point618 Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5The Golden Rule in Gordon Square, by Mary Kay DeGrandis

Arts Collinwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Putting the Arts in Collinwood, by Ann Albano

Art House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Key Neighborhood Asset, by Deborah Pinter

ArtSpace Cleveland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8ArtSpace: The Evolving Frontier, by Michael Gill

Art Therapy Studios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9The Healing Process, by Cheryl Carter

Bay Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Busy in Bay, by Christy Gray

Brandt Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Going Solo, by Christopher Lynn

City Artists at Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12At Work in the City, by Vince Reddy

Cleveland Artists Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13For the Record, by Hilary Aurand

Cleveland Arts Prize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Honoring the Past, Informing the Future, by Michael Gill

Cleveland Institute of Art Visiting Artist Program . . . . . . . . . 15by William Busta

Convivium33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Feast Your Eyes, by Gina DeSantis

Heights Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17A Village in the Heights, by Michael Gill

Kenneth Paul Lesko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18The Road Show Comes Home, by Susan Kelly

Kokoon Arts Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Out of the Kokoon, by Michael Gill

LAND Studio / Cleveland Public Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20The Art of Public Spaces, by Harriet Gould

Legation, A Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21A Marriage of Art and Music, by Jean Brandt

Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Morgan Conservatory Occupies Cleveland, by Lane Cooper

Orange Art Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Nestled (and Growing) in the Woods, by Amy Craft

The Print Club of Cleveland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Intimate Contact, by Beth Whalley

Proximity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Cleveland is in Proximity, by Robert Maschke

Red Dot Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Playing the Part of Theo, by Peggy Spaeth

River Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27A Compelling Combination, by Mark Yasenchack

Screw Factory Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Not Screwing Around, by Ross Lesko

Sculpture Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Site Specific, by Liz Maugans

SPACES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30It’s About the Ride, by Nancy Heaton William Busta Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31More of the Same, by Alenka Banko

Zygote Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Pressed into Action, by Karen Peterson

Something Is Happening Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34by Douglas Max Utter

Mapping CAN Journal Galleries and Organizations . . . . 39

The only site you need for arts and cultural events in Ohio.

Ohio Arts CouncilRhodes State Office Tower 30 E. Broad St., 33rd Floor Columbus, OH 43215-3414Phone: 614/466-2613 Fax: 614/466-4494 www.oac.ohio.gov

ArtsinOhio.com is a collaboration between • Experience Columbus • Positively Cleveland • Cincinnati USA RTN • Ohio Arts Council

Shaping Ohio’s Communities Through the Arts Culturally, Educationally and Economically.

Visit ArtsinOhio.com to search for thousands of performances, events, festivals and exhibitions that are sure to move you.

THANK YOUCollective Arts Network Journal is published by Zygote Press and the members of the Collective Arts Network, whose participation makes CAN Journal possible. CAN Journal was conceived and launched by Liz Maugans, Executive Director of Zygote Press in the interest of mutual and cooperative self-support for the region’s many visual arts organizations. Thanks to the Ohio Arts Council for start-up funds. Thanks also to Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman, whose assistance was invaluable. The first issue is published in an edition of 10,000. Copies are available at member organizations.

CAN Journal • 1410 East 30th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44114 • 216.621.2900

1POINT618 GALLERY

ARTS COLLINWOOD

ART HOUSE

ARTSPACE CLEVELAND

ART THERAPY STUDIO

BAY ARTS

BRANDT GALLERY

CITY ARTISTS AT WORK

CLEVELAND ARTISTS

FOUNDATION

CLEVELAND ARTS PRIzE

CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART

VISITING ARTIST PROGRAM

CLEVELAND PUBLIC ART

CONVIVIUM 33

HEIGHTS ARTS

KOKOON ARTS GALLERY

KENNETH PAUL LESKO GALLERY

SCREW FACTORY ARTISTS

MORGAN ART OF

PAPERMAKING

CONSERVATORY

ORANGE ART CENTER

PRINT CLUB OF CLEVELAND

PROxIMITY

RED DOT PROJECT

RIVER GALLERY

THE SCULPTURE CENTER

SPACES

WILLIAM BUSTA GALLERY

zYGOTE PRESS

Publisher

Liz MaugansEditor

Michael GillDesigner

JoAnn Dickey

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page four ::: north east ohio collective arts network journal north east ohio collective arts network journal : : : page five

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We are here, we are here we are here! that’s what Theodor Seuss Geisel’s “Whos” shouted at the top of their lungs to try to get anyone—besides the

benevolent elephant Horton—to recognize their existence atop a tiny speck of dust. Indeed, they were shouting for their lives because apart from Horton, the other animals in the jungle of Nool were rallying to seize the dust speck and boil it –along with the entire Who population—in a vat of beezlenut oil.

CAN Journal feels a little bit like that.

It’s not that there’s a band of jungle animals waiting to boil the small visual arts organizations and independent galleries in any kind of oil—unless that’s how you think of the economy. On the contrary, in some ways Cleveland has rarely been such a friendly place for local artists to make and sell their wares. Indeed, the Community Partnership for the Arts and Culture’s years of research and persuasive argument have led to much more than a cigarette tax pumping millions annually into the arts economy. The public discussion that went along with it has certainly contributed to the success artists have had in revitalizing their neighborhoods and even building small businesses.

And they have had plenty of success. All those exhibit spaces and all those working artists have produced a constant stream of shows that range from high concept to high craft. Rarely has the Northeast Ohio art audience had so much wonderful stuff to look at.

Their success extends beyond the work itself. Whether by the sweat equity of individual artists in Tremont, or by organized and cooperative institutional investment in Gordon Square, or by small, arts-oriented small businesses rocking and rolling their synergy along Waterloo, artists and arts organizations have certainly had their impact on neighborhoods. These hives of activity exist all over

town. Especially in this long downtrodden economy, artists are working hard. All that, in addition to their work itself, has earned them some well-deserved respect.

But in order for this ecosystem to be sustainable, artists depend on public discussion. They need to find new audiences, new customers, new influences, and new ideas. And therein lies a significant irony. Because just as the promise of all that artistic sweat equity and

investment is proving worthwhile—just as Cuyahoga County voters decided the arts are worthy of public support, just as individual artists have filled empty storefronts and factories at unprecedented rates—arts journalism around the region took a precipitous dive. What was once a lively public discussion met with the one-two

Working together, Northeast Ohio Arts Organizations Make Their Voices HeardBy Michael Gill

A sense of the “divine proportion” infuses the ethereally minimalist main gallery for single-artist exhibitions that also unobtrusively serves as the conference room for Robert Maschke Architects, as retractable blinds magically descend to surround the large table and chairs. The architectural studio and library occupy the second floor that opens to the gallery space below and the lower floor is a salon style gallery that exhibits 12 to 15 artists simultaneously.

As managing director of 1point 618, with his architectural staff assisting in curatorial capacities, Mr. Maschke acknowledges that this fusion of an active architectural firm and a public gallery is unique in the region. It was born of the fact that he has been sourcing art to his clients for over 20 years. 1point618 is consistently patronized by architectural clients, but the inception of the gallery itself was geared towards the non-architectural clientele.

A visionary, innovative architect, Robert Maschke carries the same sensibilities into his gallery. The clear, progressive aesthetic that fuels Mr. Maschke’s architectural designs—evident in the award-winning Brunswick University Center, the C-House, the Gordon Square Bus Shelters (to mention only a few)—affirms that he is above all an artist. His affinity for the beautiful and the iconoclastic led him to design, build, and manage an expansive gallery space at the headquarters of his architectural firm in the burgeoning Gordon Square Arts District. Mr. Maschke acknowledges that he is singular in this endeavor, combining his architectural practice with a gallery that features regional, national, international artists, open to the public.

The intent has been met as since opening in 2005, 1point618 draws from not only the active Cleveland arts community but increasingly attracts national and international buyers. Mr. Maschke emphasizes that the design of the space allows the studio and the gallery to be one, but the gallery is its own entity.

A true “urban pioneer” Maschke ventured into the Gordon Square area in 2000, well before its designation as an arts district. He presciently saw the commercial potential of the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood surrounding the Cleveland Public Theatre. He was one of the first to commit to the neighborhood, by acquiring a gutted, fire-damaged restaurant at Detroit and West 65th, and completely renovating it. The location has proven fortuitous, adjacent not only to Cleveland Public Theater, but too accessible to downtown, and to Cleveland Hopkins Airport. In turn, 1point618 has enhanced Gordon Square as a true “arts” district.

Mr. Maschke readily admits that he exhibits artists whose work he likes, pure and simple. He seems to favor the edgy but never the outrageous, and always goes for artists of technical virtuosity.

1point618’s inaugural exhibition was devoted to the artist Christos Koutsouras. As part of a business trip, Mr. Maschke and his wife Xiao Yan met and befriended the artist on his native Greek island of Samos. The couple’s admiration for Mr. Koutsouras’ evocative figural paintings grew into a business partnership. More than 450 enthusiastic art aficionados attended the opening reception.

1point618’s initial venture with an international artist was not its last. Maschke states that during the past six years, he has represented approximately one-third international, one-third national, and one-third regional artists. One who crosses such designations is Oberlin’s iconic John Pearson, whose Op Art works have been presented at the gallery in three major exhibitions.

A look at another year’s exhibitions shows Maschke’s commitment to the best of Northeast Ohio artists. The sardonically representational canvases of the Cuban-born Augusto Bordelois populated the walls of 1point618 in August of 2006, as did Judith Brandon’s lyrically apocalyptic visual riffs on natural phenomena. The same year, Douglas Max Utter’s compelling landscapes and Giancarlo Calicchia’s sensuous wood-carved and bronze cast figures all graced the interior of 1point618.

1point618 has become an established Gordon Square arts institution. And Mr. Maschke continues to be unfettered in his selection of artists, planning exhibitions well into the coming years. Indeed, boldly pushing—if not breaking—any prescriptive envelope, Maschke will hold an exhibition of custom motorcycles in June 2012. The divine proportion will meet the roar of the engine—and the Cleveland arts community thrives because of it.

Mary Kay DeGrandis is president of the Print Club of Cleveland.

The rather enigmatic name of the gallery “1point618” might resound with anyone familiar with a basic architectural

principle: it’s the Golden Rule—the proportion of height to width that is most pleasing to the eye .

THE GOLDEN RULE IN GORDON SQUAREarchitect robert maschke combines art and architecture in 1point618

By Mary Kay DeGrandis

1pOiNT618 gALLEry

Location Gordon Square Arts District, 6421 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44102Phone 216.281.1618Web 1 www.point618gallery.com Email robert@1point618gallery.comFacebook 1point618 BUSINESS HOURSTuesday through Friday 11am to 4pmAll other times by appointment only

MISSIONLocated within the Gordon Square Arts district of Cleveland, Ohio’s historic Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood, 1point618 emphasizes the display and representation of fine art that is superior in quality, and produced by artists of extraordinary talent .

1point618 has shown numerous artists of regional, national, and international acclaim . These artists’s work has taken the form of a variety of mediums including painting, sculpture, and video . 1point618 is proud to represent established and emerging artists alike, and continually seeks out individuals who create compelling and original work . Additionally, 1point618 has expanded its offerings beyond the visual arts into design disciplines, with exhibitions that include designers of international repute in the fields’ architecture, furniture, and industrial design .

A BRIEF HISTORY1point618 opened in 2005 with its inaugural exhibition featuring the work of internationally renowned painter Christos Koutsouras . Since that time 1point618 has maintained an aggressive schedule which typically includes 5-7 shows per year . 1point618 individual artists’ exhibitions are featured in a 3500 square foot first floor space . The gallery also features a lower gallery which houses a rotating collection of artists previously featured in the main gallery .

UPCOMING SHOWSFebruary 24 – March 26: Amber Kempthorn

March 30 - April 29: Jenniffer Omaitz

May 4 - June 3: Antonia Reiner

June 8 & 9: Cleveland Moto Works

June 22 - July 22: Royden Watson

August (dates to be determined) - Barry Underwood

September (dates TBD) - Kathleen Loe

November (dates TBD) - Audra Skoudas

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continued on page 38

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The first meeting of CAN Journal participants at BAYarts.

page six : : : north east ohio collective arts network journal north east ohio collective arts network journal : : : page seven

I sat down with Art House’s executive director, Amy Craft, to discuss their current programs, partnerships, audiences, and what is in the future for this twelve year old grassroots organization.

True to the motives that launched the organization, Art House is all about the neighborhood. Programs are designed to serve the people who live there—especially the children. And when you walk into the building, you can see the evidence all around you.

We began our discussion by talking about the Urban Bright Arts-in-Education Program. This award-winning artist-in-residency program began at nearby Denison Elementary, but has grown to serve other CMSD schools. The focus of the residencies is to provide students, grades 4-12, with meaningful, hands-on arts opportunities and exposure to local artists, methods, and materials. This grant-funded program allows students the opportunity to work as a team in an artistic environment. The experience cumulates with a year-end exhibition in late spring.

Next, she told me about StudioGo, a fee-based program offering offsite classes and workshops to groups, organizations and schools in a range of media. Popular classes have included clay, printmaking, mixed media, murals, and enameling. StudioGo also provides activities for festivals and special thematic art events. The Art House staff is working with a corporate client, Willoughby-based Neundorfer Inc., to develop a team-building component to the StudioGo program.

Then we discussed their newest program, Sippin’ in the Studio, which is designed for the adult interested in sitting back, relaxing and letting their creative juices flow while enjoying time with fellow art makers. Offered once a month, this program combines art making with a little wine tasting. Recognized Cleveland artists teach these workshops in a variety of media. A continuing list of adults classes offered throughout the year compliment this program and include ceramics on the wheel, painting, mixed media, printmaking, and enameling.

To keep such beneficial, neighborhood-oriented programs going, Art House depends on a network of partnerships and funders. Councilwoman, Merle Gordon, secured the initial capital funding. The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, and the Ohio Arts Council were also key players in the beginning.

Amy and the staff have continued to nurture many of these partnerships while adding a number of new and interesting collaborations to their directory. For instance, Old Brooklyn Community Development annually sponsors a number of events involving Art House, including Falloween, a favorite of children of all ages. Art House has also partnered with the Boys and Girls Club, Arts and Science Preparatory Academy, and Bellaire-Puritas Community Development to establishe three successful afterschool outreach programs. The Boys and Girls Club and the Arts and Science Preparatory Academy have been ongoing partnerships for three years. Their most recent partnership, initiated last August, is

with the Brooklyn Center Naturalist (BCN). The BCN is facilitating the creation of a community dye garden on the Art House property. Art House will use the garden to teach students how to naturally create color from nature.

We finished our discussion by talking about what is on the horizon for the organization and how these supporters will be kept informed of Art House’s dynamic activities. Introduction of a new website in October 2011 will continue to be the organization’s main focus for on-line marketing and communication. Art House staff will also continue, like most of us, to work on keeping their house in order. The primary focus in the coming year is to develop new partnerships for StudioGo and new programs for adults, especially patrons, who visit from as far away as Mantua and Willoughby. Art House staff will continue to offer art education programming for students of the Cleveland city schools, as well as outreach to the community. With the help of the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission, capital improvements—such as a new floor and roof—will be a priority.

Like all Executive Directors, Amy Craft’s work is never done. It seems there are always ten more tasks she could complete before walking out the door. She and her staff work tirelessly to keep Art House fun, creative and energetic. If you have never been to Art House you are missing out on a wonderful opportunity to experience a creative and vibrant neighborhood arts organization in the heart of Brooklyn Centre.

Deborah Pinter is executive director of the Orange Art Center.

Art House is a grassroots art center founded by local residents and artists who believed the arts and culture improve

communities . They joined forces and established the organization in 1999, incorporated as a non-profit organization

the following year, and in November 2001, the physical facility now known as Art House—a 3,000 square-foot Quonset

building in the historic Brooklyn Centre neighborhood on the west side of Cleveland—was born .

KEY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSETart house builds community and creativity in brooklyn center

By Deborah Pinter

ArT hOUSE

Location 3119 Denison Avenue, ClevelandPhone 216.398.8556Web www.arthouseinc.orgEmail acraft@arthouseinc.orgFacebook Art House

GALLERY HOURSOffice hours: Tuesday – Friday 10:00 a .m . – 4 p .m .

MISSIONOur mission is to nurture involvement in arts and culture, providing opportunities for people to create, learn and communicate ideas while encouraging self-expression, thereby strengthening the community . Our purpose is to provide high quality visual and creative arts classes for people of all ages and skill levels . Our goal is to enrich the lives of those who live in our community, to encourage and strengthen the careers of local artists and to promote learning through the arts .

A BRIEF HISTORYArt House Inc . was founded in 1999 by a group of local artists and residents dedicated to the belief that the arts enrich lives and create better communities . As a catalyst for neighborhood development, the organization was supported by councilwoman Merle Gordon who provided the funds to renovate its permanent home, a

1948 Quonset Hut . Art House’s founding director, Sheryl Hoffman and founding board of director’s established the mission which remains the organization’s guide . Best known for its quality art education programs and classes, particularly in clay, Art House serves its neighborhood by offering free programs and events, fee-based programs, teaching opportunities for artist, and community outreach throughout Cleveland .

UPCOMING EVENTSUrban Bright Year End Exhibition Thursday, May 17 through Friday, June 1, 2012

Sippin’ in the Studio4th Thursday of each month

Family Open Studio3rd Saturday of each monthFree

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The neighborhood nonprofit Northeast Shores Development Corporation energetically promotes the Waterloo Arts District. Cooperating with the Community Partnership for the Arts and Culture, and with a $500,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation, the group encourages the sale of houses to artists—thereby helping those artists actually make a living right where they live.

From the synergy of Arts Collinwood and the highly-respected live music venue, the Beachland Ballroom, businesses keep popping up along Waterloo Road. You’ll find a Rock and Roll culture of tattoos, vintage clothing, vintage records, and vintage toys and other unexpected, temporary pop ups of all sorts that keeps going late into the night and on Sundays. Waterloo will meet your quota of “arts in the raw.”

Urban culture tourists and music lovers from all over the country have heard about the remarkable revitalization of this neighborhood and are coming to experience it for themselves. Once a Slovenian enclave North Collinwood is now home to many African Americans and recently (or not) transplanted artists of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds. To get there from downtown Cleveland, you just take a leisurely drive along the lake: Take Lakeshore Boulevard through the magnificent neighborhood of Bratenahl, or hop on Route 90 West and get off at East 152nd St. The Waterloo Arts District’s promoters say, “It’s just 10 minutes from anywhere.”

Arts Collinwood was founded in 2002 by Nan and Miles Kennedy and their daughter Sarah Gyorki. It’s current executive director is Cheryl Carter, an artist with a long history of nonprofit experience who was a co-founder of Art House. Everyone involved with

Arts Collinwood lives the belief that the arts can revitalize a neighborhood and be an economic engine for change.

Arts Collinwood makes pluralism an art form in itself. With its Art Gallery, Café and Art Center, and by organizing arts-centered neighborhood events, the organization serves as the district’s informal welcome center and hub for all who are interested in the arts. Especially serving artists who want to settle in the neighborhood, it provides access to a wide variety of media, from poetry, to visual arts, music and film.

Visitors can grab a bite and a beer, linger over a newspaper, and meet the regulars at Arts Collinwood’s unique Café. The Café was purchased by Arts Collinwood in 2010 to help fund their arts programs, provide a gathering place for art enthusiasts, and encourage neighborhood involvement. Exhibitions are curated by a group of well-known local artists and educators, from work submitted largely by Northeast Ohio artists. All artists, from anywhere, however, are welcome to apply to be included in exhibits. You can find the procedure on their website. The Gallery shows traditional media—painting, print making, and photography—as well as highly experimental, 3-D installations, and sculptures. The gallery’s goal is to exhibit work that is engaging and thought-provoking.

On an evening visit to the Café and Gallery, you are likely to be able to listen to a poetry reading, an artist or writer’s talk, or music that ranges anywhere from classical chamber to blues. You might watch a seasonally themed movie, or just enjoy a glass of wine. In the spring and summer, there’ll be al fresco dining with entertainment on a new patio. And of course, there’s art. The patio will be enlivened by

colorful decorative tiles designed by local ceramic artist Angelica Pozo, along with Collinwood neighborhood kids and seniors.

Special events abound year-round at Arts Collinwood. In the pring the Arts Collinwood Gallery hosts the National Public Art Show, featuring works by Cleveland artists of all ages and skill levels. On the last Saturday of June, don’t miss the Waterloo Arts Fest, a surging street fair with 20 bands, 40 art vendors, and an interactive kids’ area. In the fall, the Ohio Independent Film Festival packs an old bank building up the street with a pop-up show of more than 20 independent artists’ video screenings. Finally, in December, Arts Collinwood turns itself into a boutique of craft and art for its annual Holiday Art Sale.

