Periodical Supplement to Cleveland Jewish News, November 19, 2021
Winter 2021
E M E R G I N G A RT I S T S I N N O RT H E A S T O H I O
NORTHEAST OHIO | arts | music | performance
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6 Editor’s Note
Amanda Koehn discusses this year’s Who’s Next profiles
“The After Party” (2021) by Katie Butler. Oil and acrylic on canvas, 48 x 72 inches. Photo courtesy of the artist.
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8 On Deck
Noteworthy upcoming openings and events around Cleveland
Who’s Next
Emerging artists in Northeast Ohio
10 Crafting Clothing
Slow fashion project gives local makers a challenge to create a locally sourced, sustainable outfit
15 Who’s Next
Emerging artists from Northeast Ohio
INSIDE
26 Collecting (Pop) Culture District Gallery solidifies itself as contemporary art haven
30 Becoming the Third Coast CSU’s quest to be Northeast Ohio’s motion picture training hub
36 Gallery Gifts
Tips for picking the perfect artful present
Periodical Supplement to Cleveland Jewish News, November 19, 2021
38 Holiday listings NORTHEAST OHIO | arts | music | performance
Winter 2021
E M E R G I N G A RT I S T S I N N O RT H E A S T O H I O
On the cover
Find unique gifts by visiting these arts-focused businesses
“Sneakerhead III” (2021) by Maxmillian Peralta. Acrylic on canvas, 50 x 40 inches.
40 Listings
Photo courtesy of the artist.
42 Curator Corner
4 | Canvas | Winter 2021
Local listings for museums, galleries, theaters and more “The Fountain of Life” by Cristóbal de Velasco at Oberlin College’s Allen Memorial Art Museum
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Editor’s Note
W
riting profiles of emerging artists for Canvas’ Who’s Next issue is easily one of my favorite assignments throughout the year. This year, we selected five artists connected to Northeast Ohio who are finding their voices and styles in unique and exciting ways. I’m happy to introduce you to Katie Butler, Maxmillian Peralta, Orlando Caraballo, Alexandria Couch and Ariella Har-Even, but I wouldn’t be surprised if their names are already familiar. Each has shown work locally and is continuing to push toward new and interesting subject matter to articulate in their art. In each interview, I was impressed with not only the skill and imagination of each artist, but also their comfort in talking about their work and how it makes them feel. Almost all have struggled with confidence and finding their niche, especially during this uneasy time amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Many gave a sense of excitement about what’s next for them, and a more subdued indication of worry that the success they are finding right now might not last forever – a feeling that seems very natural for a young artist during this strange time. At fragile points in their careers, I’m aware of the importance of telling their stories in a way that does them justice. So, I’m very thankful my work is done and it’s your chance to dive into their stories and craft. Also in this issue, we highlight a new slow fashion project and exhibition spearheaded by the Rust Belt Fibershed and Praxis Fiber Workshop. Slow fashion aims to use sustainable and non-exploitative labor practices, serving as a foil to fast fashion. Canvas writer Jane Kaufman interviewed makers who were challenged by the year-long project to make one full outfit from scratch – using all local and natural materials. Sustainability is something I care about deeply and try to implement in my daily life, so I was very interested
Design Manager Stephen Valentine
President, Publisher & CEO Kevin S. Adelstein Vice President of Sales Adam Mandell Managing Editor Bob Jacob Controller Tracy DiDomenico
to hear that local organizations are introducing this important initiative and to feature it in Canvas. We also check in with the relatively new District Gallery about its beginnings and how it contributes to the culture and community of the Van Aken District in Shaker Heights. Additionally, as is customary for our Winter issue, Canvas checked in with a few local galleries gearing up for holiday shopping to offer tips for artistic gifts this season. Looking for presents that are thoughtful, unique and support local artisans can’t be a bad place to start. I encourage you to take the arts experts’ advice to heart. I hope this season is one of looking forward and, as always, considering ways to support artists – especially those just getting started, who give so much of themselves to our local community. They surely brighten and deepen our lives in the process. All of us at Canvas wish you and yours happy holidays and look forward to sharing more stories – both in print and at our website, canvascle.com – in 2022.