In addition to providing arts programs and events, Arts Collinwood partners with the City of Cleveland and the neighborhood schools to bring the arts to residents, including children. There are After School and Teen Programs, and a summer drama camp. Arts Collinwood also has eight artists’ studios for rent on the second floor of its multi-use building. For your special events, you can rent space in the café, the Gallery, and or the Nan and Miles Kennedy Art Center. All that together makes Arts Collinwood one of the most versatile centers in Cleveland.

Ann Albano is Executive Director and Chief Curator at the Sculpture Center

Cleveland’s easternmost destination for the arts is the gritty, “rust-belt-and-we-like-it-that-way” Waterloo Arts District,

in North Collinwood . The district has been cobbled together and pushed forward by its own stakeholders, including

resident artists, the Beachland Ballroom, and Arts Collinwood .

PUTTING THE ARTS IN COLLINWOOD By Ann Albano

ArTS COLLiNWOOD

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Location 15605 Waterloo Road, ClevelandPhone 216.692.9500Web www.artscollinwood.orgEmail info@artscollinwood.orgFacebook Arts Collinwood

GALLERY HOURSThursday through Saturday, 11 a .m . – 11 p .m .

MISSIONArts Collinwood believes that a flourishing arts community enriches a neighborhood’s quality of life, both economically and culturally . By partnering with local merchants, neighborhood associations, schools and artists, we encourage more artists to live and work in North Collinwood, and offer residents more opportunities to engage in the arts . Our goal is to support a stimulating arts environment and to encourage continuing education in the arts by offering a wide variety of cultural activities for residents of all ages .

A BRIEF HISTORYFounded in 2002, Arts Collinwood strives to develop, support, and promote arts activities in the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland by providing arts education programs, exhibits, performance opportunities and facilities . We are committed to building a thriving arts community that nurtures individuals’ creative sensibilities

and talents, insures access to a broad range of art forms, and enhances the overall quality of life in our community . Thanks in part to our efforts, Collinwood has become one of the city’s most important arts districts, attracting artists, musicians, and arts enthusiasts to live, work, learn, and play in the neighborhood .

Arts Collinwood was founded on the interest and need for a strong visual arts organization in the neighborhood . Many of the region’s most accomplished painters and other artists have exhibited there, including Dan Tranberg, Randall Tiedeman, Douglas Max Utter, Tim Callaghan, Mark Keffer, and Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor collaborators, Laura and Gary Dumm . In its shows, Arts Collinwood emphasizes craftsmanship, and work that challenges the viewer to see the world in a new and original way .

UPCOMING SHOWSJanuary 12-26, 2012Designs for The United Way and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Guitar Mania. Open to the public starting January 13th .

February Black History Month showVan Monroe, local artist whose portrait of Barack Obama on sneakers is in the Smithsonian Institution .

The kids in the neighborhood.Arts Collinwood gallery.

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Art Therapy Studio was founded in 1967 by George Streeter, M.D. (a doctor with Tuberculosis) and Mickie McGraw (an art therapist with polio). They wanted to help others to cope with their serious illnesses in a creative and therapeutic manner. So Art Therapy Studio was born. Since then, the organization has grown to include programs led by Art Therapy professionals both at four studio locations, and out in the community. The clients are encouraged to feel free to choose their artistic path and enjoy a relaxing environment either in a group setting or individually.

Serving individuals with a variety of special needs, Art Therapy Studio in Cleveland provides unique opportunities through artistic expression. Executive director Karen B. Peterson, MA, gave me a guided tour of the facility housed in the Fairhill Partners Building. Beautiful paintings, drawings and pottery lined the gallery on the way to the adjoining studios and offices. Each work of art had a story that gave the viewer insight into the work Art Therapy Studio

does and the unique challenges faced by the artist who created it. Art Therapy Studio provides a way for people of all ages to come to terms with their various disabilities, emotional struggles and serious illnesses. All of those situations come with a need for courage many of us may never know.

Art Therapy Studio offers a place of understanding, professional expertise in both art and therapeutic counseling as well as a “home away from home” where the clients can express themselves through artistic medium including painting, drawing, collage and pottery. The statement on Art Therapy Studio’s website sums it up: “Over the years, we have identified ways that art uniquely answers people’s needs. In a creative, supportive, activity-based environment, art provides an alternative outlet for feelings and ideas. The process and images speak for us when words are not enough.”

Art Therapy Studio serves approximately 1,800 people annually and holds special event fundraisers such as the Dessert Competition

to be held in the fall of 2012. Sponsors and individuals are able to taste and judge a variety of delectable creations all while financially supporting the work of the studio.

In addition to programs and classes, Art Therapy Studio also offers professional development workshops and employee wellness programs. Enhancing the lives of both children and adults who must face the struggles that accompany special needs, Art Therapy Studio uses art as a valuable, life changing tool unlike many art centers. They are a valuable resource for the Cleveland-area community.

Cheryl Carter is executive director of Arts Collinwood

The founders of Art Therapy Studio came to the same place from different directions . One was a doctor . One was

an artist . What they both knew was that the practice of making art could provide a therapeutic outlet for patients

with a need to express themselves, to cope, or simply to relax .

THE HEALING PROCESSart therapy studio provides support, enables expression

By Cheryl Carter

ArT ThErApy STUDiO

Location 12200 Fairhill Road, ClevelandPhone 216.791.9303Web www.arttherapystudio.orgEmail info@arttherapystudio.org

GALLERY HOURSFairhill Studio: 10 a .m .–5 p .m . Monday–Friday

MISSIONArt Therapy Studio is a non-profit organization that provides therapeutic art programs for individuals and agencies throughout the greater Cleveland . Our programs are designed to improve and enhance the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of individuals and are based on the philosophy that art making is central to growth, healing, and wellness . Credentialed art therapists trained in counseling as well as fine art invite, guide, and encourage individuals to rediscover themselves through the art-making process . The emphasis is on the process of creating art, and control is left in the hands of the artist . Individuals with physical, emotional, or cognitive special needs often find art therapy to be a very rewarding avenue of expression .

A BRIEF HISTORYFounded in 1967, Art Therapy Studio was established in collaboration with Highland View Rehabilitation Hospital, now MetroHealth Medical Center, as a creative arts program to help patients and their families cope with the life-changing effects of trauma, chronic illness, medical treatment, and permanent disability . The studio was a place to congregate, relax, and be involved in the creative process . In 1977 Art Therapy Studio’s mission

expanded to include community programming to serve patients after their release from the hospital, recognizing that people need a touchstone after release—a place to continue to have social interaction and learn new skills .

Today Art Therapy Studio offers weekly “Discover the Artist Within You” classes at four community studios—two on the east side, two on the west side—for anyone who has special needs, is seeking wellness, or is simply interested in learning about art in a supportive setting . The organization also provides inpatient hospital services, on-site programs for community agencies, professional education workshops, and employee wellness programs .

UPCOMING EVENTSArt Therapy Studio Staff Art ShowFairhill Studio (12200 Fairhill Road, Cleveland, OH 44120)January - April 2012Opening Reception – Wednesday, January 25, 5-7 pm

Ursuline “Discover the Artist Within You” Art ShowUrsuline ArtSpace Studio (Ursuline College, 2600 Lander Road, Pepper Pike, OH 44124)February - April 2012Opening Reception – Sunday, February 12, 1-3 pm

Summer Client Art Show Fairhill Studio (12200 Fairhill Road, Cleveland, OH 44120)May – August 2012

Fall Client Art Show Fairhill Studio (12200 Fairhill Road, Cleveland, OH 44120)September - December 2012

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Bill Gould and Harriet Gould, co-founders of ArtSpace Cleveland, can give some perspective. Just over a decade ago, Bill Gould—an architect and planner—worked with councilman Joe Cimperman to do something that sounds boring, but which has deep impact on Cleveland’s appeal to artists—especially those who would like to tap into the rust belt’s famous industrial-scale space. In 2001, the Goulds and the councilman created the “Live-Work overlay” to the city’s zoning code. The legislation allows artists to live and work within specified boundaries in the industrial buildings on the near-east side.

The zoning code generally prohibits living in buildings zoned for industrial use. Thanks to that legislation, however, artists have been allowed to live and work in the former factories and warehouses along certain defined corridors. The area includes St. Clair, Superior, and Payne avenues between East 18th east and E. 64th streets, plus East 30th, 40th, 49th, and 55th Streets.

Bill Gould’s efforts to connect artists to appropriate space goes back much farther than that. In 1963 he was retained by the Musical Arts Association to find a bucolic, bowl-shaped natural setting for the construction of a summer home for the Cleveland Orchestra: The result: the Cuyahoga Falls location that became Blossom Music Center.

But in the seventies, it was the urban landscape that held his attention. As Bill Gould describes, buildings in Cleveland’s Warehouse District were being burnt down, or torn down then, to be replace by parking lots. The loss of architectural history was a major blow to the city’s infrastructure. The Warehouse District is the oldest part of the city.

As Harriet Gould says, “the destruction was stopped” when Gould and Associates was hired by the City with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts to encourage artists to find housing there. They succeeded, attracting the likes of Stephen B. Smith, Laszlo Gyorki, and Ken Nevadomi, among others. SPACES Gallery was there at the time.

But the live-work zoning had not yet been written, which meant, as Gould says, that the artists were living there illegally. “This was discovered, so they were kicked out.” Developers then began converting the warehouse space to residential apartments, which were too expensive for most artists. As Gould observes, it was the same story in New York’s SOHO, and in San Francisco, and other cities around the country.

Harriet Gould says her husband “ruminated about this,” and in 2001 he approached the Greater Cleveland Partnership (then called the Growth Association) with a proposal to help revitalize a different

neighborhood—the industrial corridors of the near east side. The plan was to make live-work space legal in a neighborhood with buildings that had large spaces and other qualities –vestiges of their industrial past—that appeal to artists. That year, the GCP became the fiscal agent and a partner with ArtSpace Cleveland in the effort to connect artists to affordable, live work space in specific industrial neighborhoods of the city.

They work with what they call “sympathetic landlords”—a collection of building owners who are interested in filling their space by leasing it to artists at an affordable rate. Gould says they field about a dozen inquiries per month from people looking for space.

Gould says they help artists find the kind of industrial space that’s unavailable in the region’s other, more residential and retail-oriented arts districts. In 2008, ArtSpace-Cleveland expanded its mission to include an Artist Ownership Initiative. The yearly activities they pursue are a newsletter and an annual tour of the spaces.

The Goulds exemplify the lifestyle they promote. They live and work in a 6000 square foot space in a four story mixed use building that houses artists and businesses, including Tastebuds and Zygote Press.

Michael Gill is editor of CAN Journal.

With the recent attention paid to arts districts, it’s easy to forget that the dynamic of artists moving into inexpensive

space and revitalizing it has been going on for a long time .

ARTSPACE: THE EVOLVING FRONTIERconnecting artists to live-work space across the decades

By Michael Gill

ArT SpACE CLEvELAND

Location 1400 East 30th Street, 4th Floor, ClevelandPhone 216.241.4355Fax 216.241.5052Web www.artspacecleveland.comEmail gouldloft@sbcglobal.netFacebook ArtSpace-Cleveland

MISSIONArtSpace-Cleveland helps artists find spaces to live and work . Toward that end, the organization publishes a quarterly newsletter; meets monthly with artists, non-profit organizations, and building owners; researches zoning and building codes to facilitate affordable space development; maintains a database and website; provides building owners with information on the needs of artists; and conducts an annual trolley tour of artist live-work studios .

A BRIEF HISTORYFounded in 2001 with the support of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, ArtSpace-Cleveland founders Bill Gould and Harriet Gould played a key role in the creation of a Live-Work zoning overlay for industrial corridors on Cleveland’s near east side . Long committed to connecting artists to live-work space, in 2008 they launched an Artist Ownership initiative, whith the goal of helping artists build equity and develop long-term, stable presence in their neighborhoods .

ArtSpace-Cleveland works in partnership with The Greater Cleveland Partnership, the St . Clair Superior Community Development Corporation, Dominion East Ohio, the Cuyahoga Community Land Trust, the Council of Small Enterprises (COSE) Arts Network, and the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture . Funding comes from block grants and corporate contributions . Sponsors include the City of Cleveland, Forest City Enterprises and the Ohio Arts Council . ArtSpace Cleveland welcomes new members .

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The power of expression.1400 East 30th Street, Cleveland.

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In 1990, Jean Brandt relocated her legal practice from the Leader building downtown to an office space on Kenilworth in Tremont. When faced with the dilemma of interior decorating, it was suggested to her that it may be easier and cheaper to just rotate artwork through her office rather than purchasing work outright. Little did she know how rewardingly wrong that advice was and the impending flood that was coming.

At the time, Jean saw the Cleveland art scene as insular and closed—with artists in competition for exhibition platforms. She realized that if people were that defensive about space, there was probably a lack of space. She mustered up her energy and buckled down to the idea of using her office as a gallery.

When she deliberated about which artist to show first in her new office, Jean recalled the intriguing work of Terry Durst she saw one year prior in an exhibition at SPACES, which at the time was located in the warehouse district. So, on September 28, 1990, Durst’s Olde Stuff became the Brandt Gallery’s first solo show. Since then, Jean’s space has been filled with over 200 exhibitions and performances by artists who are drawn to her and her gallery.

Jean’s focus has always been on solo shows. Her 400 square-foot office is aptly sized for single-artist exhibitions, and she is able

to fill a niche in the art landscape that was so focused on group exhibitions. A solo venue gives artists ample opportunity to see an idea to its end and display it for the public; group shows, in contrast, function more as samplers of the artists’ work, or they play more toward a curatorial concept. Brandt also wants to give an opportunity for younger artists to “cut their teeth” or more established artists the chance to execute an idea that would work well in her type of space.

Since Brandt Gallery is not a non-profit nor is art sales her focus (unlike a commercial gallery), her office provides a unique platform to highlight work that would get overlooked by non-profits and commercial venues. Brandt is guided not by aesthetics, but by ethos—it’s about ideas and work by regional artists, not a particular style. Although she does show work from artists outside of the region, they often have ties to Northeast Ohio. The nature of the work in the Brandt Gallery varies widely from traditional photography to performance art and poetry.

Brandt recalls fondly a performance by Nancy Prudic in August of 2004, during which the artist’s piece was interrupted by four figures in hazmat suits who tied her up and hauled her out of the gallery space. The audience sat dumbfounded and kept looking to Brandt

for a reaction and guidance. After a while, Prudic returned to the gallery and informed the audience that her friend Steve Kurtz, a Buffalo-based artist and member of the Critical Art Ensemble, was similarly hauled away by the authorities on slim-to-no-evidence for simply making his art. The figures in the hazmat suits were all part of the performance. Prudic wanted people to know what the rising paranoia in the United States had lead to, and she wanted to bring it closer to home.

By day, Jean Brandt is a mild-mannered (not really) lawyer, but at night she teams with other heroes: artists who are part of our community here in Cleveland, who are our neighbors, who are building our social structure—to remind us of our humanity and goodness.

Christopher Lynn is executive director of SPACES.

Artists spread like water—covering surfaces and seeking nooks to fill with their volume . As venues come and go,

artists continue to spread to find new locations to fill .

GOING SOLOBrandt Gallery focuses on individual artists, one at a time

By Christopher Lynn

BrANDT gALLEry

Location 1028 Kenilworth, ClevelandPhone 216.621.1610Web www.brandtgallery.orgEmail jeanmbrandt@gmail.com Facebook Brandt-Gallery

GALLERY HOURSSaturday: Noon – 6 p .m . (during exhibitions)other times by appointment

During the Tremont Artwalk: 6 – 10 p .m . (the second Friday of the month)

A BRIEF HISTORYStarted by Jean Brandt in 1990 as a way to surround her 400 square foot law office in art, the Brandt Gallery was an early participant in the Tremont Artwalks and the neighborhood’s revitalization . After twenty-one years, the gallery is now one of Tremont’s longest-running art venues .

Among the artists exhibiting there are Laila Voss, Peter Dell, Kathy Ireland Smith, Bruce Edwards, Daiv Whaley, Judith Brandon, Scott Pickering, Dana Depew, Dan Tranberg, Anastasia Pantsios, and Steven Mastroianni . In September, 2011, Steven Mastroianni and Dana Depew coordinated a 21-year retrospective that spanned both

Brandt’s and Mastroianni’s galleries and included more than 50 artists . In its history, Brandt Gallery has featured more than 200 exhibitions .

In addition to art exhibitions, the gallery also hosts poetry readings at 3 p .m . on the second Saturday of each month . The readings are held by Cleveland poet Russel Vidrick .

UPCOMING SHOWSJanuaryCleveland School artists from the collection of the Thal Trust

FebruaryPaintings by Craig Martin, drawings by Jeff Curtis

MarchNew work by Daiv Whaley

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Located in Cleveland Metroparks with views of Lake Erie, BAYarts is a community arts center, an informal meeting place for professional and aspiring artists and art appreciators alike. Located in the city of Bay Village, this is certainly a Westside destination. But it’s not exclusively about one community, or even the entire west side. The organization reaches an audience throughout Northeast Ohio, including all ages to all types of artists.

Arriving at BAYarts, you encounter the historic Huntington House; the renovated Irene Lawrence Fuller House with welcoming wrap-around porch (the one moved on the barge), the Station House, and a the aforementioned red caboose. Surrounded by the ever-changing trees and the beautiful gardens, you will find yourself physically relaxing as the staff welcomes you in the inviting space without an ounce of intimidation.

There are two gallery spaces, each with a distinctive role. The Diane Boldman Education Gallery features the work of students and faculty that participate and teach the classes. The Sullivan Family Gallery represents the talents of artists throughout Northeast Ohio. Hosting two juried art shows and an emerging artist show each year, the monthly gallery openings are a mix of high quality work from artists of this region.

The education gallery is also a working classroom. BAYarts prides itself on its diverse mix of classes ranging from ceramics and

painting to jewelry making and photography, with offerings for children and adults. The classes fill every room and keep the place hopping six days a week. Innovative summer camps, Girl Scout programs and home school curriculum are popular with families.

The ceramics studio program is thriving. Currently, the studio is located in an inherited space in the basement of the Huntington House. It is a functioning studio with a dedicated group of ceramic artists that participate in classes and curate an annual advanced ceramics show each year. Through private funding, BAYarts will upgrade the ceramics studio beginning in 2012. This opportunity gives the staff and faculty a chance to create a pottery studio with careful consideration of how it should be built to best serve the artists.

As a collaborative organization, BAYarts welcomes other groups for meeting space. Zygote Press and Kendal at Oberlin have had gallery shows here in the past. Upcoming shows include one of works by the Ohio Watercolor Society.

Located on Cleveland Metroparks property, BAYarts is an affiliate of the Metroparks. Rich in history, the BAYarts campus consists of three buildings. The John Huntington House is the home of the consignment shop, classrooms, The Diane Boldman Gallery, and administrative offices. The Red Caboose is a community landmark, restored by a local scout troop. The Irene Lawrence Fuller House—floated westward on Lake Erie in 1984, and renovated in 2010—is

home to the Sullivan Family Gallery, Mojo’s coffee, classrooms and meeting spaces available to rent for weddings or parties. The Station House is home to Vento, a casual dining restaurant with a great patio to catch the summer concerts. Huntington Playhouse and Lake Erie Nature and Science Center—fellow Cleveland Metroparks affiliates—are within walking distance.

Free summer concerts showcase a variety of regional musicians; using the lawn and porch, musicians perform for an audience arranged in folding chairs and picnic blankets with children chasing bubbles. You are just as likely to run into a neighbor as you are an artist or friend from Chagrin Falls or Cleveland Heights. An annual Art and Music Festival provides an affordable alternative for artists to sell their work; and the annual fall Moondance benefit has been labeled the west side’s “Party of the Year,” attracting hundreds of supporters for a great time under the stars.

BAYarts is part gallery, classroom, concert venue, store, coffee shop and meeting place. A comfortable place to see, learn or discover something new and fresh.

Christy Gray is project director for the Red Dot Project.

BAYarts lore includes the caboose of a railroad train, and an old house floated along the Lake Erie shore on a barge .

But the arts center is much more than a collection of structures or bits of history . It’s part gallery, classroom, concert

venue, store, coffee shop and meeting place . It is a place to look at art, learn about art, listen to live music, meet

friends or enjoy a bit of solitude in the creative gardens . BAYarts is all these things and much, much more .

BUSY IN BAYbay arts growing and evolving

By Christy Gray

BAy ArTS

Location 28795 Lake Road Bay Village Phone 440.871.6543Web www.bayarts.netEmail info@bayarts.netFacebook BAYarts

GALLERY HOURSSeptember – May: 9 a .m . to 5 p .m . Monday – Saturday; closed Sunday

June – August: 9 a .m . – 5 p .m . Monday – Saturday; noon – 5 Sundays

Closed major holidays; Open for Special programs on School Holidays

MISSIONThe mission of BAYarts is to provide a welcoming lakeside environment to stimulate, encourage and support professional and aspiring artists of all ages through collaboration, education and exhibition

HISTORYBAYarts was founded in 1948 as Baycrafters, by a network of creative homemakers who wanted to work on

their art in a community of other artists . Orginally located in the basement of founders, the organization moved to Huntington Reservation in Cleveland Metroparks . The John Huntington House was donated to the Cleveland Metroparks when they purchased the land in Bay Village . The house became—and remains—Baycrafters home . The organization took the name BAYarts in 2007 to reflect a revitalization that had begun at the time . The Station House and Caboose were donated to the organization and relocated to the current site . In 1984 The Irene Lawrence Fuller House (circa 1892) was donated and made international news as it was floated on a barge along Lake Erie to its current site . Renovation began in 2009, and the house opened in 2010 .

2012 HIGHLIGHTSFebruaryEmerging Artists Show

March 2012 Spring Juried Show and BAYarts Faculty Show

MayAnnual Ceramics Show Annual Education Fundraiser

June – August Summer Outdoor Concert Series Musician inquiries: concerts@bayarts .net

Artistic by Nature Art and Music Festival June 16Artists inquiries: eileen@bayarts .net

SeptemberMoondance Annual Fall Benefit September 15

October50th Annual Juried Show

November – DecemberHoliday Consignment ShopArtist inquiries: Karen@bayarts .net

More information on these and other events: www .bayarts .net

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Jean Brandt with works by Dana Depew.Bay crafters grounds.

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The Cleveland Artists Foundation develops all shows with a balance between old and new, including artists both living and who have passed on. CAF has had a number of significant shows, with major retrospectives on Cleveland artists such as painter Paul Travis, painter Carl Gaertner, and glass sculptor Edris Eckhardt. Although the core of the CAF collection dates from the early twentieth-century, and is focused around the Cleveland School artists, executive director Lauren Hansgen and her programming committee lately have been focusing on artists whose careers have spanned the 20th century. A retrospective on Joseph O’Sickey was shown in 2007 and most recently “The Way of All Flesh”, an exhibition on the works of Shirley Aley Campbell.

In 2011, CAF presented its first ever members’ show, “Cleveland Creates”, which featured work created by more than 60 member artists. Works included paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, sculpture, and ceramics. The gallery begins the new year with “August Biehle in Zoar,” an exhibit of works the artist completed in Ohio, which were influenced by the Germanic traditions he developed while studying in Munich. It’s open through March 9, 2012.

As a collecting institution, the Cleveland Artists Foundation

publishes catalogues that coordinate with each exhibit. Research for these catalogues is collaborative, involving regional scholars and other educational institutions. Often these catalogues are the most thorough documents published on the artists being shown. The exhibited artists were well known in their day on a regional context, and CAF respects that and has given much of their work a permanent home.

As Lauren Hansgen says, “the organization is inspired by the personal nature of the art that we exhibit. It is fundamental that the local public can connect with the history of this region. Many of the CAF board members and visitors are regional collectors, so there is a vested interest in what’s on the walls at CAF.”

Regional art work is important in that it is unique to its specific area. CAF has a mission to raise the profile of regional art and continue archiving, because so many of the resources are quickly disappearing. For instance, Lauren referred to a box full of cassette tapes that need to be digitized. These cassettes, recorded in the 1970s, contain interviews with regional artists –oral histories of their works and processes. Some of them are all that is left of the artist’s personal message. This is just one of the many projects Lauren is working on

so that the Foundation becomes not only a resource for regional art, but also for important records, profiles, documents and photographs.

Lauren joined the Foundation in the summer of 2007 as part of her internship through Case Western Reserve University, where she was earning her Masters in Museum Studies and Art History. She began working as the gallery director in 2008, and has since become the director extraordinaire.

The Cleveland Artists Foundation is taking ambitious steps to keep the record and work of significant northeast Ohio accessible and alive. Steps include photographing and digitally cataloguing the entire collection so that it can be viewed on the website. Catalogs printed for CAF’s past shows will be visible on the website as well, and the content will all be updated. In the next year goals also include a re-branding project that will better describe the mission of the organization, as Cleveland Artists Foundation continues to promote the significant visual art and architecture of Northeast Ohio.

Hilary Aurand is co-director of legation, a gallery

The Cleveland Artists Foundation (CAF) was founded in 1984 by Cleveland-based artists, patrons, and collectors . The

first location was in University Circle, on Bellflower . The organization moved to the Beck Center for the Arts on the near

west side in Lakewood in the late 1990s . The Cleveland Artists Foundation is dedicated solely to examining regional art

and architecture, and is supported by regional art patrons, collectors and the families of the artists . It is a collecting

institution that rotates four major exhibitions a year . The organization is supported through cash and in-kind contributions

of many individuals, foundations, corporations, and through state funding, memberships, and fundraisers .

FOR THE RECORDCleveland Artists Foundation collects, documents, and shows NEO art of the 20th Century

By Hilary Aurand

CLEvELAND ArTiSTS FOUNDATiON

Location 17801 Detroit Avenue, LakewoodPhone 216.227.9507Web www.clevelandartists.orgEmail laurenhansgen@clevelandartists.orgFacebook Cleveland Artists Foundation

GALLERY HOURS1 p .m .–5 p .m . Tuesday through Saturday1 p .m .–8 p .m . Fridays and Saturdays when Beck Center for the Arts has performances on stage

MISSIONThe Cleveland Artists Foundation preserves, researches, collects, exhibits, documents, and promotes the significant visual art and architecture of the Northeast Ohio region .

HISTORYThe Cleveland Artists Foundation was founded in 1984 by Cleveland-based artists, patrons, and collectors . It has become the premier center for the art of Northeast Ohio—owing both to its significant collecting initiative, and to its commitment to creative exhibition planning and educational outreach .

Initially, the Cleveland Artists Foundation’s mission focused primarily on a group of artists known as the “Cleveland School” who were active from 1900 to 1950 .

In recent years, CAF has broadened its historical scope to integrate the contributions of artists who were active before and since the Cleveland School . In particular, CAF now devotes attention to the achievements of the most significant artists in Northeast Ohio whose period of productivity has encompassed all or part of the last 50 years . By broadening its earlier scope, CAF has created a forum that encourages a more comprehensive discussion of artistic traditions and innovations in Cleveland .

UPCOMING EVENTSAugust F. Biehle, Jr. in ZoarJanuary 13 – March 9, 2012

Artists of Cowan Pottery StudiosMarch 23 - May 5, 2012

Mieczkowski in Black and White(MA student thesis exhibition)May 18 – July 28, 2012

Tom Balbo Retrospectiveand exhibitions sponsored by Octavofest 2012September 7 – November 17, 2012

The Kisvardai CollectionDecember 7, 2012 – February 16, 2013

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Now in its 14th year, City Artists at Work serves artists based in Cleveland’s Art Quarter, a district bounded approximately by Lake Erie to the north, Prospect Avenue to the south, and East 18th and East 40th Streets to the east and west. The neighborhood is attractive to artists looking for studios due to the inexpensive space afforded by its collection of older loft buildings—many of which have roots in Cleveland’s once-immense garment industry.

According to artist Bill Jean, one of the CAAW’s founding members, the organization emerged around the time that the regional art and architecture-oriented New Organization for the Visual Arts (NOVA) was nearing the end of its run. Open-studio events were also among NOVA’s offerings, but the events had become scattered geographically. By limiting its scope to artists working in the relatively compact arts district that was emerging east of downtown, City Artists At Work was able to offer a more navigable tour for visitors and a steadier flow of traffic for the artists who’d opened their studios.

The first CAAW open-studio weekend took place in October 1997, with 27 artists participating. In that first year, all of the participating studios were in one of three buildings—the Heller, Artcraft, and Shovelworks. The number of artists has grown over time, but not to an unmanageable degree. Neither have the CAAW events outgrown

their original neighborhood. Still, the artists made adjustments over the years to prevent the annual tradition from becoming stale—including the addition of a spring event one year, and switching from a schedule that included Friday nights and Saturdays during the day to a Saturday-Sunday, daytime format.

Mindy Tousley, another of CAAW’s founders, notes that, over the years, the group has drawn upon the talents of its members (which usually include 50 or so artists) to produce brochures and posters, as well as unique keepsake items that visitors were able to collect as they moved from studio to studio.

In October 2011, CAAW took a new approach. Instead of opening their studios to visitors, 32 artists participated in a show at the Convivium 33 Gallery on East 33rd Street. Members’ works were selected by Cleveland Museum of Art associate curator of American painting and sculpture, Mark Cole. More than 600 people attended the opening on a Friday evening, and the weekend continued with similarly well-attended workshops on acrylic painting, mask-making, printmaking, and creative card design.

CAAW’s neighborhood, which covers parts of many contiguous and overlapping districts (including Midtown, the Campus District, St. Clair-Superior, and Asiatown), is in the part of town that many

associate with Cleveland’s still-nascent live-work movement. Most of the artist-members, however, have studio space in the neighborhood and maintain their living quarters elsewhere. Still, the revival of the Tower Press Building several years ago has brought a number of live-work units into the area, and Artspace Cleveland—which works to create opportunities for artists wanting live-work space in Cleveland—is one of City Artists at Work’s many partner organizations.

The studio tours conducted by CAAW are not to be confused with those offered through the Downtown Cleveland Alliance’s geographically more extensive Sparx City Hop, though its activities are often scheduled to coincide with the Sparx events.

By keeping its mission uncomplicated, CAAW has been effective and remains viable today. But the organization doesn’t only call attention to a community of artists that is not obviously apparent to passersby. By bringing to light some of the ways artists contribute to city life, and by entertaining questions about artists’ roles in revitalization and gentrification of city neighborhoods, City Artists at Work also sheds light on how Cleveland works as a city.

Vince Reddy, AICP, is a project manager at Cleveland Public Art.

For most of its history, City Artists At Work has presented a signature annual event—a weekend-long opening of artists’

studios to the public . The sessions differ from art walks or gallery hops in that, rather than only seeing collections of

finished works of art, visitors see the places where art-making takes place, and sometimes get to see art-making in

progress . The organization—which is unincorporated, and runs without a formal governing board—is unusual in both

the grassroots, collective nature of its composition and its focus on artists working in a particular part of the city .

AT WORK IN THE CITYcity artists at work highlights artists’ presence in the neighborhood

By Vince Reddy

CiTy ArTiSTS AT WOrk

Location 2218 Superior Avenue, ClevelandPhone 440.238.5674Web www.cityartistsatwork.comEmail wmjean@aol.comFacebook City Artists at Work

MISSIONCity Artists at Work is a grassroots organization of artists whose mission is to educate the public by exposing them to what artists do, and where and how they do it . The public, in turn, provides the artists with critical analysis and in some cases unusual insight . . The vehicle to accomplish this has been Open Studio Tours, wherein the artists interact with the public one-on-one and receive immediate feedback on work in progress . City Artists At Work’s secondary mission is economic: we bring people from the suburbs (and most of our visitors are from outside the city of Cleveland), and in some cases from outside of Ohio into the city where they buy art, dine and generally leave with the impression that the city is not so scary after all . Our third priority is political: we are a community, and as such can band together to accomplish things, such as the branding of the Art Quarter .

A BRIEF HISTORY City Artists at Work is a grassroots organization, founded by painter William Martin Jean in 1997 . Jean and other artists, including his co-chair Mindy Tousley, were responding to both the closure of another organization representing the interests of the region’s visual arts (NOVA, the New Organization for the Visual Arts), and also to the number of artists who were at the time moving into the neighborhood now known as the Campus District .

The organization now represents more than 60 individual artists and organizations whose studios or live/work spaces are located in that neighborhood . In addition to its open studio weekend events, the group presents annual exhibits of work by member artists in the nearby offices of the Plain Dealer.

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John Hay High School students view work of architect Don Hisaka.Open studios.

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The program brings together many of the artists who visit CIA each year for all lengths of time. Some have been invited for a day by a particular department, while others are in residence for an entire semester as part of a major institutional initiative. The Artist in Residence Programs is supported in part by the George P. Bickford Fund for visiting artists, which was established in 1968 with the charge of bringing artists of note to CIA for the students and for the community at large.

Lane Cooper, visiting artist coordinator, describes Lunch on Fridays as an opportunity for students to get an idea of the possibilities of different models of professional activity, to get an idea of how they might develop their own careers. “It is a way to see something different, to see art as something beyond the classroom, and it gives the students an opportunity to ask the questions that they want to ask.” Those questions include “how the artists balance studio practice with the practical parts of their profession, such as sending out proposals or teaching, or what fuels their creative engines—what the artists think about and how they maintain excitement in their work.”

The public is also invited to Lunch on Fridays. It is a way that CIA provides to make artists and art accessible and part of the community.

While the direct experience of a work of art might be the best way to understand it, sometimes it is not enough—especially if new or unusual or from an unfamiliar cultural context. Museums and art centers try to make up the difference by “educating” the public about art—which often consists of talking to rather than talking with. Sometimes this works. But for many—perhaps most—people, having some sense of personal familiarity with the artist tells as much. There can be much more of a window to understanding when the viewer is able to hear how an artist talks about their work. Just by knowing the artist a little, the art makes sense—it is intelligible and even transcendent, in its dialogue with who the artist has been in their formative years, with who the artist is in an illuminating present, and what the artist’s potential might be.

Among the artists who will be featured in Lunch on Fridays this year will be artists in residence from the Cuba Project, which is bringing five noted Cuban artists to live, teach and create in

Cleveland—two during the past fall, and three in 2012. CIA describes the project as “seeing the culture of a nation weave through generations as emerging and established Cuban Artists Share their talent and vision. This year’s artists include Alex Hernandes, painter and video artist; Jose Angel Toirac, painter and installation artists; and Meira Marrero, art historian.

The lunch on Fridays programs is also a way of encouraging interaction between students and the interested arts community of Cleveland. The events are free to both students and the public. And—not to forget the lunch—CIA provides beverages and pizza.

Lunch on Fridays happens Fridays at 12:15 in CIA’s Gund Building. Most take place in Ohio Bell Auditorium. The series is jointly sponsored by the Liberal Arts and Foundation Environments with additional support coming from other Cleveland Institute of Art Environments.

William Busta is director of William Busta Gallery.

Every Friday during the school year at the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Lunch on Fridays program offers formal and

informal presentations and conversations with artists engaged with active careers .

MODELING ACCESS AND BALANCEthe cleveland institute of art visiting artist program opens doors

By William Busta

CiA viSiTiNg ArTiST prOgrAm

Location 11141 East Boulevard, Cleveland Phone 216.421.7000Web cia.edu/visiting_artistsEmail lcooper@cia.eduFacebook The Cleveland Institute of Art

MISSIONThe Cleveland Institute of Art strives to nurture the intellectual, artistic, and professional development of students and community members through rigorous visual arts and design education, and in so doing to advance culture, community, and global quality of life . Our success is derived from a pursuit of excellence, the fostering of community, a holistic approach to education, a culture of accountability, and freedom of inquiry .

CIA’s Visiting Artist Program serves this mission by making accessible artists and scholars of local, regional, national and international significance to the Institute’s internal community and the greater Cleveland community of which we are a part . Lunch on Friday’s, a regular venue for presenting artists and scholars is one means by which the Institute achieves this . It takes place in CIA’s Gund Building on every Friday at lunchtime, 12:15 pm, of the regular semester and is free and open to the public .

RECENT HISTORYA few of the artists who were featured as part of Lunch on Fridays last year included: Sculptor and public artist Brinsley Tyrrell, whose sculpture livens several Cleveland

neighborhoods, and whose enamel landscapes were recently exhibited at William Busta Gallery; Joe Kelly and Jay Crocker, who have created real-time animations to real-time music using home made instruments and sound making devices from found objects, including discarded toys; and, as part of the ongoing Cuba Project, Alejandro Aguilera (who works through sculpture installation, drawing, and improvisational mechanisms to explore his relationship to art and history as they relate to him as an immigrant) and Osmievy Ortega, whose work revitalizes the print medium to represent scenes of subcultures, social margins and identity .

COMING EVENTS The Bickford Visiting Artist Series lectures are free and open to the public, and take place in CIA’s Aitken Auditorium of the Gund Building at 11141 East Boulevard .

Feb 15, 7pm – Nick Caveon fashion and soundStrategies of Performa: Scene and UnseenReception in Gund lobby before lecture

Mar 15, 7pm – Clarence Morganon painting and abstractionInspiration from a Painter’s Notebook

Apr 6, 7pm – Marek Ceculaon ceramic artIndustrial Interventions

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For Cleveland, that catalytic moment came in 1960—just over half a century ago—when the late Klaus Roy was presenting a lecture to the Woman’s City Club. Recruited to Cleveland by the legendary conductor George Szell to serve as the Cleveland Orchestra’s program annotator, the Vienna-born writer and composer challenged the women in his audience to create a way for Cleveland to acknowledge and honor its artists—just as European cities do.

It would take a pillar of the Cleveland arts community to marshal the effort. Martha Joseph—a native Clevelander educated at the Sorbonne and the University of Dijon, and the wife of longtime Musical Arts Association president Frank Joseph—was just the person. For some perspective on her persona, look no further than the fact that the French government would eventually award her the title Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et Lettres, for founding another local arts institution—the Cleveland International Piano Competition.

Martha Joseph championed the Cleveland Arts Prize as a program of the Woman’s City Club for its first 30 years, and led a drive to establish an endowment to fund it. Under the tenure of Mary Louise Hahn, who chaired the organization from 1990 to 2000, CAP commissioned an Arts Prize medal, launched a scholarship program, and established the tradition of holding an annual awards event in cultural venues throughout the city. The organization codified and published its selection criteria and became an independent nonprofit organization under the leadership of Diana Tittle, who was a prize recipient for writing in 1997 and led the organization from 2000 to 2004. Former Tri-C Jazz Festival director Terri Pontremoli led the

organization in 2005, and then in 2006 turned over the reigns to its current executive director, Marcie Bergman.

Now the oldest award of its kind in the United States, the Cleveland Arts Prize is a testament to the standard of excellence and quality of artists in Northeast Ohio. In addition to artists, the Arts Prize honors individuals who have expanded the community’s participation in the arts and helped make the region more hospitable to creative artistic expression.

It’s a project launched under Bergman’s leadership that brings the prize into the digital media age. Ms. Bergman is particularly excited about the Documentary Shorts Video Series, a collaboration with film maker Ted Sikora, designed to promote and archive the incredibly talented recipients of the CAP and document their work. In stunning videos, Sikora has captured CAP recipients in frank discussions on their art and in surprisingly intimate moments creating their work. Some of the artists are interviewed while at work in their studios, which allows for revealing and unpretentious discussion of their work and background. Accessible by the click of a mouse through the CAP website and through CAP’s Vimeo channel (http://vimeo.com/channels/artsprize), the videos have attracted many national and international viewers.

A brief promotional video featuring snippets of artists recognized in the Award series’ first fifty years gives a peek into the native Cleveland talent that would inspire such far-ranging interest: Jazz singer Jimmy Scott, the “famously dyspeptic” writer Harvey Pekar, the “boldacious” choreographer Dianne McIntyre, painter Joseph

O’Sickey, and designer Victor Schreckengost all talk about their work, inspiration, and key moments in their careers.

Bergman says new videos are being uploaded to the site as they are completed. The goal is to release approximately 50 videos by 2013. CAP is also seeking sponsorship of videos. Information on how to become a sponsor is available on the CAP website.

Another new program also stirs Bergman’s enthusiasm. This year will see CAP commission art for the first time. Each piece, to be created by a CAP visual art recipient, will be unique, made in a limited series and offered for sale through the CAP. Again, the project is inspired by the goal of promoting and recognizing Cleveland artists.

In addition to honoring the past, the Cleveland Arts Prize enables the artists of the future with four scholarships available to students pursuing arts disciplines at Cleveland institutions.