Digital Marketing Manager Cheryl Sadler Columbus Bureau Chief Stephen Langel Events Manager Gina Lloyd Editorial McKenna Corson, Jane Kaufman, Alex Krutchik, Becky Raspe Contributing Writers Bob Abelman, Carlo Wolff Custom Publishing Manager Paul Bram Sales & Marketing Manager Andy Isaacs Advertising Marilyn Evans, Ron Greenbaum, Adam Jacob, Nell V. Kirman, Sherry Tilson Lori A. Weinstein Marketing Intern Meghan Simon Designers Jessica Simon, Ricki Urban Digital Content Producer Alyssa Schmitt Business & Circulation Tammie Crawford Abby Royer
Amanda Koehn Editor
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6 | Canvas | Winter 2021
Editor Amanda Koehn editor@canvascle.com
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ON DECK
Upcoming openings and events from around Northeast Ohio Event details provided by the entities featured. Compiled by Becky Raspe. ARTICLE GALLERY / ART IN CLEVELAND “Bits and Pieces” | Through Nov. 28 Article Gallery will host “Bits and Pieces: A Collage Show,” featuring works by Susan Squires, Zoe Murphy, Kelly Pontoni, Kathy Skerritt and Kim Bissett. The exhibition explores a variety of collage expressions, from landscapes to iconography. Each artist offers the viewer a unique way of discovering an order to what begins as chaos and fragments, and in their final forms, offer a new vision of reality and experience, according to a news release from the gallery. Article/Art in Cleveland is at 15316 Waterloo Road in Cleveland. : facebook.com/artincle
WOLFS GALLERY “Dancing on the Moon” | Through Dec. 23
Above: “Capture A Year” (2021) by Kelly Pontoni. Collage, acrylic, marker, found objects on board book structure. Image courtesy of Article Gallery.
Cleveland figurative painter Ken Nevadomi’s “Dancing on the Moon” exhibition features select works by the artist from 1986 to 1993. His art chronicles the close of the Industrial Age and the birth of the Information Age. Nevadomi, who was born in 1939, paints with themes of beauty, poetry, horror, meaningless violence, obsession, sex, silliness and fantasy. He is also an art professor at Cleveland State University, and has been included in numerous juried shows and at least 10 solo exhibitions since 1975. His work has been regularly shown at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s May Shows, winning several first-place prizes in painting. He was also awarded the 1988 Cleveland Arts Prize for Visual Arts. This exhibition follows WOLFS Gallery’s presentation of a selection of Nevadomi’s art in New York, giving the 82-year-old artist his first one-man New York debut. The show is at WOLFS, 23645 Mercantile Road in Beachwood. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. : wolfsgallery.com
Right: “Sleeping Head” (1993) by Ken Nevadomi. Acrylic on canvas, 43.5 x 53 in. Image courtesy of WOLFS Gallery. HEDGE GALLERY “David King: Transience and the Gift of Curiosity” | Through Dec. 31 David King’s solo exhibition, “Transience and the Gift of Curiosity,” pulls inspiration from family movie reels. He found these video memories, transferred them to DVD and transformed them into contemporary paintings, rearranging the subject matter to suggest the fleeting moments of life. The work features bold color palettes, working oil paint onto aluminum panels. In this medium, he can stamp words, cut and etch into the surface. According to a news release from the gallery, King says some figures have “literally been cut out and left as a void, exploring the fact that we are only here for a short time.” HEDGE Gallery is in the 78th Street Studios at 1300 W. 78th St., Suite 200, in Cleveland. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday. : hedgeartgallery.com
Left: “Phishing” (2021) by David King. Oil on aluminum, 48 x 36 in. Image courtesy of David King. URSULINE COLLEGE’S WASMER GALLERY “ReFuge: The Last Days of Wonder” | Through Jan. 28, 2022 Conceived and curated by Florence O’Donnell Wasmer Gallery director Anna Arnold, “ReFuge” transforms the gallery space into a surreal fantasy forest of recycled materials, created by Arnold and four invited installation and mixed-media artists from Cuyahoga County. The artists, including Arnold, are Joyce Morrow Jones, Jacques Payne Jackson, Claudio Orso and Ron Shelton. Wasmer Gallery is at 2550 Lander Road in Pepper Pike. Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. A companion exhibit is housed at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, featuring two-dimensional work by the featured artists using recycled and mixed-media materials. This show runs through Jan. 16, 2022. The Nature Center is at 2600 South Park Blvd. in Shaker Heights. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. : ursuline.edu/wasmer-gallery
Right: Wasmer Gallery director and curator Anna Arnold takes a selfie with “I Want My Flowers Now!”, a 20-foot paper flower wall featured in “ReFuge.” Photo by Anna Arnold.