The John Paul Miller Scholarship is awarded annually to a student at the Cleveland Institute of Art; the Klaus Roy Scholarship is awarded to an orchestral student at the Cleveland School of the Arts; the Literature Scholarship is awarded to a student at Cleveland State University; and the Kathryn Karipides Dance Scholarship is awarded to a graduate student in dance at Case Western Reserve University.

Michael Gill is editor of CAN Journal.

Honoring the artistic past sounds like something worth doing, but for that to be anything more than a platitude

takes a catalytic moment . And if the honor is to weave its thread through history, creating a record of what fine

work our people have done, it takes dedicated effort, sustained across the years .

HONORING THE PAST, INFORMING THE FUTUREthe cleveland arts prize takes up the challenge

By Michael Gill

CLEvELAND ArTS prizE

Location P.O. Box 21126, ClevelandPhone 440-523-9889 Email info@clevelandartsprize.orgWeb clevelandartsprize.orgFacebook Cleveland Arts Prize

MISSIONThe Cleveland Arts Prize mission is two-fold: First, to identify, reward, publicly honor and promote those creative artists whose original work has made Northeast Ohio a more exciting place to live, and whose accomplishments have set a standard of excellence to which other artists can aspire .

And second, because artists are essential to a healthy community, and because the arts need a supportive environment and an engaged public, it is also the mission of The Cleveland Arts Prize to recognize the contributions of individuals and organizations that have expanded the community’s participation in the arts and helped make the region more hospitable to creative artistic expression .

Artists, art professionals and the general public are encouraged to nominate artists for the prize . Nominations can be made on-line at the CAP website . The nominations deadline for 2012 Awards is February 29th, 2012 . Winners will be announced around May 1st and will be honored at the 52nd Annual Awards Event, June 30, 2012 at the Cleveland Museum of Art .

A BRIEF HISTORYIn 1960, Martha Joseph took up a challenge issued by visiting composer Klaus Roy to acknowledge and honor Cleveland’s artists . For 30 years, Joseph guided the Cleveland Arts Prize as a program of the Club, and led a drive to establish an endowment .

Marcie Bergman became executive director of the Cleveland Arts Prize in 2006, and under her leadership the organization has not only managed the nomination of artists and performers, but has also created companion programs, scholarships, and events . Among the organization’s programs are a series of documentary short videos (vimeo .com/channels/artsprize), and in 2012, for the first time ever, an annual commission for a work by a CAP visual artist which will be available for sale in a limited edition .

The Cleveland Arts Prize supports four scholarships for students: The John Paul Miller Scholarship annually to a student at the Cleveland Institute of Art

The Klaus Roy Scholarship to an orchestral student at the Cleveland School of the Arts

The Literature Scholarship to a student at Cleveland State University

The Kathryn Karipides Dance Scholarship to a graduate student in dance at Case Western Reserve University .

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Cuba Project visiting artist Alejandro Aguilera.Cleveland Arts Prize founder Martha Joseph.

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The church was originally built in 1915. However, due to economic hardships it was forced to close its doors in 1998. The community was unable to support necessary renovations to the building. It was de-sanctified by the Catholic Diocese, and religious artifacts were removed. Then, in 2001, Alenka Banco bought the building and began renovations. Alenka’s passion for buildings is evident in her background which includes working for a local non-profit in commercial development, managing an arts building and opening a small gallery in Tremont (Eddie Moved) which she also renovated . Alenka is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Historic Preservation. She opened the stately edifice 2005, with Convivium33 Gallery located in the former church’s nave.

Alenka greets me as I enter Josaphat Art Hall. She makes sure to speak with everyone who visits, offering insight into the history of the space and its current exhibition. A retrospective show by Shirley Aley Campbell hangs on the walls. Her five foot by seven foot portraits fit comfortably throughout the nave—not the least bit overwhelmed by the architecture. Alenka’s goal is to create a professional and unique experience for each visitor. Her appreciation for this space, along with Cleveland and its artists is apparent through her approach and the exhibitions she presents throughout the year. Alenka feels the artists who live and work in Cleveland are the city’s greatest asset.

She named Convivium33 for a Latin term that means “to celebrate and feast.” The gallery continues to act as a community gathering space and celebrates the work of talented regional artists. Only three to four exhibitions are hosted throughout the year, including both solo and group shows. Alenka feels the large space is best suited to accommodate an entire portfolio or retrospective. This gives seasoned artists the opportunity to show close to home. The gallery launched with the work of painter Thomas Frontini. Other significant solo exhibitions include photographer and mixed-media artist Christopher Pekoc, photographer Michael Levy, printmaker Phyllis Seltzer, sculptor -painter Clarence Van Duzer and Outsider artist Reverend Albert Wagner.

Alenka also has a tradition of shows assembled by guest curators, including the painter and critic Douglas Max Utter (whose essay appears in this issue of CAN Journal), and Cleveland Museum of Art associate curator Mark Cole. This year, the noted Cleveland photographer Herb Ascherman will curate an exhibit which will make its way to Paris Photo 2012. Also this year, Convivium33 will present a show of the late Cleveland artist and CIA graduate Scott Miller. On the occasion of his death, Miller was described by curator William Busta in a Plain Dealer story as “certainly one of the most important artists in Cleveland in the late 20th century.” The painter exhibited his work around the world, including galleries in New York, Los Angeles, Key West, Fla., Toronto, Paris, Tokyo and Amsterdam. He passed away in 2008.

Josaphat Arts Hall refers not only to Convivium33, which occupies the church’s nave, but to the entire building – which includes office space, a basement, and other quarters. In addition to the gallery, the Hall houses several artist studios. Working within its walls are glass artists, furniture makers and painters. The working artists occasionally open their studios during the gallery events. The gallery hosts events in addition to the exhibitions. Alenka also donates the space to non-profits for fundraisers.

Alenka’s preservation and transformation of St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church has given the community a new place to gather. It separates itself from other venues with its architecture, which merges seamlessly with art that hangs on its walls. Thanks to the renovations, Convivium33 Gallery has received awards from both the AIA Cleveland, American Institute of Architects and the Cleveland Restoration Society. Originally built as a gathering space, Convivium33 Gallery carries on the building’s history and mission with great success and one of Cleveland’s most foremost exhibition spaces.

Gina DeSantis is a ceramic artist and coordinator of the Screw Factory Artists.

Throughout Cleveland old factories, lofts and other buildings have been converted in artist studio spaces and

galleries . Convivium33 Gallery has something in common with that trend, but is rare in that it reuses not an industrial

space, but the former St . Josaphat Roman Catholic Church .

FEAST YOUR EYESconvivium33 revives church building as place to “celebrate and feast”

By Gina DeSantis

CONviviUm 33

Location 1433 East 33rd Street, ClevelandPhone 216.881.7828 Web www. http://josaphatartshall.comEmail convivium33@josaphatartshall.comFacebook Convivium33 Gallery at Josaphat Arts Hall

MISSIONIt is the personal relationship between art, space and self that is the foundation for Convivium33 Gallery, which is located in the nave of the former church . Proprietor Alenka Banco asks, “So, what are four walls anyway? They are . . . .what they contain .” Josaphat Arts Hall is unique and special in many ways . The sacred structure which will house the new Convivium33 Gallery will also be the new location for several art business studios .

The economic benefits which enrich communities through the arts are recognized . A visit to the building can introduce a guest to the arts through interactive art opportunities . Private classes, workshops and lectures are now being offered in the individual studio businesses . Included are stained glass, painting, web design, glass fusion and slumping .

Interested artists are encouraged to visit studio residents, or e-mail properties@josaphatartshall .com for more information .

A BRIEF HISTORYFacing declines in its congregation and revenue, St . Josaphat Roman Catholic parish closed its doors in 1998 . After running a gallery called “Eddie Moved” in what had been the former home of a Tremont crack dealer, Alenka Banco came upon the space that was to become Convivium33 just as movers were removing its furniture . The former St . Josaphat Church was up for sale, and she immediately saw its potential as a gallery . It wasn’t until years later, in 2001, that she bought the de-sanctified church from the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland . After two full years of almost continuous renovation, including the installation of a new roof and heating system, she opened Convivium33 .

UPCOMING SHOWSScott Miller (1955-2008), curated by Alenka BancoMay 25-June 29, 2012

Paris Photo2012 CLEVELAND, curated by Herb AshermanSeptember 12-September 16

Pulp Imaging, curated by Lynn SuresOctober 17-October 21, 2012

Thomas Frontini, curated by Alenka BancoDecember 7-January 11

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It was the year 2000. A group of Cleveland Heights residents including Peggy Spaeth, Greg Donley, David Budin, Cathy Culp, and Steve Presser invited Community Partnership for the Arts and Culture CEO Tom Schorgl to meet with them in Spaeth’s family room. Their purpose was to talk about how a new organization in town might support the many artists and performers who live in Cleveland Heights, and simultaneously help the city’s neighborhoods stay strong.

Simultaneous with that discussion, the City had embarked upon a visioning process to plan for the future. And through CPAC, Schorgl had begun building an argument for public funding to support the arts in Cuyahoga County. A keystone in that argument was how the arts could play a key role for communities—supporting both quality of life and neighborhood economies.

“We had about a dozen people, and came up with a laundry list of ideas,” said Spaeth, who is now executive director of Heights Arts. The list included a gallery—because, for as many high quality visual arts who call Cleveland Heights home, there was at the time no year-round art gallery in the city. They wanted music programming.

They wanted to support poets. And they wanted to use public art to improve the streetscape.

All that energy resulted in Heights Arts, which quickly established itself as a major force for artists and neighborhoods in the region. In 2002 space became available in a storefront adjacent to a popular independent movie theater on Lee Road. They organized a “pop-up” holiday store that proved so successful that they signed a lease for a full-time gallery. In 2010 the small gallery expanded into an adjacent storefront and now includes a space for classes and workshops.

It’s a small amount of physical space, which serves the organization well by keeping expenses down.

Indeed, Heights Arts focuses on four program areas, only one of which depends on committed physical space. That’s the art gallery itself, which presents six exhibitions each year.

In addition to the gallery, Heights Arts collaborates with the City of Cleveland Heights on its poet laureate program. Supported by Cleveland Orchestra violinist and Heights Arts trustee Isabel Trautwein, a chamber music series presents four house concerts a year, which consistently sell out.

But the organization’s biggest visual impact probably comes from its public art installations, and collaborations with neighborhood groups on the design of public space.

“We facilitated public art projects, both permanent and temporary, for several business districts—Cedar-Fairmount, Coventry, Cedar Lee, Larchmere, and Cedar Center,” Spaeth said. “Those projects have included signage, murals, benches, the iron fences on Coventry, “Fencepiration,” and “Knitscape”—the temporary installation of colorful, form-fitting, knitted covers for parking meters, trees, and other features of the streetscape in selected neighborhoods.

Spaeth believes in grass-roots, community level activity, which is what Heights Arts is all about. “There’s an awful lot to be said for the ‘village’ concept,” she says. “We have wonderful large cultural institutions, but we also need smaller organizations in the community that deliver art on a daily basis. The arts should not be apart from life, but a part of life.”

Michael Gill is editor of CAN Journal.

If ever the stars have aligned for a group of people that wanted to do a good thing for their community, it was for

the people who launched Heights Arts .

A VILLAGE IN THE HEIGHTSheights arts focuses on the community

By Michael Gill

hEighTS ArTS

Location 2175 Lee Road, Cleveland HeightsPhone 216.371.3457Web http://www.heightsarts.org/Email heightsarts@heightsarts.orgFacebook Heights Arts

GALLERY HOURSMonday, Tuesday, Wednesday 10-5Thursday, Friday 10-9:30Saturday 1:30-9:30Closed Sunday

MISSIONHeights Arts is a nonprofit community arts organization in Cleveland Heights, Ohio . Heights Arts cultivates a strong, diverse, and collaborative arts community by inspiring people of all ages to engage in the arts; supporting the arts through education; providing exhibition and performance opportunities; and fostering public appreciation for the arts .

Heights Arts Gallery’s mission is to present significant art to the community; emphasize regional artists, with special attention to Heights artists; collaborate and foster collaboration among area artists and institutions; advance the arts and artists; and stimulate wider art appreciation .

A BRIEF HISTORYHeights Arts was founded in 2000, as a result of grass-roots leadership in collaboration with the city . Since then Heights Arts has created a place rich with artists, performers, art educators, administrators and others who make their livelihood in the performing or visual arts . We contribute to the region’s artistic vitality by showing regional artists at Heights Arts Gallery, facilitating public art and design projects, presenting chamber music and other concerts in intimate settings, nominating and supporting the Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate, and having classes and workshops in the arts . As a multidisciplinary arts organization, we tap into the potential of our creative residents to enrich community life .

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Heights Arts’ “Knitscape” public art installation.Convivium 33 on opening night.

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The old Kokoon Arts Club has had a bit of attention recently, thanks to Henry Adams and Lawrence Waldman’s book, Out of the Kokoon, published in 2011 in conjunction with an exhibit at the Cleveland Public Library.

If that makes William Scheele’s Kokoon Arts Gallery sound like it emphasizes the past, that’s only partly true. In fact, Scheele’s gallery is equally informed by the Kokoon Arts Club’s drive to press onward into a future of ever expanding creative possibilities.

Scheele is certainly grounded in twentieth century art from Cleveland. In 1984 he founded and directed the Cleveland Artists Foundation, which initially focused on early twentieth-century artists of the Cleveland School. Scheele’s father—a painter of imagined scenes from the natural history world (who became Director of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in 1949) was a strong influence.

But the other nonprofit organization Scheele founded—the New Center for Art and Technology, or NewCAT—looked toward the

future. The organization’s 2002 inaugural exhibition brought an international collection of computer graphic art called The Digital Hall of Fame to Cleveland. It was the first time the work had ever been exhibited in the United States. Over the next four years, NewCAT presented work from the annual Macworld Digital Art Gallery; produced a forum and exhibition on Creative Industries at CASE University; and participated in the first Ingenuity Festivals.

“One of the interesting things that happened at NewCAT is that many people came to our exhibitions out of curiosity for the newness,” Scheele said. “People were aware of digital art, but didn’t know how it was done. It was like when the camera was new. People had to realize that technology doesn’t just make art. That requires an understanding of the machine. Making art requires human intervention.”

Both currents have a strong presence at Kokoon Arts Gallery. “What interests me is work that spans the ages—looking at how historic artists may treat a subject matter, and how contemporary artists are dealing with it,” he adds.

Scheele has run galleries exhibiting traditional and digital media steadily since 1988, beginning in Cleveland Heights. His current gallery is located in the 78th Street Studios.

By showing digital media in the same venue as historic Cleveland School artists and illustrators of the natural world, Scheele draws a broad cross section of art aficionados, and commonly exposes people to work that stretches the limits of their appreciation.

“Sometimes I do see skepticism of new media,” he says. “There are still people who are very stodgy. This is why I deal with everything from traditional art techniques to computer graphics and video. To me it is all intriguing. To me it is the human creative spirit that is really interesting, and I love to show different ways to see the world. That is why I remain in the business. I work from a passionate standpoint. If I were in this for the money, I wouldn’t be here. This is a labor of love.”

Michael Gill is editor of CAN Journal.

Kokoon Arts Gallery got its name from old Cleveland lore . The original Kokoon Arts Club—founded by early 20th

century Cleveland artists & lithographers Carl Moellmann and William Sommer—was active from 1911 to the 1940s .

According to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, the group became known not only for seeking new forms

of expression (as alternatives to the conformity of academic art), but also for “extravagant parties that featured

unconventional costumes, exotic dances, opening processions, enormous props and clashing decorations, and

unpredictable ‘stunts’ throughout .”

OUT OF THE KOKOONin the past, present, and future: exhibiting the drive to break free

By Michael Gill

kOkOON ArTS gALLEry

Location 1305 West 80th Street, Cleveland 78th Street StudiosPhone 216-832-8212Web www.kokoonarts.comEmail williamscheele@gmail.comFacebook Kokoon Arts Gallery

GALLERY HOURSFriday & Saturday 11 am to 4 pmor by Appointment

MISSIONThe gallery shows historic and contemporary local artists, along with artists from around the country and world . Areas of artistic exploration include natural history, spirituality & mysticism, local Kokoon Arts Club & Cleveland School history, photography & computer graphics . In that Spirit, Kokoon Arts Gallery presents quality artwork from Traditional to Digital Media .

A BRIEF HISTORYWilliam Scheele established Kokoon Arts Gallery in October 2007 in the 78th Street Studios facility . The gallery continues the tradition established in 1911 by the Kokoon Arts Club to promote a more modernist approach to producing art, believing that artistic creativity should not be limited by any conventional ideas or laws . Artists must

always be free to explore new concepts, techniques and creative tools . Therefore Kokoon Arts Gallery will always revere and honor historic traditional media, but believes the evolution of artistic creativity is never ending . .

2012 EXHIBITIONSNature Revealed: Wildlife & EnvironmentsJanuary 20 through April 14, 2012

Michael Nekic: Altered City

Michael Prunty: Recent Watercolors

Gary Spinosa: Temple of the Spirits

Randall Tiedman: InScapes

Andrea LeBlond & Donna Webb: Ceramics

Ernie Horvath, Susan Squires, Karen Kunc & Darren Waterston: In Search of the Miraculous

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The gallery itself invites exploration, exuding a sense of strength and elegance: minimal furniture and fixtures (apart from those glass door handles) maximizes the art on display. The art is the star of the show, and the Leskos have done everything possible to make that the focus of your experience.

Owners Kenneth Paul Lesko (Executive Director) and his son Ross Lesko (Gallery Director) work hard to achieve quality with every exhibition. Between the two of them, they have more than 60 years of experience in the art world. Ross literally grew up in the business of dealing in significant art at shows and auctions around the country. For decades, most of their business was done on the road. Originally dealing in historical Modernist artwork (painting, sculpture, decorative arts, etc.) and vintage Italian art glass (1870-1970), their shared passion has lately expanded into a combination of historical and contemporary artwork.

With an international reputation for dealing in high quality art, they could have settled anywhere and been successful. But, being from the Cleveland area, they felt that the quality of arts and culture here could match any other major city. So when they decided in 2003 to open a gallery as permanent exhibit space, Cleveland was the only choice. They have been at 78th Street Studios longer than any other gallery in the building.

Since opening the gallery, they have added “Cleveland School” Artists (early to mid-20th century artists connected to Cleveland) to their historical collection and have launched six Cleveland School exhibitions. They have also added contemporary Cleveland artists to their collection and exhibition schedule, including Cleveland artists in solo, two-person, and group exhibitions.

What the Leskos bring to Cleveland is a unique glimpse of Modern historical and contemporary art from around the world, matched

whenever possible with the work of local artists. This also affords out-of-town visitors to see the quality of work being produced in Cleveland. A good example of this is their annual Cinema Exhibition (designed around the idea of cinema as a translated medium). Of the 18 artists (from eight cities and two countries) featured in Cinema 01, eight were from Northeast Ohio. The following year, in an exhibit that featured 17 artists from 12 cities and four countries, four of the artists were contemporary Clevelanders.

The galley is open Wednesday through Saturday and well worth the visit. If you visit their website kennethpaullesko.com, a click on “Previous Exhibitions” will give you an idea of the high quality and varied range of art work available at the Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery.

Susan Kelley is office manager at the Morgan Conservatory.

Standing outside the Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery on the second floor of 78th Street Studios you are immediately

taken by the mix of clean, industrial style metal and glass fixtures with the warmth of the wood detailing—beginning

with the most intriguing, oversize Italian art glass door handles you’ve ever seen in your life .

THE ROAD SHOW COMES HOMEthe historic and the contemporary mingle at kenneth paul lesko gallery

By Susan Kelley

kENNETh pAUL LESkO

Location 1305 West 80th Street, Cleveland Phone 216.631.6719Web www. kennethpaullesko.comEmail gallery@kennethpaullesko.comFacebook Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery

GALLERY HOURSWednesday-Saturday, 12:00pm-5:00pm

A BRIEF HISTORYKenneth Paul Lesko Gallery opened in 2003, after exhibiting at Modernist venues around the country for more than 20 years . Executive director Kenneth Paul Lesko and his son, gallery director Ross Lesko have lived in the Cleveland area for most of their lives, and decided to open the gallery in Cleveland as an experiment . In the intervening years, they have had significant exhibitions of historical and contemporary paintings and sculpture, by both Cleveland artists and artists from around the world . Other exhibitions include Vintage and Contemporary Photography, Tribal Art, American Studio Pottery and Contemporary Glass, as well as their annual international exhibitions of Cinema Inspired Artwork .