8 | Canvas | Winter 2021
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Editor’s note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, museums and galleries may change how exhibitions are able to be seen. Visit their websites for updated information regarding exhibition visitation prior to visiting. AKRON ART MUSEUM “More is More: Visual Richness in Contemporary Art” | Through March 27, 2022 The “More is More” exhibition at Akron Art Museum is an exploration of rich patterning, ornate surfaces and curious details. Artists explore historical styles and techniques and add unexpected twists to their works, with art hung floor to ceiling in a 300-year-old installation technique known as “salon style.” The Akron Art Museum, located at 1 S. High St. in Akron, is open Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays. There are extended hours until 8 p.m. the second Friday of each month. : akronartmuseum.org
“More is More: Visual Richness in Contemporary Art” set up in the Judith Bear Isroff Gallery. Image courtesy of Akron Art Museum. CANTON MUSEUM OF ART “Marvelocity: The Art Of Alex Ross”; “Tom Franco And The Ice-Creams: Beyond Struggle, When The Future Hello Meets Identities Deep Roots”; “Unsound: Hannah Pierce Ceramics”; and “POP/OP” winter exhibitions | Opens Nov. 23 Canton Museum of Art is planning a busy winter season, with four exhibitions opening on Nov. 23, three of which close March 6, 2022, and the fourth which closes April 3, 2022. The art will run the gamut, with one exhibition focusing on comic book art by Alex Ross; another featuring work by folk artist Tom Franco; one of ceramic sculptures by Hannah Pierce; and the last featuring American pop, and op art – or optical art – pulled from CMA’s collection and from lenders. Featured artists in the “POP/OP” show, open through April 3, 2022, include Julian Stanczak, Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons and Roy Lichtenstein. Canton Museum of Art is located at 1001 Market Ave. North in Canton. It is open Tuesday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. It is closed on Mondays. : cantonart.org
Right: “Liz” (1964) by Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987). Screenprint on paper, 24 x 24 in. Canton Museum of Art Collection, 77.54. © Andy Warhol Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Image courtesy of Canton Museum of Art. THE GALLERY AT LAKELAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE “from WOMAN XV...Created by women, of women and about women” Feb. 20, 2022 – April 1, 2022 Curated by Lakeland gallery coordinator Mary Urbas, the “from WOMAN XV” exhibition is in celebration of Women’s History Month in March. After hosting the show virtually last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the show will return to the Gallery at Lakeland and feature work that focuses it means to be a woman, specifically the art of Kathy Skerritt, a local artist who recently passed away after battling cancer. An artist reception will take place from 3:30 to 5 p.m. March 13, 2022. The gallery also collaborates with Lakeland’s Women’s Center, which produces a Women of Achievement awards event the same afternoon as the artist reception. The Gallery at Lakeland is at 7700 Clocktower Drive in Kirtland, on the first floor of Building D. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. The gallery is closed on Sundays. : lakelandcc.edu/gallery.
Above: “Life Force Descending 2,” (2016) by Kathy Skerritt. Mixed media on canvas, 36 x 36 inches. Image courtesy of Lakeland Community College. CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART “Currents & Constellations: Black Art in Focus” | Feb. 20, 2022 – June 26, 2022 Hosted in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Julia and Larry Pollock Focus Gallery, “Currents & Constellations: Black Art in Focus” features a selection of seminal works by major Black artists alongside works by emerging and mid-career Black artists – all drawn from the museum’s current collection. The exhibition will invite audiences to forge new artistic, social, political and intellectual connections across time and geography, with Black art and the Black experience at the center. CMA is at 11150 East Blvd., in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood. Hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays. The museum is closed on Mondays. : clevelandart.org
Right: “Fragmented Figure Construction” (1963) by Richard Hunt (American, b. 1935). Welded steel; base: 35.6 x 66 x 66 cm; h. 143.5 cm. Gift of Arnold H. Maremont, 1969.16. Image courtesy of Cleveland Museum of Art.
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Winter 2021 | Canvas | 9
CRAFTING CLOTHING Slow fashion project gives local makers a challenge to create a locally sourced, sustainable outfit By Jane Kaufman
F
or Margaret Sankey, the concept of designing and making a three-piece outfit over the course of a year from locally sourced materials – right down to the dyes – presented challenges she did not expect. Sankey was one of 23 people in the first cohort of “One Year, One Outfit,” a project of the Rust Belt Fibershed, culminating in an exhibit by the same name at Praxis Fiber Workshop in the Waterloo Arts District in Cleveland. “It’s kind of been this great marrying of my passions of fashion, clothes and plants and fiber and farming,” Sankey says. Artists, farmers and novices gathered in bi-monthly virtual sessions on Zoom to compare notes and share information about their challenges and tricks in designing their outfits literally from seed, roots, flowers, fiber and hides, sometimes from their own gardens and farms. The cohort worked solo or in small groups to complete the projects, starting in October 2020, with the goal to finish in time for the exhibit hanging at Praxis Fiber Workshop from Nov. 5, 2021 through Jan. 14, 2022. At first, Sankey, who lives on a small farm in Perry, thought
Janette Knowles of Columbus spun, dyed and hand-wove foraging bags for the outfit she created with Celeste MalvarStewart, also of Columbus. | Photo / Janette Knowles
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she would make linen pants from locally grown flax. When she tried working with flax, she decided to change her plan based on the time it took to spin and weave – settling on a dyed deerskin skirt sewn together with her own hand-spun flax, a hand-knit sweater and a leather necklace with a Grand River mussel as its pendant. “I had to keep kind of shifting to (do) what’s possible in this time frame,” she recalls. Sankey made her dyes from her own Hopi black dye sunflowers, dyer’s coreopsis, indigo, marigolds and with goldenrod she foraged. She agonized over the deer hide. “It took me so long to cut it because I was so afraid to make the first cut,” she says, adding that a friend recommended she sleep with the hide to gain an understanding for it and to align the spine of the hide with her own spine. The concept for “One Year, One Outfit” was the brainchild of Sarah Pottle – who with her twin sister Jessalyn Boeke co-founded the Rust Belt Fibershed – and Connie Fu, former gallery director of Praxis Fiber Workshop. The Rust Belt Fibershed, which is part of a network of fibersheds across the country, draws from a 250-mile radius outside of Cleveland and encompasses parts of Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and New York state. Its mission is “to build a community that collaboratively supports locally grown textiles in a way that decrease consumption of fast fashion and works to restore the soil,” according to its website. “We aspire to connect everyone in all parts of our local fiber system: farmers, fiber processors – from large mills to home spinners, weavers, dyers and fiber artists – to designers, shop owners, consumers and fiber enthusiasts. Through this project, we hope to foster friendship, creativity and a greater respect for our environment, as well as an understanding of the impact we share in our corner of the world.” SLOW FASHION Fast or extractive fashion – cheaply manufactured clothing – has a heavy impact on both the environment and people through the use of poorly paid workers, Pottle says. Although denim is made from cotton, it uses a synthetic dye that is toxic and pollutes not only the waterways where it is made but wherever it lands in a washing machine and fades, Pottle says, calling it “a pretty damaging industry.” In addition, synthetic fibers used in the garment industry can take centuries to decompose. The fibershed movement, as well as the concept of slow fashion, of which “One Year, One Outfit” is an example, is partly inspired as a response to the impact of the textiles industry. “And really, I think for me, it’s a lot more about the mentality of just consuming and then throwing away and consuming and throwing away,” Pottle says. “Slow fashion is the absolute opposite of that, where you’re thinking of the origin story of where your clothing comes from, and you’re taking care to create or to keep it well, and to keep it nicely. So
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‘ONE YEAR, ONE OUTFIT’ PARTICIPANTS:
Aaron Jacobson, Katy Kvassay, Olivia Vanistendael, Erin Carlson, Alexa Vicario, Rebecca Cross, Celeste Malvar-Stewart, Janette Knowles, Debbie Christensen, Janel Franks, Katie Lunemann, Erika Frondorf, Anissa Pulcheon, Katie Allen, Lindsey James, Kerie Johannes, Jasmine Kornel, Charity Thomas, Sarah Silk, Kirste Carlson, Margaret Sankey, Kate Hodges, Brittany Dobish I think it really pivots on that idea of care.” “One Year, One Outfit” challenged farmers, artists and others who were new to textiles to literally try their hand at everything – from processing, combing, spinning and creating dyes from plants, to tanning leather, weaving, sewing, crocheting and knitting these materials to create a three-piece outfit over a year. Pottle said the concept percolated after she learned about a challenge that the Fibershed movement