UPCOMING SHOWS(subject to change) Judith Brandon [Cleveland, OH]: Solo Exhibition

Director’s Choice 2012: Historical & Contemporary Gregory Lowell Smith [Banner Elk, NC]: Solo Exhibition

Jane Millican [London, UK]: Solo Exhibition

Troy Gua [Seattle, WA]: Solo Exhibition

Cinema 03: International Group Exhibition

Kasumi [Cleveland, OH]: Solo Exhibition

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Kokoon Arts gallery.Kenneth Paul Lesko gallery.

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The name legation once was a diplomatic term, referring to someone other than an ambassador. The Aurands define it as “the sending forth of one person to act for another.” A gallery, or an agent, for example, might act as a legation for an artist.

John says his resolve to make the gallery a reality comes from “not wanting to regret the things you don’t do.” The Aurands decided to open the gallery when circumstances aligned: They were looking for a place to live, and at the same time, Hilary needed studio space. So rather than buy a house in a tough economy, they moved into the 78th Street Studios –specifically, into a space that once housed American Greetings Creative Studios.

John, once a financial planner, turned to planning events, from live music performances to gallery exhibits. Instead of investing money, he was investing sweat equity in the renovation of the space, and the programming therein. What began as three empty rooms is now one open space full of activity.

They chose space in the 78th Street Studios in part due to its proximity to Gordon Square Arts District. (eliminate this and particularly its Theaters: Cleveland Public Theater, and Capitol Cinemas.) Since moving there, the two have become active leaders, and a primary force in the promotion and success of the 78th Street Studios third Friday openings, which now draw hundreds of visitors each month. While legation’s exhibits run the continuum from traditional to conceptual, the Aurands say what is most important is that the audience is comfortable. Creating an ambience of a very open and relaxed space is key. An artist herself, Hilary is particularly sensitive to difficulties artists can have approaching galleries for a show. She found that Cleveland can be just as intimidating as larger cities in this regard. She wants legation to help artists network with the market and to provide greater opportunity for emerging and established artists. Hence, the name.

In addition to being a resource to local artists, the gallery also gives back to a community in Kenya, East Africa, with 10% of proceeds from art sales donated by legation to the Victory Gospel Church.

John brings similar passion to the presentation of music. He likes the intimate setting their 3,000 square feet can provide. Bands are a part of the opening night events at Legation. The gallery and living space also present occasional house concerts. The flexibility of the relationship between the visual and musical components of legation has also helped the Aurands book special events.

Jean Brandt is director of Brandt Gallery.

Legation a gallery opened in 2009, with “Anatomy of the Barnstorm: black and white photography by Daniel Mainzer,”

an exhibit of Mainzer’s Joe Walsh album art, candid and audience shots, as well as his documentation of the Akron

Firestone Plant . Thus began this union of art and music, the vision of wife and husband Hilary and John Aurand .

A MARRIAGE OF ART AND MUSIClegation, a gallery combines two loves

By Jean Brandt

LEgATiON, A gALLEry

Location 1300 West 78th Street Phone 216.650.4201Web www.legationagallery.com Email legation1300@gmail.com Facebook legation, a gallery

MISSIONOur mission is to engage artists, designers and musicians in a professional networking environment in Cleveland’s largest art center, the 78th Street Studios . Our 3,000-square-foot space can host art exhibtions, musical performances and can be rented for other events such as business or networking meetings, fashion shows and wedding ceremonies or receptions . A portion of all donations and proceeds go to Victory Gospel Church in Kenya, East Africa to benefit a mission for orphans and widows . For more details or to set up a show, please call Hilary Aurand at 216 .650 .4201or email legation1300@gmail .com .

UPCOMING EVENTSDerek Gelvin & Jim Leach, sculpture and installationJanuary 20 – February 25

Hilary Aurand & Dawn Tekler/ paintings and photographyMarch 16 – April 20

Dott Schneider “The Missing Piece”, interactive installationApril 20 – May 5 Jason Byer, new paintingsMay 18 – June 2

Meghann Snow, new performance paintingsJune 15 – July 7

Additional W . 78th Street Studios 3rd Fridays:August 17

September 21

Sarah Curry & Hadley Conner, paintings & photographyOctober 19

November 16

December 21

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The merger makes a good occasion to look back at the work Cleveland Public Art has done to improve public spaces in the city. By creating specific works and collaborating with other organizations on their plans, Cleveland Public Art shaped the experience of being in public places around Cleveland.

Founded in 1985, Cleveland Public Art completed many significant projects that enhance public buildings, improve streetscape design, and have bring new life to vacant lots, parks, hiking/biking trails, and neighborhood centers.

The group always has—and will continue to—emphasize collaboration. Community leaders in the city’s diverse neighborhoods contact them for help identifying and creating projects that will enhance their community’s vacant land, playgrounds, and other features. Each project reflects the neighborhood where it is located, resulting in artwork that is part of each community’s identity. To ensure that all interested artists have the opportunity to collaborate, the organization maintains a registry of artists interested in working in the public realm. When projects come together, all artists on the list are invited to submit proposals.

Many of Cleveland’s most delightful and iconic public spaces were created or enhanced in collaboration with Cleveland Public Art. The Eastman Reading Garden at the Cleveland Public Library is one of Cleveland Public Arts most notable projects. The Garden is

a remarkable open urban space located between the Louis Stokes wing and the original main library building. In the summer months people flock there to meet friends, read a book and enjoy their lunch in the beautiful outdoor space. Playful bronze figures by sculptor Tom Otterness are scattered around the garden. They mischievously rearrange and steal letters from its bronze gate. Continuing the theme of words and meanings, sculptor Maya Lin created an L-shaped fountain and reflecting pool. The title, “Reading a Garden,” can only be read correctly if seen as a reflection in the water.

The organization’s reach extends into Cleveland’s neighborhoods. The trailhead to Slavic Village’s Morgana Run trail is visible from a distance thanks to Rotoflora, a 35-foot flower sculpture made from steel, including recycled bicycle wheels, and illuminated with energy-efficient LEDs.

Cleveland Public Art and ParkWorks were already collaborating in 2002, when they created the Orchard Park School playground, in Ohio City. The project included 560 linear feet of fencing created by sculptor Brinsley Tyrrell. Each 10-foot long, hand-forged section of the fence depicts groups and individuals in motion- running, dancing, and wheeling their way around the playground. After the installation, a multiple-vehicle accident damaged the fence. The artist incorporated the crash into one of its scenes. The artwork has become a community asset, adding vibrancy and interest to the neighborhood.

In conjunction with the City of Cleveland’s recently launched Food Cart Initiative, Cleveland Public Art has begun a program that pairs the food cart operators with local artists to visually enhance the food carts and boldly express each vendor’s offerings. . Making the food carts into mobile works of public art is an immediate way to create a brand for each new business.

Cleveland Public Art also provided consulting services to many of the city’s civic investments, including RTA’s Euclid Corridor, the Gateway Sports complex, the Cleveland Public Library’s downtown expansion and the Medical Mart Downtown Mall project.

The non-profit frequently gives lectures, serve on panels, make referrals from the artist database, and coordinates artist-selection processes for organizations. Cleveland Public Art includes many people and groups into the planning process to create a public partnership project. They create synergies and relationships with community development corporations, artists, foundations, other non-profits and organizations to integrate art into the community.

The merger of Cleveland Public Art with ParkWorks to create LAND Studio ensures that their efforts to beautify and improve public spaces in the city will continue.

Harriet Gould is co-director of ArtSpace-Cleveland

The organization formerly known as Cleveland Public Art begins a new chapter in the new year, as it joins forces

with ParkWorks to create a single entity called LAND Studio, (LAND being an acronym for the combined entity’s

areas of focus Landscape – Art – Neighborhoods – Development) . The new organization will continue the work of its

parent organizations–creating places and connecting people through public art, sustainable building and design,

collaborative and dynamic programming .

THE ART OF PUBLIC SPACEScleveland public art and parkworks join forces as land studio

By Harriet Gould

LAND STUDiO/CLEvELAND pUBLiC ArT

Location 1939 W 25th St, Ste 200, Cleveland, OH 44113Phone pending the new organization’s numberWeb www.land-studio.orgEmail gpeckham@land-studio.org

MISSIONLAND studio’s mission is to create places and connect people through public art, sustainable building and design, collaborative planning, and dynamic programming .

A BRIEF HISTORYLAND studio was formed in 2011 through the merger of Cleveland Public Art (CPA) and ParkWorks, two of Cleveland’s leading non-profit organizations focused on enhancing public spaces .

Historically, CPA had accomplished this through stimulating public art and ParkWorks through the creation and care of inviting greenspaces . But each organization evolved over time to embrace larger roles in the envisioning, planning, designing, building, and programming of Cleveland’s public spaces .

And this evolution was a collaborative one, with both organizations working together more frequently on multiple projects citywide .

Eventually, the two parent organizations came to the conclusion that by becoming more than occasional partners, they could accomplish even greater work for Cleveland . Thus, after a thoughtful merger process, LAND studio was born .

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Legation, A Gallery.“Rotoflora” sculpture at the Morgana Run trailhead in Slavic Village.

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Conceived by artist and papermaker Tom Balbo in 2006, the nonprofit organization is dedicated to handmade papermaking and the arts that extend from paper such as printmaking and book arts as well as hosting exhibitions celebrating these forms. The Conservatory provides remarkable resources that introduce the broader community to the unique and beautiful qualities of handmade paper while providing artists with the facilities to explore this form to a depth and degree few other institutions can match.

Adding to this commitment to the art of paper is a commitment to green practices and community enrichment. The Morgan stands as one of Cleveland’s truly important creative engines bringing the aesthetics of the handmade paper to a reality of Urban renewal.

The Conservatory even maintains a small grove of “giving trees” in a tenderly cared-for garden. The Kozo trees were planted from cuttings brought from the University of Iowa the year after the organization was founded. They thrive behind the former machine shop the Morgan calls home. Beginning in 2006,the industrial building was slowly transformed through the sweat equity of many local artists

and volunteers bringing Balbo’s remarkable vision to fruition, and fulfilling the mission of the trust established by a gift from the late Charles Morgan.

Every year running from May to September, the Morgan provides workshops on a variety of paper and bookmaking topics. In 2011 these included sessions such as “Animated Pop-Ups,” Paper Casting, “ Books on Brass Boards” and “Big Ass Papermaking.” The Conservatory is also a destination for area school fieldtrips and often provides instructors for in-school workshops. The Morgan has facilities capable of producing paper made following Eastern and Western practices. The organization itself exists as an inviting hub of creative energy attracting people from diverse backgrounds to this urban neighborhood.

Further extending this outreach will be the 2012 International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists/Friends of Dard Hunter Conference, running October 17 – 22, the event will be hosted by the Morgan. The conference will bring an estimated 300 to 350 paper artists from around the world to

Cleveland. Founded in 1986 in Düren, Germany, the IAPMA is an international organization and has been a leader in promoting paper as an art medium. Partnering in the conference is The Friends of Dard Hunter a group which is committed to education and social connection in the field of papermaking and which promotes interest in the Dard Hunter Collection which is housed in the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum in Atalanta, GA. Nine Cleveland area galleries will work with the Morgan to host supporting exhibitions and workshops. The Dard Hunter/IAPMA Conference represents a notable event for the Morgan firmly situating the Conservatory within a growing international papermaking community.

Lane Cooper is assistant professor, head of the Painting program, and Visiting Artist program coordinator at the Cleveland Institute of Art.

If Occupy Wall Street’s goals are to challenge the paradigms of greed and self-involvement, then the Morgan Art

of Papermaking Conservatory and Educational Foundation has something in common with the political movement .

Its mission and practice are an antidote to those corporate vices . But the Morgan came first .

MORGAN CONSERVATORY OCCUPIES CLEVELANDmaking paper by hand in midtown is the opposite of greed

By Lane Cooper

mOrgAN ArT OF pApErmAkiNg CONSErvATOry

Location 1754 East 47th Street, Cleveland, OH 44103Phone 216.361.9255Web www.morganconservatory.orgEmail program@morganconservatory.orgFacebook Morgan Conservatory

GALLERY HOURSTuesday through Saturday, 10 a .m . – 4 p .m .

MISSIONThe Morgan is a non-profit art center dedicated to the preservation of hand papermaking paper arts and the art of the book . The Morgan pursues its educational and charitable purposes by serving the greater community locally, nationally, and internationally with sustainable practices in an innovative green environment .

A BRIEF HISTORYTom Balbo and many other local and national paper, book and print artists and educators saw the need to preserve these art forms as they were disappearing from art schools and colleges . Beginning operations in October, 2008 in a repurposed 15,000+ sf machine shop the Morgan offers workshops in handmade papermaking, paper and book arts, and offers 5 to 6 national/international exhibitions each year in its 1,540 expandable gallery space . Among those have been the “”War as Art / Art As War Combat Paper exhibit, which presented works made on paper created by soldiers from

their old uniforms; “Bad Boys, Magic Ladies, and Timeless Masters” which featured contemporary American block printers – at least one of which used a steamroller as a tool for the transfer of ink; and the annual Abecedaria show, organized by Artist Books Cleveland .

UPCOMINGCIA Steamroller PrintsWinter, 2011

John Adams/Clare Murray-Adams (Drawing/Mix Media/Encaustic)March, 2012

Rebecca Cross (Shibori on Handmade Paper)May, 20112

Don Lisy (Drawing)/Qian Li (Drawing)July, 2012

Snail Mail/Paper Trail (Art Auction – invited artists create paper on Morgan Paper)September, 2012

“Colossal, Vast, Enormous” and Members Exhibition (Watermarks 2012 Conference exhibition)Friends of Dard Hunter and International Association of Hand Papermakers & ArtistsOctober, 2012

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The Orange Art Center traces its roots to 1968, when a group of dedicated community members established the Orange Community Arts Council as a way to promote cultural events in their community. The next year, 800 people attended the first Barefoot in the Parlor House Tour and Garden Fare. This confirmed the support of cultural programs for the community, and by 1980 the council provided the funds to establish the Orange Art Center. Throughout its history, OAC has expanded with the addition of gallery space, instructional space, and a state of the arts ceramic studio, thereby doubling in size.

Today OAC thrives, offering extensive visual arts classes year-round to adults, teens, and children. Additional programs include: community partnerships, exhibits and events, and financial assistance and programs to students in the Orange School District. The Center’s dedicated staff of two, Executive Director, Deborah Pinter and Executive Assistant, Gina DeSantis receives support in all its programs from its impressive list of faculty.

Orange Art Center’s class listing can readily be found online. OAC’s class offerings focus on painting, jewelry, ceramics, mixed media and crafts. By no means, however, are these the only classes offered. A visit to their website whets the appetite. Orange faculty include well know professional artists who exhibit regularly throughout the region and are also included in local collections. Four class sessions are planned annually, encouraging participants to learn something new or continue expanding in their area of interest. While the

OAC audience encompasses the greater Cleveland area and Eastern Pennsylvania, its primary audience is local retired adults.

Director Deborah Pinter remarked during our interview “Orange Art Center has a unique spirit of family. It has dedicated patrons and supporters, some going back thirty years, who remain involved with the organization. These patrons have given of their time by volunteering or remaining active in classes. Through this long standing connection of repeat customers, a wonderful commitment to the OAC has been established.”

This family environment is evident through the other programs offered by the center. Core to its mission, OAC is committed to helping students further their artistic development, nurturing artistic expression in all its participants, and delivering high quality cultural entertainment to the community. For example, the Orange Art Center mentors two to four high school seniors annually, offering them the opportunity to complete their senior project at the Center. Through this program, students can take as many classes and workshops as they like during the month of May at no cost. The $500 Orange Art Center/Charlene Power’s Award is awarded to an Orange High School junior each year. Younger students in grades K-5 can participate in after school classes, selecting from pottery, drawing, and painting.

Through an ongoing partnership with New Directions, a treatment facility for chemically dependent teens, the Orange Art Center provides a nurturing environment whereby clients can experience pottery classes once a week throughout the year.

The Orange Art Center has three exhibitions a year. The spring faculty exhibition highlights the amazing accomplishments of OAC’s very talented artists and teachers. Each June, for more than 25 years, the annual Student Show has presented the work of class participants and offers juried prizes. OAC’s annual Animals in Art Exhibition, known by many in the local arts circles, is a collaboration that supports artists, a local animal rescue organization, and the Orange Art Center. This unique collaboration, created by OAC’s director Deb Pinter, is an exhibition and art sale that showcases 30-40 local artists. For one week the exhibition spotlights works of art with an animal based theme. The OAC’s director, a practicing artist herself, feels it is important the event gives back sixty percent of the proceeds to the participating artists, with the remaining proceeds being split between, this year’s partner (the spay-and-neuter clinic PetFix of Northeast Ohio) and the Orange Art Center.

The Orange Art Center exceeds its goal of successfully encouraging the practice and appreciation of the fine arts among people living in the Orange School District by serving it community and the local Cleveland area through quality programs. Their small and talented staff continues moving the organization forward as they reach out to the community, continue to have a presence at community events, and maintain their welcoming family environment within the center.

Amy Craft is executive director of Art House

Nestled in a tranquil, wooded setting, the Orange Art Center is the center of creativity for Pepper Pike and the

surrounding areas . Making its home in a century-old house adjacent to the Cuyahoga County Library’s Orange

Branch, the Center offers a perfect environment for making art . Its outdoor environment sets the stage for its indoor

activity by offering a feeling of calm and contemplative thought .

NESTLED (AND GROWING) IN THE WOODSorange art center makes a place for the arts in Pepper Pike

By Amy Craft

OrANgE ArT CENTEr

Location 31500 Chagrin Boulevard Pepper PikePhone 216.831.5130Web www.orangeartcenter.orgEmail dpinter@orangeartcenter.org, gdesantis@orangeartcenter.orgFacebook Orange Art Center

OFFICE HOURSMonday-Friday 9:30am-4:00pm

MISSIONThe mission of the Orange Art Center is to offer educational opportunities, which encourage the practice and appreciation of the fine arts among people living in the Orange School district and surrounding areas by: Operating classes for children and adults that develop and nurture artistic expression; Providing educational and social programs, which inform and entertain; Providing financial assistance and programming in the Orange School District; Sponsoring art exhibits and fine art performances for the community; and collaborating with other community organizations .

A BRIEF HISTORYThe Orange Community Arts Council (OCAC) was incorporated January 17, 1968 as a community group who visualized creating a Summer Campus of the Arts for the Orange Community . In March of 1969, 800 community members attended the first Barefoot in the Parlor House Tour and Garden Faire .

The OCAC worked on their goals in three Phases, Phase I (1967-1970), Performing Arts, Phase II (1970-1979), The Interim Periods of Classes and Scholarship; and Phase III (1979-currently), the Visual Arts/Art Center .

In 1980, OCAC established the Orange Art Center in an 83-year-old house nestled in the woods near the Cuyahoga County Public Library-Orange Branch . Capital campaigns over the years have more than doubled the size of the original building by enhancing the instructional spaces, expanding exhibit areas and building a state-of-the-art ceramics studio . Over the years the purpose of the Orange Art Center and the type of programming have shifted its focus primarily to Phase III, the

Visual Arts component . With the continuing support of the board, staff and community, the Center has become one of the area’s most prestigious community art centers in its area .

UPCOMING EVENTSFaculty Exhibition: March 16-30, 2012Opening and Patron Party: March 16, 2012 from 6-9pm

Student Exhibition: June 4-June 8, 2012Opening: June 3 from 3-5pm

Adult Classes and WorkshopsWinter Session: January 15-March 9, 2012Spring Session: April 2- May 25, 2012Summer Session: June 25-August 3, 2012Fall Session: September 10-November 16, 2012

Children’s Classes Winter Session: January 23-March 9, 2012Spring Session: April 8- May 25, 2012Summer Camps: Weekly, June 11 – Aug . 17Fall Session: October 1-November 16, 2012

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Live figure painting.Bookmaking at the Morgan.

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The gallery not only acts as an extension of Whalley and Kelly’s studio/residence, but of their personalities as well. Housed in the newly renovated Loftworks Building—a pleasantly repurposed live-work warehouse building now home to residents and businesses—Proximity Gallery occupies a first floor storefront facing East 40th Street. It’s easily accessible, with surface and street parking to accommodate. The space is deliberately raw and sparse, but sets up well for displaying a diverse range of artists’ paintings, sculpture, installations, and talks.

Whalley, a fiber artist and Kelly, a fine artist met as students at the Cleveland Institute of Art and looked to pursue an opportunity to establish an art gallery. Poised to relocate from Cleveland to new challenges and opportunities in Portland, Oregon, a serendipitous opportunity to occupy their current gallery and home space kept them from moving.