founder – the overarching group based in San Geronimo, Calif. – created for herself in 2012. Rebecca Burgess decided to wear only clothing that was locally sourced for a year. “And so that got us thinking about just taking the opportunity to take one year to make clothing that is sourced within our region,” Pottle says, adding that it dovetailed well with Rust Belt Fibershed’s initiative to assess its alpaca and flax initiatives. BEGINNING PHASES Fu suggested pulling together those interested in the project into a cohort and encouraging people to work in groups if they wanted to. “Unfortunately because of the pandemic, meeting in person was kind of out of the picture,” Pottle says. The Zoom sessions included breakout rooms with a focus on particular topics, such as tanning or sewing or dying. “And that was a really important thing, not just because we wanted to keep people in the project, but really because the project is more than just creating an outfit, you know?” Pottle says. “It’s also creating, building momentum around an idea of creating, not just consuming and thinking about a regional fibershed and thinking about where things come from and our materials.” Pottle, who lives in Granger Township in Medina County, in an 1830s farmhouse that uses regenerative farming practices, says she thought the concept would interest perhaps 10 people. About 120 people from Northeast Ohio, Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and New York state participated in two initial informational calls. About 50 people signed on to the challenge, and 23 stayed through the duration. Sankey says meetings with the cohort were helpful in terms of developing community and in the learning opportunities they provided. “I loved getting that knowledge,” she says. “It’s hard to look up YouTube and look up things – like just having a person (from whom to learn skills). … You could choose to work with a group. So I chose to be overzealous and work by myself.” Janette Knowles, program chair of art and design at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, was also in the cohort. She worked with sustainable fashion designer Celeste Malvar-Stewart, also of Columbus, to create a tunic to be worn in the garden and a series of foraging bags to go with it. Malvar-Stewart knows the sources of her fiber, animals on family farms, by name. She felted the tunic from alpaca, while Knowles wove and sewed the foraging bags dyed from hollyhocks and black irises from her own garden. The bags are
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Above: Janette Knowles created several designs prior to arriving on this final one for a gardening tunic. | Photo / Janette Knowles. Below: Margaret Sankey steeped dyer’s coreopsis over two to three days as part of the process to create a gold-colored dye. | Photo / Margaret Sankey
fashioned after foraging bags used in Scandinavia, England and Japan, with designs that are geometric, inspired by the Bauhaus design movement. “When I was approached about this project, it was completely my jam,” Knowles says of her initial enthusiasm, explaining that she grew up on a four-generation farm in
Winter 2021 | Canvas | 11
Left: Margaret Sankey models her handspun, homemade-dyed sweater, along with her homemade deerskin skirt. She is also wearing a hat knitted by another participant in the first “One Year, One Outfit” cohort. | Photo / Jessalyn Boeke / Rust Belt Fibershed. Right: Sankey prepares flax to be spun. | Photo / Cheryl Skibicki Granger Township that uses sustainable practices. In fact, her sister, who runs that farm now in its fifth generation, allowed her to devote one half acre to grow Hopi black dye sunflowers for the project. Knowles did extensive research on traditional techniques, learning that stone tools were used to process stinging nettle, a perennial flowering plant. Among her grandfather’s arrowhead collection, she found a stone tool that she used to strip the cellulose from the fiber of nettle. “I really started this project with as much historic accuracy as possible,” she says. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But I’m thrilled that I did it.” CONTINUING THE EFFORT Two of Knowles’ students were inspired by her involvement in the project to do related independent studies using naturally dyed wool that they processed and are weaving. “It’s weird that kind of my work is done for this ‘One Year, One Outfit’ project, but it’s going to live on for another year in the work of my students,” Knowles says. Like Sankey, though, she found the project perhaps more challenging than she had anticipated. “Processing nettle was the worst thing in my life, and I’ll never do it again,” she says, adding that her arms became chapped from working with madder root, one of North America’s oldest sources of dye, which is used to make a color called turkey red as well as the crimson of the British redcoat. Jessica Pinsky is founder and executive director of Praxis Fiber Workshop, which has outdoor gardens of indigo that the workshop uses to creates traditional indigo dye. It also houses a roomful of looms in 5,000 square feet, as well as a gallery with 2,000 square feet at the front of a former furniture store. Pinsky is a weaver and a full-time lecturer in the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Sculpture + Expanded Media Department.
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Her awareness of the garment industry’s impact on the environment informs her focus – and the exhibit “One Year, One Outfit” dovetails well with the workshop. “It fits very nicely into our mission, which to me is to educate under the full umbrella of all things textiles,” Pinsky says. “And so, what that means to me is everything from the seed all the way to the most sophisticated technological equipment.” Pottle says she was surprised by the diversity of the creations made for the exhibition. Only meeting virtually, she says, made it more difficult for her to connect with the artists and to provide motivation to stay in, as aspects of the project presented difficulty to all of the participants. However, some who dropped out planned to finish their projects – just not within the one-year time frame, Pottle says. Meantime, she’s planning for a second cohort of “One Year, One Outfit,” which will start in January 2022, to be able to plan ahead of the growing season. That cohort will have two in-person meetings, in addition to the virtual meetings. And the “One Year, One Outfit” concept has taken off, with three other regional fibersheds contacting Pottle for details about the Rust Belt project. Pottle says it was difficult for her to be solely in the role of facilitator for the past year, rather than creating an outfit. “But this year, I’m definitely going to make myself an outfit,” she says. TO VIEW A VIDEO WITH THIS STORY, VISIT CANVASCLE.COM/CRAFTING-CLOTHING
ON VIEW
“One Year, One Outfit” group exhibition is on view through Jan. 14, 2022 at Praxis Fiber Workshop, 15301 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. The workshop is open from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays.
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WHERE KIDS CAN TOUCH THE ART! On view May 11 - August 28, 2022
Presented by:
Created by:
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Back in my day... Honoring the Class of 2020 Nov 5–Dec 17
Cleveland Institute of Art Reinberger Gallery 11610 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44106 Gallery Hours Mon–Thu: 10am–5pm Fri: 10am–9pm Sat–Sun: 12–5pm
cia.edu/exhibitions 216.421.7407 reinbergergallery cleinstituteart
Exhibitions and programming are generously supported by CIA’s community partners. Visit cia.edu/partners
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Artwork: “Hi again, let’s go see our art!” (2021) by Chi Wong, 2020 CIA alum
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Emerging artists in Northeast Ohio @CanvasCLE
Winter 2021 | Canvas | 15
MAXMILLIAN PERALTA
Amanda Koehn
Age 22 • Lives Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood • Creates Cleveland’s near west side Learned BFA in painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art By Amanda Koehn
T
ake the style of an idealistic, posed portrait – similar to the 17th century court paintings of Diego Velázquez – and infuse it with subculture references and details, and you might be experiencing the work of Maxmillian Peralta. For Peralta, a 2021 graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art, painting is not only a way he presents his polished technical skills, but also incorporates longtime interests like streetwear and tattooing. “I think something some people don’t realize about my paintings is they are sort of a critique and a celebration,” he says. “It’s a celebration in the form of like aesthetics and how it looks and the history it’s pulling from. But it’s a critique in its over the top-ness and its sort of ridiculousness.” He became interested in fashion through skateboarding and its associated styles, and as a result of inheriting a bunch of suits from his grandfather. The suits were tailored for his grandfather and had their last name sewed inside. “I think that sort of awoke in me some idea of presentation in apparel,” Peralta explains. “That’s what got me into fashion, but I think it’s an interesting metaphor I was going after in terms of self-presentation and how to display yourself.” During an interview at the Electric Gardens apartments in Cleveland’s Tremont, where he resides and also assists with creative jobs, he shows off a kind of classic Maxmillian Peralta painting – a portrait decked out in Louis Vuitton. The subject’s head is a Louis Vuitton shoe. A sneakerhead, quite literally. “I wanted to do something super ridiculous and out of the ordinary,” he says. “I wanted to sort of play with the idea of,
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“The Scribe” (2020). Oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches. Photo courtesy of the artist.