Proximity opened in July 2010. Whalley and Kelly wanted to create a focus of emerging artists with the blending of more established

ones (such as Royden Watson and Michael Levy, both of whom have exhibited during the inaugural year). The mix has quickly established Proximity as a capable destination gallery.

Open to the public, Proximity shows four to five exhibitions per year with art openings on Fridays from 6:00PM to 10:00PM with regular hours Saturday and Sunday from Noon to 4:00PM or by appointment while the shows are being presented. During openings, beer and wine are provided within the gallery, and the vibrant Cleveland food trucks mobilize out front to offer a variety of dining choices.

The current schedule of 2012 exhibitions has not been finalized, but is available at the gallery’s website. Cash, check and major credit cards are accepted for payment.

Proximity emphasizes that there is not an established agenda for the gallery, just a passion to display and sell high quality work that Whalley and Kelly enjoy while expanding their reach. They

plan to continue showing more established artists blended with their consistent display of local, talented emerging artists. With this approach, the gallery looks to become another established arts anchor in the evolving St Clair/Superior neighborhood.

Robert Maschke, AIA is managing director of 1point618 and principal of Robert Maschke Architects

With a vision to create a place where there is a level of comfortability amongst artists, patrons, and visitors when

they stop by, artists Beth Whalley and Alex Kelly look to welcome you to Proximity gallery, the front room of their

home located at 1667 East 40th Street in Cleveland’s St . Clair/Superior neighborhood .

CLEVELAND IS IN PROxIMITYbeth whalley and alex kelly provide great art in proximity gallery

By Robert Maschke, AIA

prOximiTy

Location 1667 E 40th Street, Suite 1A, Cleveland Phone 216.262.8903Web www.proximitycleveland.comEmail info@proximitycleveland.comFacebook Proximity Cleveland

GALLERY HOURSSaturday & Sunday: 12-4pm (during exhibition dates)Additional hours by appointment

A BRIEF HISTORYProximity opened in July 2010, launched by artists Alex Kelly and Beth Whalley . In early 2010 they were looking to find a new apartment and learned that the storefront and adjacent living space in the Loftworks building was available . After a few years toying with the idea of opening an art gallery they decided that this was more than mere coincidence, so they acquired the space and started the gallery . Their most significant shows so far have been solo exhibitions of two established Cleveland artists: Mere Witness: Photographs by Michael Levy in June 2011 and So – Recent Works by Royden Watson in September 2011 . The gallery has shown a variety of mediums: drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, textiles, and sculpture .

MISSIONProximity is a “gallery without an agenda” that aims to show significant works of art in all mediums by both up-and-coming and established artists .

UPCOMING SHOWS2012 shows to be announced

check www .proximitycleveland .com in early 2012 for a schedule .

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The Fine Print Fair is by far the largest and most popular event organized by the Print Club of Cleveland. Attended by college students, seasoned collectors and everyone in between, it was encouraging and interesting to see such diversity in the room.

Prints were literally everywhere – on the tables, hung on moveable walls, in racks on the floor, and leaned up against the wall. The sheer number of prints and the ability to handle the work breeds a familiarity with and appreciation of the prints that just can’t be achieved in a gallery setting. Walking around the fair, I saw people discussing the prints and processes. The room had a buzz of energy as members, attendees, students, dealers, friends and curators expressed their shared love of the medium.

There is a definite intimacy involved in handling prints and, though they were all matted to protect the image on the paper, the viewer has a significant responsibility handling the work.

And with fourteen vendors from around the country, there was a great diversity of artwork in the room as well. From 18th century European to 19th century American to contemporary Mexican or Japanese prints, the breadth of time and geography represented at the fair made it really enjoyable to move from dealer to dealer. With just as large a range in prices, this event makes art collecting accessible to anyone who wants to start or build a collection of their own.

The Print Club of Cleveland is an established organization with 91 years behind it, only six years younger than The Cleveland Museum of Art. In fact, the Print Club is an affiliate of CMA, and roughly

one-third (or 18,000 works!) of CMA’s print collection have been gifts from the club and its members. The individual members share a love of print collecting and an appreciation for the varied printmaking processes. When considering the illustrious history of this organization you might make the assumption that the group is traditional rather than progressively eclectic, but you would be completely mistaken.

Print Club President, Mary Kay DeGrandis very clearly loves her position and is a fountain of knowledge about not only the organization but the art of printmaking, the dealers at the fair, and the art museum. Mary Kay first became involved in the group when she attended a Fine Print Fair in 1988. She became a member in the year 2000.

One of her favorite things about the club is its educational programming. This educational pursuit was evident at the Fine Print Fair, where Zygote Press and the Morgan Conservatory presented printmaking and papermaking demonstrations in the atrium. Lectures by CMA leaders were also scheduled for each day. One of the lecturers, Dr. Jane Glaubinger, Curator of Prints at the Museum, is very involved in the group. Indeed, one of the many benefits of membership in this organization is having the opportunity to get to know the diverse membership that includes artists, collectors, and CMA leadership and staff. The group sponsors lectures throughout the year. There are other activities, too, including visits to members’ homes to view their print collections.

As the club continues its evolution, one of Mary Kay’s endeavors is to increase its junior membership and attract more members in their 30s, 40s and under. Moving into the 21st century, the club has a website, and Facebook page. They’ll continue to make select educational programs open to the general public, allowing nonmembers to participate, and perhaps to become members themselves. The Print Club of Cleveland is very unique in that it’s not defined by a physical space so much as it’s defined by the people who belong to it. As long as young people keep discovering this great organization and its active community, the club will continue its history and still be around in 3016!

Beth Whalley is director of Proximity Gallery.

As artmakers, gallerists and art enthusiasts, many of us are accustomed to seeing art hung on walls, with plenty

of white space surrounding it to provide optimal viewing free from “distraction” by things like doors, light switches,

and other artwork . It’s not that way at the Print Club of Cleveland’s Fine Print Fair, an annual event I attended last

year at Tri-C’s Corporate College East .

INTIMATE CONTACTthe print club of cleveland helps members get in touch with fine art

By Beth Whalley

ThE priNT CLUB OF CLEvELAND

Location 11150 East Blvd, ClevelandPhone 216-707-2579Web http://www.printclubcleveland.org/Email printclub@clevelandart.orgFacebook The Print Club of Cleveland

MISSIONThe Print Club of Cleveland’s purpose is to stimulate interest in an appreciation of old and contemporary prints, to augment (by purchases and gifts) the print collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art and to encourage private collecting of prints . The club annually distributes to its members a print which has been commissioned by the club .

A BRIEF HISTORYThe Print Club of Cleveland was founded in 1919 by collectors of fine art prints and has continually been a source for print collectors in the Western Reserve since its inception . It is the oldest affiliate group of the Cleveland Museum of Art . The Print Club has hosted the annual Fine Print Fair since 1984 . The Fair invites 14 dealers from across the country, hand-picked by Cleveland Museum of Art curator of prints Jane Glaubinger . Each year a different dealer is invited for the 3 day fair . The dealers not only sell art but educate the fair visitor . Educational activities including, talks by curators, museum directors

and print dealers continue throughout the weekend . Printmakers and paper conservationists from zygote Press, Morgan Conservatory, and the Intermuseum Conservation Association offer demonstrations . Almost 1,000 people attend .

Other Print Club events include gallery talks at the Cleveland Museum of Art, house tours of members’ homes to view their collections, special lectures by curators, artists and printmakers and curator led trips to various museums and private art collections throughout the United States .

Preparations for celebration of the club’s 100th anniversary are underway, including plans to partner with various galleries and printmakers throughout the city .

UPCOMING EVENTSFine Print FairSeptember 28, 29 and 30, 2012

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Proximity gallery.Examining prints at the Fine Print Fair.

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River Gallery’s current exhibit, Cleveland Craft Masters, features the work of David and Roberta Williamson, Pamela Argentieri, Matthew Hollern, William Brouillard, Judith Salomon and Brent Young. It’s the kind of exhibit, collectors can expect from the gallery.

G. Ara Hamamjian, the gallery owner, is incredibly proud of the current exhibit, “This exhibit is a compelling combination of artists who have a long-time relationship with the gallery, plus two artists new to River Gallery,” he says. “All of them have impressive local reputations and all are nationally recognized.”

A real labor of love, it is obvious that Hamamjian and gallery manager, Mark Yasenchack have a passion for curating group exhibits and providing established and emerging local artists with a finely tailored and professional presentation. “The relationships I have made with artists have been inspiring and incredibly rewarding.” Hamamjian adds.

Founded in 1970 by his parents George and Sara Hamamjian, Ara grew up surrounded by art. After graduating from Ohio State University, Ara enrolled in the Picture Framing Academy in San Francisco, honing his skills and developing a love for the craft. An artist in his own right, Hamamjian dresses flyfishing flies. Both functional and decorative, they are ornaments of hook, fur and feather. He instructs fly-tying workshops at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Developed from his love of flyfishing he is also a guide on the Rocky River for other enthusiastic fly-fishers.

In 1994 Hamamjian purchased the gallery from his parents and pursued a different course by focusing on independent studio artists, as well as establishing collaborative relationships with professors and alumni of the Cleveland Institute of Art, Kent State University, and Baldwin-Wallace College.

The support and enthusiasm of River Gallery patrons is clearly evident in the success of the annual Ceramics Invitational Exhibit

every April. Since 2005, this exhibit has grown to feature the work of over 30 ceramicists. The 2012 exhibit will open Saturday April 28th, 2012.

The first exhibit of the 2012 season, will be the annual photography exhibit. This will feature new works by Mark Inglis, Jessica Maloney, Chad Gordon and Dan Morgan. These photographers have developed unique and inventive methods of creating compelling contemporary photography. This exhibit opens Saturday, February 4th, 2012.

Both Ara and Mark enjoy the discovery of exciting new work by talented artists of the Cleveland area, and sharing that dynamic with River Gallery patrons.

River Gallery seeks artists year-round.

Mark Yasenchack is gallery manager of River Gallery

It’s not a rhetorical or flippant question. For all its cultural import, art is essentially a consumer product. In the case of nearly all other consumer goods, the making and the selling are viewed as different occupations, delegated and sub-delegated to paid professionals. But individual artists rarely have this luxury. Few of them have brothers like Theo Van Gogh, who promoted and sold Vincent’s work.

So there is a missing link between the artist and the consumer that a gallery can fill, but because art is by nature a highly individualized product, each gallery tends to carry specific genre or families of art. In Northeast Ohio Red Dot Project has stepped in to fill the crucial need to match art and consumers with a highly personal service.

Founded in 2005 by long-time art gallery owner and entrepreneur Joan Perch, Red Dot Project was inspired by Pierogi Flat Files in New York. The intent was to make original artwork available by storing a wide variety of media in flat files, and eventually online.

Red Dot Project represents more than 100 Northeast Ohio artists in a wide variety of media, reflecting its mission to create economic opportunities for artists. Any artist may apply to be included in the collection. Artists the Red Dot Project represents are selected by a peer review process. Criteria for selection include the artist’s command of the material, and the overall quality of the art.

Project Director Christy Gray—whose experience is both as an artist and an interior designer—provides a link between the artist and the client, typically a small or medium-sized business looking for art because they are moving or renovating. The client does not pay a fee. Like a commercial gallery, Red Dot earns a percentage of the sale price of the art.

Even if art is viewed as a consumer product, selling it is unlike the sale of commodities, or impulse products. Selling art is a process. At RDP, the process begins when Gray meets with the client and assesses their needs. Factors under consideration are individual taste,

space, and budget. Red Dot Project uses a searchable database that makes the art selection process easier and faster. Because Gray is familiar with a wide range of artists, sometimes she will suggest a commissioned piece customized to the client.

In the summer of 2011, Red Dot Project provided the art for The Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Smart Home, a passive energy model home. The selected art was based on the fundamentals of sustainability. The pieces were made from natural or reclaimed materials, created in a studio where environmental processes were in place and/or reflected in content or theme views of our world and environment.

Red Dot Project provides a very personal and crucial connection between the creative community and clients in Northeast Ohio.

Peggy Spaeth is executive director of Heights Arts

River Gallery is a white wall gallery, representing emerging and established artists from the Cleveland area . The

gallery is located on Old Detroit Road in Rocky River, a charming shopping area that was recently revitalized with

a streetscape make over . The pedestrian friendly neighborhood is packed with restaurants and galleries . River

Gallery and its neighbors Devout Home and Mitchell Sotka Ltd ., are the longstanding arts businesses in the Old

River Shopping area .

One of the complexities of being an artist is that you have to do it all: make the art, photograph it, market it, and

try to sell it . Who has time for all of that?

A COMPELLING COMBINATIONriver gallery has a passion for group shows

By Mark YasenchackPLAYING THE PART OF THEOin the interior design marketplace, red dot project represents artists

By Peggy Spaeth

rivEr gALLEryrED DOT prOjECT

Location 19046 Old Detroit Road Rocky RiverPhone 440.331.8406Web www.rivergalleryarts.comEmail rivergalleryarts@yahoo.comFacebook River Gallery

GALLERY HOURS11 a .m . to 6 p .m . Tuesday through Friday11 a .m . to 5 p .m . SaturdayClosed Sunday and MondayOr by appointment

MISSIONExhibiting nationally recognized and emerging artists from the Cleveland area .

A BRIEF HISTORYRiver Gallery was founded in 1970 by George and Sara Hamamjian, . Their son Ara, the gallery’s current owner, therefore grew up surrounded by art . After graduating from Ohio State University, Ara enrolled in the Picture Framing Academy in San Francisco, honing his skills and developing a love for the craft . An artist in his own right, Hamamjian dresses flyfishing flies . Both functional and decorative, they are ornaments of hook, fur and feather .

He instructs fly-tying workshops at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History . Developed from his love of flyfishing he is also a guide on the Rocky River for other enthusiastic fly-fishers .

In 1994 Hamamjian purchased the gallery from his parents and pursued a different course by focusing on independent studio artists, as well as establishing collaborative relationships with professors and alumni of the Cleveland Institute of Art, Kent State University, and Baldwin-Wallace College .

UPCOMING EXHIBITSMark Inglis, Jessica Maloney, Chad Gordon, Dan MorganOpening February 4, 2012

Animal-Themed Art ExhibitOpening March 17, 2012Interested artists, please contact the gallery

Annual Ceramics InvitationalOpening April 28, 2012Interested artists, please contact the gallery

Location 1900 Superior Avenue, Suite 117, ClevelandPhone 216.664.9600 Web http://updates.reddotproject.org/Email Christy@reddotproject.orgFacebook Red Dot ProjectTwitter REDDOTProject

MISSIONRED DOT Project puts the work of Northeast Ohio artists together with clients who want to enliven their work and home environments . As a non-profit organization, we do more than just sell art . We build community relationships and develop new markets for artists as entrepreneurs .

A BRIEF HISTORYFounded in 2005 by artist, gallery owner and arts entrepreneur Joan Perch, RED DOT Project maintains artists work in flat files and digital images, rather than space-intensive gallery displays . The flat and digital files can be easily viewed by clients who wish to take advantage of the region’s thriving creative class . Previously, Perch was owner of ArtMetro Gallery, and creator of the ARTcade—a collection of galleries that brought life to the otherwise mostly vacant Colonial Arcade in Downtown Cleveland . Christy Gray, now

project director of RED DOT Project, has been involved with the organization since its inception . Gray’s textile art can be found in private collections throughout Northeast Ohio . Since its inception in 2005, RED DOT Project has provided real sales opportunities for visual artists and arts businesses totaling more than $500,000 .

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River Gallery.Susan Danko, Dissolution, Nordson Corporation installation.

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The Sculpture Center is one of the few venues in the country—and the only one in the Midwest—to exhibit only sculpture and installation work. The organization is also unique in its ongoing series of exhibitions focusing on sculpture by early career artists of the region. These shows provide a window to the concerns of up-and-coming artists: the names of tomorrow.

Indeed, the centerpiece of the Center’s exhibition schedule is the W2S (Window to Sculpture) Emerging Artist series. The series annually presents six solo exhibitions by early career artists who have Ohio roots. Four curated exhibitions and a thoughtfully juried group exhibition round out a year’s offering.

Unlike venues that look retrospectively at artists’ past work, the Sculpture Center usually exhibits works made specifically for the venue. Because of this, the occasion of a Sculpture Center solo show often provides a new direction for the artist. The galleries may one season be filled with the metal sculptures of Richard Hunt that have never been seen outside his studio, and the next season with a startling array of mixed media pieces that are concerned with the darker side of consumerism, environmental damage, genetic engineering, and industrialization.

Executive director Ann Albano and her bright, involved staff frequently guide visitors through the exhibitions and chime-in about the interpretive levels of the sometimes challenging work on view. Additional wall text and brochures are available and reveal more insights. The artists speak informally at every opening and are

always impressed by the level of dialogue and connection people have to their work.

The Sculpture Center advocates a philosophy of promoting fluid, open-ended programming with other collaborators to allow the greatest freedom of expression. For example, a series of concert performances by the FiveOne Experimental Orchestra (a group of sixteen composers and musicians with a ‘no-boundaries’ approach to music) offers music composed in response to works on exhibit, adding a new dimension to their visual output. Likewise, artists with solo exhibitions in the Euclid Avenue Gallery are encouraged to invite another artist to exhibit in an adjacent space (known as The Platform), which enables the audience to make connections with the artists interests and influences farther afield.

The boom of new construction in University Circle, and the anticipated increase in tourism promise a great future for the organization. To complement that growth, the Sculpture Center is focused on expanding its presence in the region. They anticipate more collaboration with the Cleveland Institute of Art, MOCA Cleveland, and universities across Ohio.

Beyond its own exhibits, the Sculpture Center aims to educate the public—and students, in particular—about art and sculpture in general, and Ohio sculpture in particular. For example, ceramic artist Elizabeth Emery facilitates 3D art making classes for after school programs at elementary schools in the Cleveland Municipal Schools District, Cleveland serving kids who otherwise have little access to the arts.

The Sculpture Center’s website is another informative gem. Its content is well designed, and constantly updated with rich material about artist opportunities, event links, and on-line resources. Key among its reference features is the Ohio Outdoor Sculpture Initiative, an online registry of more than 1,000 sculptures around the state. The OOSI inventories sculpture in the large urban areas of Ohio with photos, as well as bibliographic details and documentation of their condition. An ongoing partnership with the CSU Michael Schwartz Library has made the database more accessible. Future plans include posting OOSI information on a Yahoo Flickr page to use crowd sourcing as a way to fill in the blanks, update images, and encourage information exchange. This WIKI-history will benefit scholars, teachers, librarians, and anyone curious about their community. With its strong emphasis upon preservation, OOSI supports the belief that public art adds to a community and gives us all a level of pride.

The Sculpture Center is rare in its mission to showcase sculpture and installation art, which are not the easiest art forms to make, ship, install, exhibit, sell, and maintain. The organization continues to celebrate new, innovative, renegade works by our region’s emerging sculptors and installation artists while, at the same time, dedicating themselves to the great monuments and landmarks that are symbols of this town’s resilience and strength.

Liz Maugans is executive director of Zygote Press.

The busy Euclid corridor rattles with the excitement of new cultural propositions among the historic fixtures that

anchor University Circle . This is the Sculpture Center’s neighborhood . Situated at the eastern edge of the Circle,

among interconnecting, multi-purposed buildings, The Sculpture Center evolved through the vision of its founder,

the noted sculptor David E . Davis .

SITE SPECIFICthe sculpture center carves out a space for the continual evolution of 3-d art

By Liz Maugans

SCULpTUrE CENTEr

Location 1834 East 123rd Street, ClevelandPhone 216.229.6527Web www.sculpturecenter.orgEmail info@sculpturecenter.orgFacebook The Sculpture Center

HOURSWednesday through Friday: 10 a .m . to 4 p .m .Saturday: noon to 4 p .m .Other weekday times by appointment .

MISSIONThe Sculpture Center is a not-for-profit arts institution dedicated to the advancement of the careers of emerging Ohio sculptors, and to the preservation of Ohio outdoor sculpture as a means to provide support for artists and to effect the enrichment, education, enjoyment, and visual enhancement of the Cleveland community and greater region .

HISTORYThe Cleveland artist David E . Davis and his wife Bernice Saperstein Davis founded The Sculpture Center in 1989 . The two wanted to make a meaningful contribution to the cultural life of Cleveland and to help young Ohio sculptors stay in the state by giving support at the difficult time in their careers when they were starting to make a name for themselves . The Sculpture Center’s exhibitions now encompass sculpture, installation, and multi-media work by artists of the greater region of Ohio, contiguous states, and Ontario, Canada . The Sculpture Center has conserved, restored, and maintained 36 outdoor public

sculptures in Cuyahoga County . It continues to offer the web-based Ohio Outdoor Sculpture Inventory (OOSI) and occasional symposia on preservation as a public resource .