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what if this person cared more about their shoes on their feet than their head almost? Which is ostensibly the whole point of your portrait is to have your face painted.” In his work, he draws a parallel between historic subjects of paintings, where they posed in garments and jewels showing off their material wealth, with people who do exactly the same today – but within different styles and subcultures. Those interests were explored deeply during Peralta’s time at CIA. In a dual show he and his friend and classmate Ethan Bowman proposed their junior year, the pair explored fashion and self-presentation. For the show, “Ligne de Vêtements,” which means clothing line in French (VETEMENTS is also a luxury brand), Peralta painted and Bowman contributed digital illustrations. “I was told by several people on that opening night, that was the most people they had ever seen at that gallery,” Peralta says of that evening in February 2020 in CIA’s Ann and Norman Roulet Student + Alumni Gallery. A year later, his Bachelor of Fine Arts project took a dive into various kinds of subcultures, such as hunting, video gaming and boxing, exploring some subcultures he’s less intimately familiar with. The project, “Postmodern Drip,” also forced him to embrace showing his work virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’d say my BFA is my biggest accomplishment – it’s a whole year worth of work and working throughout the limitations of the pandemic, how I was going to present that,” he says. Growing up in Lakewood as one of seven children, Peralta says he and his siblings were creative in both art and music. His artist father, Len Peralta, quit his advertising job to pursue art full time when Peralta’s younger sister was born. His father, who now teaches graphic design at CIA, also taught at the Beck Center for the Arts, where Peralta took classes. Before college, Peralta won a national Scholastic Art and Writing Award for one of his paintings. He traveled to New York City with his parents to receive the award at Carnegie Hall. “I chose art because my older brother is just a savant at the guitar, so I was like, there’s no need to compete with him with music, so I’ll do art,” Peralta says, adding that his high school, St. Edward in Lakewood, wasn’t the most art-centric and his teachers were “nervous” about him pursuing art school. “But it was also what I had more passion for.” Similar to his father, Peralta now pursues art, mostly commissions, full time. He also does tattoos, after completing an apprenticeship with his cousin. “I haven’t had to do (tattooing) in a while because painting has been really what’s driving me along” he says. Having had work exhibited in the 2020 Waterloo Arts Juried Exhibition and with his paintings regularly showcased at Sunbird Studios & Technologies, a recording studio in downtown Cleveland, commissions have been keeping him busy recently. He’s hoping to begin creating more personal work again, and seek exhibitions, once the commissions slow down. Graduating and navigating the art world as the pandemic rages on, an “asterisk is applied to everything as you get started” professionally, he explains – but it’s something he doesn’t let get him down. As an emerging artist, Peralta says security and confidence are some of the biggest challenges he faces. That, and the terrifying moment of staring at a blank canvas – each an opportunity that also comes with a chance to
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Above: “Dibbs and James” (2020). Oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches. Photo courtesy of the artist. Opposite page: Maxmillian Peralta at the Electric Gardens in Tremont. Behind him are “Sneakerhead III,” left, “Self Portrait in Supreme.” fail, he says. “It’s remembering to keep your standards high, but your expectations low,” he says. “Because a lot of artists get opportunities dangled in front of them and out of a hundred, 10 are serious, and one of them actually happens. It’s just the way it is unfortunately … so just keep your enthusiasm and your morale up.” Right now though, it’s working out for Peralta. In fact, the sneakerhead painting sold and is headed to its owner. “It’s bittersweet to sell a painting,” he says. “But they say you don’t want to die with all your paintings in your basement. So, I’m happy to give it up.” “Maxmillian’s paintings scrutinize America’s fascination with the variety of subcultures and self-selected identities his subjects embody, in turn implicating viewers’ own conception and presentation of self. The work engages in a dialogue with portraiture’s storied history while bringing its intentions into a contemporary dialogue.” Tony Ingrisano, associate professor, chair of painting department, Cleveland Institute of Art
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ALEXANDRIA COUCH Age 23 • Hometown Akron • Creates Yale University, New Haven, Conn. Learned BFAs in printmaking and painting from The University of Akron’s Myers School of Art; Expected MFA from Yale By Amanda Koehn
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t 23, Alexandria Couch already has a relatively prolific career – including painting a mural in Public Square downtown and beginning a Master of Fine Arts program at Yale University. But for Couch, connecting herself and her work to her community and other artists in it is one of the best parts. For instance, she remembers running a mural class a couple summers ago for high school students with the Art Bomb Brigade, an educational mural program affiliated with her undergraduate school, the Mary Schiller Myers School of Art at The University of Akron. Getting to know and work with other artists – and the next generation – has been core to her practice. “A lot of what I learned growing up that I think kind of shaped me into the artist I am has to do with people that I came across in non-traditional educational environments,” says Couch, an Akron native. “I didn’t go to the local arts high school ... but a lot of people just kind of offered the best they had and filled a lot of these gaps for me, so that was really special to me.” As a child, Couch wanted to be an artist and her parents saw potential in her. However, she says “I kind of lost my way” at the beginning of college, thinking for a bit she might study English and education. Hui-Chu Ying, an art professor at Akron, advised Couch to quit her English major and pursue art alone. “Even so far as, she went to my mom’s studio,” Couch