COMING EVENTS2012 W2S SERIES (Jan – May)

Linda Ding: New WorkScott Stibich | Lauren Yeager: Familiar MachinesJanuary 20 – February 18, 2012

Cozette Phillips: in-betweenElizabeth Emery: New WorkMarch 9 – April 6, 2012

Sarah Paul: Little Miss Cleveland & the Flaming SunsetLauren Herzak- Bauman: PassagesSarah Ann BakerApril 27 – May 26, 2012

Summer ExhibitionJune 8 – July 14

Johnny Coleman: Procession: Song of the Underground RailroadSeptember 8 – October 20

Mario Kujawski: A life in ArtNovember 2 – December 21

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Ross Lesko: The Screw Factory is an expansive complex. Can you tell me how many artists currently have studios in the building?

Gina DeSantis: There are currently more than 30 artists, working in a wide variety of media. But there are more studios being built to accommodate the demand.

RL: What type of artwork would a visitor to the Screw Factory find?

GD: We have painters, sculptors, and printmakers, but we also have artists working in ceramic, wood, metal, glass and textiles. There are also furniture makers and jewelry designers.

RL: What goes on in The Screw Factory? Is it a place where “anything could happen” either on the walls or in the space?

GD: Any artist in the building can propose and organize an event or exhibition, and individual artists sometimes have open houses, classes and demonstrations. But I think we’re best known for our quarterly events. We have Open Studios during the first Saturday of May and November. Artists open their studios to the public, and visitors have a chance to meet and interact with the artists. I think it gives visitors a context and a deeper appreciation for the artwork. There is also the Cleveland Handmade Last Minute Market, which is the last Saturday before Christmas.

RL: Is the Last Minute Market an Open Studio event as well?

GD: The Last Minute Market is organized in conjunction with Cleveland Handmade. It’s a combination of vendors and open studios. The event is in its third year. The first year, three thousand people attended—the second year, attendance grew to four thousand.

RL: What role does the Screw Factory play in the Cleveland Arts scene?

GD: We have a diverse bunch of artists here, from recent college graduates to artists who are retired from teaching. We have artists at every stage of their careers, working in every type of media.

RL: What does the Screw Factory do that no one else does?

GD: It’s an interesting balance of open studio events and classes—several artists in the building teach classes in their studios. Also, we are in a suburban location. We appeal to art-minded shoppers who wouldn’t necessarily go downtown, but still want to buy local art. There is a comfort level here that people might not experience in a gallery; it’s less intimidating. They can walk into a studio and see how things are made. They can walk into a ceramic studio, see the wheel and the kilns. They can meet the artists, see the process and ask questions. There are kilns in this building that are large enough to fit several people inside. Visitors enjoy seeing that. They get a sense of the process rather than just the final result.

RL: Why would someone from out of state be interested in visiting the Screw Factory?

GD: There’s an interesting history to this building. It was formerly the Templar auto plant, and in that regard, something has always been made here. I think an out of state visitor would be interested in seeing how our industrial spaces are converted and repurposed. I think that’s something Cleveland is known for; reusing these old buildings, often using them for the arts. We also have such a diverse group of artists and art, there’s really something for everyone.

RL: What would you tell an out of state visitor about Cleveland?

GD: Cleveland has a very diverse population, and that’s reflected in the art and artists as well. I think that’s one of the things that make Cleveland so great. There are so many people from so many different backgrounds, cultures and histories. We have every walk of life here—every demographic is represented. The affordability of studio space and the existence of a place like the Screw Factory shows that the Cleveland area supports the arts and artists and wants to keep creative people here.

RL: By contrast, what would a local Clevelander get out of a visit to the Screw Factory?

GD: Many of the artists who have studios at the screw factory have artwork at various galleries or shops around town, but visitors to those venues rarely get a chance to see the artists at work. At the Screw Factory, visitors get to meet the artists in person, and see the studios where the work is created.

It’s nice to touch base with customers and meet people who are buying your artwork. That face to face relationship is really nice. There’s a personal aspect where everyone who walks through the door is going to meet a local artist and learn a little bit about their story, it’s little more than just artwork—it’s an experience.

Ross Lesko is Gallery Director at Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery.

In recent years, an industrial space in the southeast corner of Lakewood has grown into a busy community of artists

and craftspeople who cooperatively coordinate open houses and sales . Gallerist Ross Lesko spoke with ceramic

artist and Screw Factory organizer Gina DeSantis .

NOT SCREWING AROUNDlakewood industrial space has become a haven for artists

By Ross Lesko

SCrEW FACTOry ArTiSTS

Location The Lake Erie Building, 13000 Athens Ave, LakewoodPhone 216.521.0088 (Omni Management)Website www.screwfactoryartists.com Email screwfactoryartists@gmail.comFacebook Screw Factory Artists (group page)

GALLERY HOURSBy appointment along with four open studio events each year .

MISSIONThe Screw Factory Artists is an artist-run collaborative that organizes events and otherwise enables resident artists to make, show, and sell their work . Quarterly Open Studio events and annual sales attract thousands of visitors, which enables Cleveland area artists to earn income and recognition from their work .

A BRIEF HISTORYInitially built as the Templar Auto Factory, the massive industrial complex at 13000 Athens Avenue, in the Southeast corner of Lakewood, was the longtime manufacturing headquarters of the Lake Erie Screw Corporation . After LESC moved its headquarters out of the state, leaving the building largely empty, artists

began to move in . The Screw Factory is now home to more than 30 working artists, producing works in glass, ceramic, wood, fiber, and other materials .

UPCOMING SHOWSOpen Studios10 a .m . – 6 p .m . Saturday, May 5th

10 a .m . – 6 p .m . Saturday, November 3rd

10 a .m . – 6 p .m . Saturday, December 15th (in conjunction with the Cleveland Handmade Last Minute Market)

Visit our website for additional events .

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Euclid Avenue storefront.“Ambassador Lanes,” oil on canvas, by Screw Factory artist Martin O’Connor.

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The owner-operated gallery has called Cleveland home since it first opened in Cleveland’s Murry Hill neighborhood, back in 1989. Having been located for a time in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, it’s now on Prospect Avenue in Cleveland’s Art Quarter. The gallery represents contemporary artists who live and work in Northeast Ohio, with one-person exhibitions. Busta then continues to represent each artist on an ongoing basis.

Busta jokes, “If I look backwards, I am going to guess that I put up more works of art than anybody else…..except an elementary school teacher.” He estimates that he has installed more than 250 shows.

Busta decided to open his first galley because he realized when he was Director of NOVA (the New Organization for the Visual Arts, a service organization for the visual arts) that there was a significant void in Cleveland galleries—a need to show works by a roster of individual artists with some frequency over time. It is that consistency that is the strength of his gallery.

Busta believes this programming means the gallery is constantly developing with the artist: when an artist is only focused on one show, they gear up for that show and then take a sigh of relief. When an artist closes a show and has their next show scheduled, they bring a different attitude back to their studio. He believes that is essential in the creation of better art and better bodies of work. This relationship between artist and gallery gives an artist the time to

develop an audience and then provides the audience the place to find the work on an ongoing basis.

The key to Bill’s success is his complete devotion to the process of discovering the artist and of course the artists work. Busta says, “When a publisher lands Danielle Steel, all that they can say is that they have a deep pocket book. The real skill is in finding the next Danielle Steel.”

He believes that the sense of discovery is in part what people come to the gallery for. He quickly adds that the discovery for the audience is only possible after the curator does his homework. The internet has made the research process much easier, but Busta feels that going to shows is an important part of the discovery.

Fundamentally for Busta it comes down to choices. All sorts of reasons other than the work itself determine who he shows. He considers the artist as a whole career, rather than just individual things. “I curate the artist rather than individual pieces or individual bodies of work,” he says. Salability is never an issue for a first show. The beginning is always about the quality. Among the artists who have had their first shows at WBG are Hildur Jonsson, Derik Hess and Laurence Channing.

Busta admits that he does not know exactly why people buy art, but he believes it deals with immortality. Art is a way that we speak. It

is a form of immortality, to have a voice through time. So whether it is the immortality of the person who is making a piece or possibly the person buying it, many devote their lives to the expressive object. The real audience for art is people who are engaged in the lives of new ideas. He feels that it is directly related to the relationship they build with the artist over time.

All the galleries in the regional scene create a kind of Cleveland synergy. To have a gallery that shows specific artists’ work consistently gives the greater Cleveland audience the foundation to indelibly understand the art. Of all the exhibition places in greater Cleveland, there is a very complementary function in which we see the individual pieces, and in which people see the work in context. Busta points out that in the end, having buyers is also a necessary part of that synergy.

So what is in the horizon for WBG? “More of the same” Bill continues. “My formulas and methodologies are down pat, and once you are sixty you pretty much don’t need to change anything. You are who you are.”

Alenka Banco is director of Convivium33 Gallery.

Founded in Playhouse Square in 1978, and moving to the Warehouse District in the 80s—at a time when the neighborhood was largely vacant, and buildings were being demolished to make parking lots, the gallery has always been a center of intriguing, even aesthetically challenging activity for its neighborhood. SPACES was known as the place in town to find the kind of art objects that fell outside the limits of traditional galleries. Installation art was a primary focus, complemented by exhibits of photographs, sculptures, drawings and works in other traditional media, often with a theme.

The venue moved across the river in 1990, when it bought a building on Ohio City’s Superior Viaduct. The SPACES experience has shifted in recent years, but it continues to transform lives and the way people look at art.

Today, as the way we experience art globally and personally has shifted, the making of art has become an interdisciplinary practice which overlaps into a wide range of other areas. SPACES embraces this expanding outlook by focusing on experiments which explore new directions with ideas through various media and disciplines. When you come to an opening, expect on- the-spot inventions and collaborations, with hands on and eyes open. As the audience

you will be more engaged, the artist is given more freedom and the possibilities become endless and unknown.

In other words, SPACES does not curate ART, but ARTISTS and the creative experience of experimentation. Being unrestricted by the traditional gallery structure allows artists a whole new range of artistic expression, with support that is often unheard of in traditional settings. There are still things on the gallery walls, but now artists working at SPACES have complete freedom and support to do more, to challenge themselves and the audience. The audience becomes involved in the process, leaving doors open to interpret, challenge and chime in, exciting the senses!

A look at SPACES’ programs gives an idea how this all plays out. The R&D (Research & Development) program invites artists, curators and other cultural producers to articulate their research and development of ideas and objects through a supported exhibition or project. These exhibitions and projects may be group, solo, or collaborative endeavors.

The Vault—a converted, walk-in safe that came with the building—functions as a digital media flat file: there audiences can experience a variety of video and audio art. Work is added on

a rolling basis, and remains on view for approximately six months. Viewers have the remote control in their hands to select the work they would like to view.

SPACES World Artists Program (SWAP) is a residency initiative that invites local, national and international artists to spend significant periods of time in Cleveland neighborhoods to create experimental work. SPACES provides SWAP artists with support for the creation, exhibition and discussion.

What about artists who still use traditional media to make things? While the gallery’s programming is intended to mark a deliberate break from traditional galleries, as long as the artist’s focus is experimental and as long as it’s about pushing boundaries, there is space at SPACES: in the words of Executive Director Chris Lynn: “It’s about the ride, not the destination.”

Nancy Heaton is executive director of BAYarts.

William Busta says the gallery that bears his name is more about Cleveland than it is about art . William Busta Gallery

is based on his conviction that art is one of the ways that we enter into dialogue with the past and in which we

contribute to the future .

SPACES was conceived as an alternative to the Cleveland’s traditional galleries, a place where artists could exhibit

experimental work that might otherwise not be accessible .

MORE OF THE SAMEwilliam busta gallery offers continuity for both artists and audiences

By Alenka Banco IT’S ABOUT THE RIDEspaces takes artists and audiences on a journey

By Nancy Heaton

WiLLiAm BUSTA gALLErySpACES

Location 2731 Prospect Ave., ClevelandPhone 216.298-9071Web www.williambustagallery.comEmail bustagallery@gmail.comFacebook William Busta Gallery

GALLERY HOURS11 a .m . to 5:30 p .m . Tuesday through Saturdayor by appointment

MISSIONWilliam Busta Gallery represents contemporary artists who live and work in Northeast Ohio . Mostly, the gallery presents one-person exhibitions, and then continues to represent the artist .

A BRIEF HISTORYWilliam Busta Gallery originally opened on Murray Hill in Little Italy in January, 1989 . In all, it has operated in five locations, including on Detroit Avenue and its current location on Prospect .

UPCOMING SHOWSMichael Loderstedt, MenagerieDimensional: Printed Works by Current and Former Students from Kent StateJanuary 6 to February 4

Christi BirchfieldJulie WeitzFebruary 10 to March 10

Derf, My Friend DahmerMarch 2 to April 14

Christian Wulffen March 9 to April 14

NOADA Art Expo(Northern Ohio Art Dealers Association)April 19 to 22

Don HarveyLane Cooper April 27 to June 2

Susan UmbenhourBarbara Polster June 8 to July 31

Location 2220 Superior Viaduct, ClevelandPhone 216.621.2314Web http://www.spacesgallery.orgEmail Contact@spacesgallery.orgFacebook SPACES GALLERY HOURSNoon to 5 p .m . Tuesday through SundayThursdays until 8 p .m .Closed Monday

MISSIONSPACES is the resource and public forum for artists who explore and experiment .

A BRIEF HISTORYSPACES was founded in 1978 by a group of artists looking to found “an interdisciplinary arena for the visual and performing arts with an interest in creating and presenting new art including individual and collaborative works .” Since then, SPACES has gone on to feature the work of over 9000 artists in varied formats .

UPCOMING EVENTSMargaret CogswellChristi BirchfieldMarty WeishaarFebruary 3 – March 30, 2012

Cleveland Convention & Visitors Bureaufeaturing the work of Cleveland SGS, the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, Temporary Travel Office, and The Think Tank That Has Yet to Be Named.May 11 – July 13, 2012

Please check www .SPACESgallery .org for the most up-to-date information .

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Opening night, as seen from the sidewalk.Spaces exterior, Big Bang opening.

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2406 Professor Avenue Cleveland, OH 44113(216) 575-0920 www.tremontwest.org

A CHRISTMAS STORY HOUSE3159 West 11th St.

(216) 298-4919

APERTURE2541 Scranton Rd.

(216) 574-8977

BANYAN TREE2242 Professor Ave.

(216) 241-1209

BRANDT GALLERY1028 Kenilworth Ave.

(216) 621-1610

THE CLEVELAND AUCTION CO.2418 Professor Ave.

(216) 631-3232

A COOKIE AND A CUPCAKE2418 Professor Ave.

(216) 344-9433

DOUBTING THOMAS GALLERY856 Jefferson Ave.

(216) 351-3558

ECLECTIC CLOSET BOUTIQUE2626 Scranton Rd.

(216) 965-0329

EVIE LOU2153 Professor Ave.

(216) 696-6675

LILLY HANDMADE CHOCOLATES761 Starkweather Ave.

(216) 771-3333

LOOP2180 West 11th St.

(216) 298-5096

KEVIN BUSTA FURNISHINGS2673 West 14th St.

(216) 206-6022

MASTROIANNI PHOTOGRAPHY2688 West 14th St.

(216) 235-6936

PAUL DUDA GALLERY2342 Professor Ave.

(216) 589-5788

P.D. WHITE FURNITUREMAKER767 Starkweather Ave.

(216) 298-4114

PICCADILLY’S FINE ART GALLERY2253 Professor Ave.

(216) 344-1800

PINKY’S DAILY PLANNER2403 Professor Ave.

(216) 402-2536

ROBERT HARTSHORN STUDIO2342 Professor Ave.

(216) 403-2734

RECYCLED BOWTIQUE 2687 West 14th St.

(216) 615-7074

THE NEST2379 Professor Ave.

thenestintremont.com

STEELYARD COMMONS3447 Steelyard Drive

(216) 381-2900

VISIBLE VOICE BOOKS & MUSIC1023 Kenilworth Ave.

(216) 961-0084

WINE & DESIGN751 Starkweather Ave.

(216) 781-8000

Tremont \tree-mont\ :A historic Cleveland neighborhood connecting culture, creativity, commerce and community. A top destination for Shopping & Galleries.Popular community events include: Tremont ArtWalk (2nd Friday every month); Arts in August; Tremont Arts & Cultural Festival (Sept 2012)

Ohio City is proud to support the Collective Arts Network Journal

Thank you for highlighting the region’s treasured arts

organizations

www.ohiocity.org

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Liz and the other three co-founders formed Zygote at a time when universities happened to be getting rid of their old presses. The founders jumped on this great opportunity to not only preserve historical presses, but also with an eye on sustainability, keeping these large iron pieces of equipment out of landfills.

Zygote (a single cell that divides and multiplies) got its name from twin facts: first, two of the organization’s founders are twins. And second, printmakers by nature are drawn to the power of multiples and multiplying creativity.

After ringing the doorbell, you enter the enchanted gallery and print shop that Liz fondly refers to as a “weird runaway train” of worthy programs and classes. There is a real fluidity of participants between the programs offered at Zygote. Someone may start by participating in a class or renting one of the (very) reasonably priced studio or locker spaces, then they continue to grow and try other Zygote offerings, becoming part of the fabric.

Print shops by nature have a dynamic atmosphere. Liz personifies that, and has a true nature of getting other people excited about Zygote. “I believe that energy comes with neighborhood growth and development. I am a huge fan of Cleveland. I continue to explore how the arts can be an economic engine to Cleveland and how I can foster the unexpected spontaneous connections and creativities in our region.”

The traditional presses and drawers (and drawers and drawers) of

print-type are mixed with innovative and visionary concepts of printing. Zygote is proud to have a portable press in their collection that can run off a generator in a field (POW, the Press On Wheels); and they are in the process of designing and fabricating a bike press – allowing an artist to ride this specially designed bike anywhere, drop the kickstand, unfold a press, and get to work!

Recent grads and mid-career artists with a passion for print-making find their way to Zygote. Empty nesters are also attracted since now they have the time to revisit their former artistic love. But the staff at Zygote have also provided programs to retirement age people, as well as diversified their programs to younger kids. They have developed a handy set of “Show-N-Tell Suitcases” equipped with tools of the trade, archives of created works, technical information, curriculum ideas for teachers, and more.

Creating community, true collaborative relationships, and a viable live/work space for artists is extremely important to Liz. Through Zygote, Liz has taken on a leadership role in creating the Collective Arts Network, responsible for the informative journal you are now reading.

Liz has the infectious energy to implement and see ideas to fruition, like the Print Pony Gallop, a unique outreach machine fabricated from a toy rocking horse mounted to a pressure printing rocker: as a child rocks on the horse, they create prints!

Zygote’s international flavor is provided by German artists involved in the 15 year old Dresden-Cleveland Residency Exchange Program.

These artists, among others throughout the year, live in the ZPASS (Zygote Press Artist Space Share), a 1,500 square foot urban loft space just above Zygote’s print shop.

Liz Maugans is a native of Lakewood, Ohio, and received her Bachelors of Fine Arts from Kent State University. She received her Masters of Fine Arts in Printmaking from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. She continued to develop her leadership skills as a participant in the highly desirable National Arts Media and Culture Leadership Program in Portland sponsored by The Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

She and her collaborators have created multiple points of access to Zygote: You can find them spreading the word about old school printmaking at area festivals, visit an exhibition in their galleries, take a class, or rent studio space. Come appreciate the history of the building and rich tradition of the presses; stay for the fresh friendliness, endorphin buzz, and the excited anticipation to see what vision will come to life next.

Steve Jobs once said, “People with passion can change the world for the better.” I asked Liz if she was interested in politics, and she replied that many people have suggested she become a Councilwoman. I would vote for her!

Karen Peterson is executive director of Art Therapy Studio.

In a funky factory space on E . 30th Street, zygote Press reflects the best of Cleveland with a hip international flair .

“I love that this building stored artillery during World War II, then dinette sets in the 50s”, explains Liz Maugans, co-

founder in 1995 and Managing Director since 2006 .

PRESSED INTO ACTIONzygote press creates opportunity and takes it to the streets

By Karen Peterson

zygOTE prESS

Location 1410 East 30th Street, ClevelandPhone 216.621.2900Web www.zygotepress.comEmail info@zygotepress.comFacebook Zygote Press GALLERY HOURS Wednesday and Saturday: noon-4pm Other days: by appointment

MISSIONThe mission of zygote is to enable artists to produce fine art prints within an atmosphereof collective exchange by providing them with affordable workspace andexhibition opportunities . zygote is a resource dedicated to increasing awarenessabout contemporary printmaking by creating active communication amongartist-printmakers and the broader community .

A BRIEF HISTORYFour printmakers—Liz Maugans, Joe Sroka, Bellamy Printz, Kelly Novak—founded zygote Press in 1996 . They

were motivated by a common need among fine art printmakers—large presses and other equipment, and the space to house them . Those facilities are commonly available in university art departments, but once printmakers are on their own, the cost of such equipment and space can be prohibitive . So they coordinated their efforts and set up shop in a building on St . Clair at East 72nd Street . zygote Press moved to its current location in 2006 . zygote Press gallery shows are commonly built on relationships with other organizations, and ongoing zygoge programs, including its Artist In Residence (AIR) Program, In-Turn (curated by interns from area arts organizations), its Foreign Affairs artist exchange with the Grafikwerkstatt in Dresden, Germany, and 4U, which features works from students and faculty from four universities around Northeast Ohio .

UPCOMING SHOWSZygote Members CollectJanuary 20 - February . 18 Fellow Travelers: Prints by Noel Reifel and his students February 24 - March 30th

100x100 Tax Relief Benefit Party April 13

We Love Letterpress–Color My World Exhibition April 20–thru May 19th

ArtsQuarter Block Party Social6-9pm June 1

Juried Exhibition June 1–July 7

IN-TURN (Summer Show) July 13–August 10

Artist-in-Residence Johnny Coleman Opening September 7

Dresden Exchange Program - Ohio Artists in Dresden September 24th to October 27th International Assoc. of Hand Papermakers and Paper ArtistsOctober 17-21

Holiday Off-the-Wall Exhibition December 1 – 2

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Screen prints by Jason Lehrer, drying at Zygote Press.

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2339 Broadview Rd, Cleve., Ohio 44109 Phone: (216) 459-1000 Fax: 459-1741

www.oldbrooklynconnected.com

CommercialCommercial Real Estate & Economic Development, Business & Institutional

Support, Storefront Renovation Program, Code Enforcement, Marketing & Outreach

Publications and other ActivitiesOld Brooklyn News, Old Brooklyn Business Directory & Service Guide

Benjamin Franklin Community Garden, Neighborhood Clean-Ups, Neighborhood Green Space Projects

Programs and ServicesResidential & Housing, Home Repair Assistance, Paint Refund Program

Home Weatherization Assistance ProgramHome Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)

Home Rehabilitation, Code Enforcement, Crime Watch, Block ClubsOBCDC Volunteer Program, Cleveland Action to Support Housing (CASH)

Senior Housing Assistance Program (SHAP)Home Enhancement Loan Program (HELP)

Neighborhood Historic Preservation Program & Heritage Home Loan

(Est. 1975) Serving Old Brooklyn &Brooklyn Centre Communities

North coastal sangfroid notwithstanding, it’s hard to deny that this is an exciting time to be an artist in northern Ohio, and especially in

Cuyahoga County. After decades of uneven growth in what is

sometimes referred to as the arts sector, activity is finally reaching critical mass. Much of this must be due to the $65 million in tobacco tax money distributed to County arts organizations and individuals since 2007. Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC) reportedly has generated a whopping $280 million in economic activity through the local organizations it supports, and their five thousand employees – all of this in a county whose population is 1.28 million.

In 2011 alone, CAC working through the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC) distributed twenty Creative Workforce Fellowships, nourishing talent with that rarest and most welcome of art supplies, cold hard cash, spreading around $400 grand in smoking money to area artists out of a total annual disbursal of $15 million.

The somewhat unbelievable fact that Cuyahoga County is now one of the top five arts funders in the nation has got to be having a warming effect on local morale, as well as hometown economics. Nearly every weekend gallery openings are featured around the city, from Collinwood to downtown, Tremont to Bay Village. Popular cooperative events like the West 78th Street Complex’s monthly Third Friday events attract thousands of visitors.

At the upper end of the spectrum, The Cleveland Museum of Art is nearing completion of its seven year, $350 million renovation, and has further announced plans to open a branch for the first time on the west side in Ohio City in collaboration with nationally prominent Akron art collectors Fred and Laura Bidwell. Meanwhile the Museum of Contemporary Art has broken ground for its own new $26.7 million building in University Circle.

In this almost convulsively regenerative context, the Collective Arts Network Journal project, bringing together twenty-eight small and midsize organizations, is one more instance of a cultural

tide which, despite tough times here and elsewhere, is raising a lot of boats. And granting that CAN’s economic scale is more modest, surely this is the first time that so many disparate Cleveland-based arts businesses ranging from private galleries to print workshops and community arts centers have worked together. There is a sense that such proliferation and cooperation taken as a whole add up to an exciting new development in the region.

Change is in the air, but how different is the reality of our corner of the art world compared to the state of things twenty or thirty years ago? One way of putting it all in perspective is to imagine the Cleveland art scene minus the current CAN members, and without the many others around town who aren’t part of its network. Say that the Cleveland Museum of Art and MOCA, for instance, were to stand alone – like the Terminal Tower and one or another of Cuyahoga County’s more up-to-date skyscrapers. What sort of view would we have?

To answer that question, residents over fifty need only remember what the scene was like for artists,

collectors, and audiences in the late 1960s. Then as now there were galleries, though far fewer of them, run by people who believed in the power of art and in the potential viability of a local art scene.

For a long time MOCA itself, founded as the New Gallery by Marjorie Talalay and Nina Castelli Sundell in 1968 in its original location on Euclid Avenue, was a small, struggling outfit, though linked (through Sundell’s father, gallerist Leo Castelli) to the larger world of contemporary art as it existed in New York at that period. And there was more, of course —actually much more.

A partial account of the slow growth of SPACES from its beginnings in 1978, and the development of artist service networks like the New Organization for the Visual Arts (NOVA) during the 1970s and 1980s, plus ongoing contributions by a number of seemingly indestructible gallery owners and arts activists, can be found in William Busta’s 1998 essay, “Howling at the Edge of the Renaissance: SPACES and Alternative Art in Cleveland.”

Busta himself is a member of CAN, and an ironclad survivor of Cleveland’s vicissitudes in his own right. In 1980 he was the young executive director of NOVA, and went on to open the first of his several ambitious galleries in 1989. His essay celebrating SPACES’ twentieth anniversary outlines the ebb and flow of contemporary art through the city during recent decades, naming many of the key players. Among the highlights were the Performance Art Festival, founded by James Levin and run by Thomas Mulready; the founding of Cleveland Public Art following a conversation at SPACES in 1984 between Don Harvey and Kathy Coakley; and the freeform exhibitions of the extraordinary Art Without Walls group during the early 1990s. Among its other virtues this brief history serves as a bracing reminder of just how severe our collective amnesia can be. A whole lot did indeed happen in the arts in Cleveland between the Kennedy administration and 9/11.

Busta doesn’t shrink from the fact that the automobile had a lot to do with the development of the broad socio-economic area now referred to as Northeast Ohio, and the concomitant increase of communication between widely separated arts communities – a cultural expansion that began in earnest around 1961. That was the year, not long after the completion of the Ohio Turnpike, that Cleveland Museum of Art Director Sherman Lee expanded the geographic area for the Museum’s annual May Show. Instead of limiting eligibility to artists living in Cuyahoga County, the prestigious

exhibit would accept works from anywhere in the Western Reserve – a strip of territory about 120 miles long that includes Akron, Kent, and Youngstown. During the 1970s Ohio’s Interstate Highway System neared completion, pulling these places ever closer together. For good or ill the impact was felt everywhere, and especially at the May Show. It’s probably fair to say that among the two hundred or so artists included every year in the exhibit, a disproportionate number continued to travel no farther than the half a block distance across Wade Park Oval, where instructors at the Cleveland Institute of Art made their art. But CIA wasn’t the only art school anymore. Kent State University’s art department became a major player in the region, supplying inspiration, art, and board members to the fledgling SPACES organization in particular. When Cleveland State University hired its own young faculty in the late 1970s the city began to develop a whole new community of serious younger artists, bolstered also by the then vibrant Cooper School of Art.

Many of these new artists were interested in exploring ideas (as much or more than making objects) and there was considerable cross-fertilization from art worlds outside the northern Ohio microcosm. One example was Robert Smithson’s “Partially Buried Woodshed,” made with a backhoe and the help of several enthusiastic sculpture students in January of 1970 on the KSU campus. The thirty-two year old pioneer of post-minimalist environmental sculpture (who died three years later in a plane crash) had been invited by the students to lecture at the University, during which time he stayed at the home of Brinsley and Lillian Tyrrell. His “Woodshed,” like much conceptually based art of the

early 1970s, was a deliberately unstable hybrid, part performance, part intervention, packed full of ideas about time and change, and perhaps about revolution. In any case, less than five months later the infamous Kent State shootings took place, and shortly afterward someone painted the words “MAY 4 KENT 70” above a window of the slowly collapsing out-building, creating a makeshift memorial that lasted for more than two decades.

I dwell for a moment on Smithson for two reasons—to underline how many connections there have been between the Cleveland area art scene and artistic developments elsewhere, and also because as I re-read “Howling at the Edge of the Renaissance” I was struck by the prominent part that very innovative alternative art forms, especially performance and installation, have played in the history of Cleveland art over the past forty years. For whatever reason, in an always

SOmeTHiNg’S HAppeNiNg Here

DECADES OF INVENTION, REINVENTION, AND REVIVAL

By Douglas Max Utter

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Image by Sara E. Darby.

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shrinking, often conservative city, Cleveland has produced formidable number of avant-garde events and venues. This has been so even though both CMA and CIA long ignored such innovation; and despite its origins in the ferment of the 1960s , The New Gallery / Cleveland Center for Contemportary Art / MOCA was also slow to host improvisational or performance-related works. But from the beginning SPACES made performance, installation, and conceptual art forms an integral part of its programming, alongside traditional two and three dimensional media. Cleveland Public Theater was another crucial source of inspiration for artists seeking to expand their expressive range into a theatrical, public dimension.

A further, interestingly populist tendency that also represented its own broad constituency among local

artists has been the two decade run of The People’s Art Show at Cleveland State University’s gallery. Resolutely unjuried and committed to freedom of exhibition, PAS was from the beginning a progressive-regressive public event that defied all categories and often left local pundits scratching their heads.

At this point it should be noted that CMA’s conservatism wasn’t always a bad thing. It’s unfortunate that younger artists can no longer remember what the Museum did accomplish in respect to the local scene prior to 1990, because in fact it was long the backbone of Cleveland’s art economy, crucial to its self-image for seventy years.

Mainly that was due to CMA’s yearly May Show, which was the most distinguished of Ohio’s several spring time museum exhibits (Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo, and Dayton all had their own, plus Canton’s All Ohio Show and the Butler Museum’s National Midyear Exhibition in Youngstown). Every year it took up a quarter of the Museum’s exhibition schedule, and a corresponding percentage of the budget for traveling exhibitions. It was an elegant and respectfully presented selection of as many as three hundred works of art by around half that number of artists selected from a pool of as many as 1000 by a variety of distinguished jurors, often recruited from around the nation. The jurors tended to consult with museum staff familiar with the ins and outs of the local scene, and the result was a comprehensive salon which audiences and collectors used to keep track of both up-and-coming artists and established figures, serving as a professional benchmark, and as a key marketplace in its own right for the sale of contemporary art.

Startling—at least to those used

to the modest attendance figures typical for fine arts events, including non-blockbuster museum shows—were the sheer numbers attracted to this old-fashioned exhibition: in the 1980s the May Show’s yearly attendance regularly reached 100,000 visitors. That’s hard to beat, and in fact nothing has come close to

filling the hole left in the Cleveland art scene’s heart by the exhibit’s cancellation in the early1990s. It would be interesting indeed to see just what would happen in northern Ohio’s newly vigorous scene if CMA put out an open, thirteen county-wide call for entries, perhaps in the spring of 2013, to celebrate architect Raphael Viñoly’s expansion. Such an event would certainly break the ice with both the arts community and wider audiences after a long seven years, during which time much of CMA’s magnificent collection was unavailable.

For some of this article I’m drawing on knowledge gained as a writer who covered local arts events for more than twenty years, and also on my own experience as an occasional participant situated somewhere off-center in respect to the city’s art life. I was twenty-two in 1973, when I submitted an oil on canvas study of a Braque-like nude male figure to a show mounted at NOVA’s little upstairs gallery located at Huron and Prospect Avenues. The work was accepted, hung around for a month, and then I fetched it – an anti-climactic routine I would get used to in later years. I made a second foray in 1982, entering a Matisse-influenced, brightly colored acrylic painting of figures in an interior to another second-tier exhibit held in downtown Cleveland. “The Great Lakes Art Exhibit” was organized from time to time by the Valley Arts Center and in 1982 was arrayed around an enormous sales floor in the former Higbee’s department store on Public Square. Not too surprisingly, nothing much came of that experience, either.

My efforts will sound familiar to any artist in Cleveland who has worked at it for more than a decade or so. While all the excitement at SPACES, was going on, I got married. We had two children, and I continued to paint. Every March I dragged the Classes for kids at Art House.

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latest canvases out of my basement studio and took slides of them in our thawing back yard, in what my partner laughingly called my “May Show dance.” Then in 1986 a work was finally accepted; things began to look up. I rented a studio downtown in the Artcraft building on Superior Avenue, was one third of a three person show (which included Anna Arnold and Brian Azzarello) at SPACES in its Bradley Building incarnation in January 1988, and in 1989 had my first solo show at Bill Busta’s new gallery on Murray Hill Road. This followed a 1988 one-person at Joyce Porcelli Gallery, Busta’s predecessor in the same space. It also took place in the wake of a 1987 solo show at Tommy’s restaurant on Coventry, which was a lot of fun. And by 1989 I had begun to write occasional art critiques for Dialogue Magazine in

Columbus and New Art Examiner in Chicago. I was pleased to show several more times during those years both at the May Show (which finally ended in 1993) and at Busta’s until his closing at that location in 1997. Both Dialogue and New Art Examiner also went extinct, but I continued writing for other publications based in Cleveland and out of town, and showing at other area galleries, like the late, lamented Dead Horse Gallery in Lakewood. One of my favorite highlights of the past ten years was a 2004 residency and show at Zygote Press as their 2004 A.I.R. artist. And I’m especially proud to have received one of those CAC Fellowships myself this past year.

If I’ve learned anything from the ongoing saga of death and resurrection that is Cleveland and its art, it would be a series of lessons about the necessity of

optimism. Political climates change, funding ebbs and wanes, galleries die and newspapers run out of ink and subscribers, but artists continue their work and, remarkably, often multiply – despite surrounding conditions. Having said that, I believe strongly that current conditions are right for a true renaissance (or the completion of a century-long, first-time birth) in northern Ohio. The “howling” phase of Cleveland art may finally be over.

Douglas Max Utter is an artist and freelance art critic in East Cleveland.

page thirty six : : : north east ohio collective arts network journal

"Political climates change, funding ebbs and wanes, galleries die, and

newspapers run out of ink and subscribers, but artists continue their work ."

Letterpress printing at the Morgan.

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1. 1point618 Gallery6421 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland

2. Arts Collinwood15605 Waterloo Road, Cleveland

3. Art House 3119 Denison Avenue, Cleveland

4. ArtSpace Cleveland1400 East 30th Street, Cleveland

5. Art Therapy Studios12200 Fairhill Road, Cleveland

6. Bay Arts28795 Lake Road, Bay Village

7. Brandt Gallery1028 Kenilworth Avenue, Cleveland

8. City Artists at Work2218 Superior Avenue, Cleveland

9. Cleveland Artists Foundation17801 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood

10. Cleveland Arts PrizeP .O . Box 21126 , Cleveland

11. Cleveland Institute of Art Visiting Artist Program11141 East Boulevard, Cleveland

12. Convivium331433 East 33rd Street, Cleveland

13. Heights Arts2173 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights

14. Kenneth Paul Lesko1305 W 80th Street, Cleveland

15. Kokoon Arts Gallery1305 West 80th Street, Cleveland

16. LAND Studio / Cleveland Public Art1939 West 25th Street, Suite 200, Cleveland

17. Legation, A Gallery1300 D West 78th Street, Cleveland

18. Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory1754 E . 47th Street, Cleveland

19. Orange Art Center31500 Chagrin Boulevard, Cleveland

20. The Print Club of Cleveland11150 East Boulevard, Cleveland

21. Proximity1667 E . 40th Street, Cleveland

22. Red Dot Project1900 Superior Avenue, Suite 117, Cleveland

23. River Gallery19046 Old Detroit Rd, Rocky River

24. Screw Factory Artists13000 Athens Avenue, Lakewood

25. Sculpture Center1834 East 123rd Street, Cleveland

26. SPACES2220 Superior Viaduct, Cleveland

27. William Busta Gallery2731 Prospect Avenue East, Cleveland

28. Zygote Press1410 East 30th Street, Cleveland

CAN Journal Map Key

punch of the devastated economy and the decline of print media.

So all those working artists simply don’t get as much coverage as they once did. Consider what the NEO arts scene has lost just in roughly the last decade: Dialog Arts Midwest, Northern Ohio Live, Angle, ARTefakt, Urban Dialect, The Free Times, and Avenues—all of which dug deep into the local arts scene—are gone. For a while, all those existed in addition to what we have now. Shows and performances—even in small galleries—got covered. Previews were written. Personalities were explored.

Consider that the Plain Dealer once led public discussion about the Arts and the Economy, with a daily arts section, including reviews and features as well as real arts news reporting. Indeed, for a time a reporter was dedicated to covering the Arts and the Economy. The editors seemed to agree with the voters in their conviction that Cleveland’s own ecosystem of artists and galleries mattered.

It’s not like that anymore. Sure, digital media has had a democratizing effect, and if you consider all the individual artists’ blogs, tweets, and Facebook posts,there are certainly many, many more outlets now than ever before. And people are certainly learning to use those methods to promote themselves. But they lack critical mass. Individual artists typically focus their blogs and social media on their own work, or that of a small circle of friends. They don’t exist in the physical world. Therefore they don’t develop broad audiences. People don’t stumble upon them. They can’t cross pollinate.

And that brings us to CAN Journal. What you’re holding in your hands is the product of collective, not-for-profit, bootstrap self help. The arts organizations once served so well by all that media have banded together to do something about what they’ve lost. Led by Zygote Press, 28 of the region’s small-ish visual arts organizations

got together to help spread their own word about who they are and what they do—in short, to collectively shout, “We are here!”

With seed money provided by a grant from the Ohio Arts Council, they each kicked in their own contributions to the cause. Indeed, they kicked in more than money. As you read through these stories, you’ll see that most of the bylines are those of the executive directors of the organizations. More than simply throwing money at the problem, they invested their time to conduct an interview, and to write about another organization’s work. In addition to stories, they’ve provided preview listings of what’s to come in their venues for the coming year.

There are non-profit galleries, as well as commercial galleries. There are organizations whose purpose is to show art, as well as organizations whose purpose is to help artists. This is by no means an exhaustive list. But it’s a pretty good start.

CAN Journal was built as an annual publication that introduces readers to the diverse range of galleries and other organizations that fuel the NEO arts scene. As it grows in coming years, the stories will evolve. How that happens will depend largely on the organizations who have pitched in to make this happen.

We expect the roster of organizations to grow and evolve. Whether you’re reading this as an arts consumer, presenter, or an individual artist, we hope you’ll grow along with us, and make your voice heard, too.

page thirty eight : : : north east ohio collective arts network journal

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THe NOrTH eAST OHiO cOllecTive ArTS NeTWOrK

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L A U N C H

February 2012 ZPASS

FEB2012�

A B O U T Z P A S S

A Residency-Retreat-Community space, ZPASS launches in February! Just upstairs from the shop, in a 1,500 square foot space, we’ve created an exciting new residence and multifunctioning artist-studio space.

ZPASS has four components:» It will be home to a new Zygote Residency program, as well

as host our ongoing annual Dresden Residency Exchanges» Provide a space for Artist Retreats for residence and print

shop access» Be a shared arts community space and studio (providing

other visual arts organizations with an intercity, long or short term stay residence option)

» Allow Zygote to restructure its current Intern/Apprenticeship program as this new space develops

Z y g o t e P r e s s1410 Eas t 30 th S t ree tCleve land, Oh io 441142 1 6 . 6 2 1 . 2 9 0 0z y g o t e p r e s s . c o m