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“A Day In the Life of July” (2020). Acrylic, canvas, oil pastel and spray paint on mounted paper panel, 36 x 48 inches. | Photo / Hans Reich says, adding her mother also works in the arts. Ying told her mother, “‘Convince her to quit’. And so they did, and that’s how I ended up doing art as a full major.” Working in painting, printmaking and mixed media, Couch’s process often begins with mental photographs “tucked
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Above: “I Can Feel Things Yet To Happen Underneath My Skin” (2020). Gouache, acrylic, ink and collage on paper, 22 x 30 inches. | Photo / Hans Reich. Opposite Page: Alexandria Couch with her “Where We Meet In The Middle” mural, painted in Public Square in Cleveland. | Photo / Bob Perkoski away,” building one piece from multiple such images. Her subject matter predominantly revolves around “themes of dissonance between Black people and the environments they inhabit,” she explains. “Especially in the wake of the shift in Black narrative from margin to center, I think there’s this confrontation with hypervisibility, versus invisibility that we’re dealing with now, on complete polar opposite ends of the spectrum,” she says. Couch has been working with these themes for some time. However, the weight of the work became more prevalent after the Black Lives Matter movement’s rise and the societal shift that began last year toward reckoning with a long history of systemic racism. “I think it just more had to do with exploring the psychological environment for Black figures because I think, at least in my experience, people have had a bit of trouble in viewing Black figures and people – this is going to sound weird ... as humans with feelings or that are more than surface level or that don’t exude this like constant what people perceive to be as confidence,” she says. “I think it was more born out of this
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Details about “Action Required,” hosted by the Yale School of Art, are at art.yale.edu/exhibitions.
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idea that people misperceive Black people often, and that’s just come out of my everyday life experience and watching family members navigate space and watching friends navigate space as well.” Recently, Northeast Ohioans may have seen Couch’s mural, “Where We Meet In The Middle,” at downtown Cleveland’s Public Square. Completed in the spring, it was a project with LAND Studio. This past summer, she also had joint shows with her Akron friend and colleague, Kwamé Gomez, at two Los Angeles galleries: SoLA Contemporary and New Image Art. Although she couldn’t attend the shows in the middle of a busy summer working at Summit Artspace in Akron, she says the exposure to a broader audience was “a really cool experience.” Couch also counts getting into graduate school as a major feat accomplished. Graduating from Akron in 2020, she applied to master’s programs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She didn’t find out until she began her program at Yale in New Haven, Conn., this fall that it was an especially challenging year to get into graduate school as spots were slim. Near the end of October, her first Yale show, “Action Required” opened. Among works shown by the university’s first-year graduate class, she submitted a piece she describes as “an angry little girl sitting on grass.” “And I guess this is up for the viewer’s interpretation, but engaging the viewer – either inviting them or gate keeping them from her and her psychological world that she’s built around her,” Couch says. At this point, Couch says one of the biggest challenges is navigating the market side and pace of the art world. And with a large focus on Black artists broadly, she says she doesn’t expect that trend to last in the same fashion forever. It’s a race to meet the moment, while also knowing opportunities could dry up. “Finding out a way to kind of navigate that and build a sustainable practice into a polarized moment, and what happens thereafter, has been really difficult,” she says. Balancing all the various facets of showing and selling art – the business side that doesn’t necessarily have to do with creating it – is also an adjustment, she notes. Looking ahead, Couch says she will likely seek projects for next summer, when she plans to be back in Northeast Ohio. Now, she’s looking to hone in on her craft instead of seeking concrete projects, she says. “The reality is you have to be a one-man band until you’re like Andy Warhol,” she says. “So I think I’m really focused to be in grad school and just focusing on work, but I’ll have some group shows possibly in 2022 with some really cool folks.” “Alex was a leader and consensus builder while a student, and that ability to energize fellow artists has continued past graduation. It was a pleasure to watch her find her voice and visual language and has been even more thrilling to see her begin to use that voice in collaborations with other artists and organizations, and multiple public projects. Alex has an innate empathy that shines through the figures she shows us in her compositions.” Arnold Tunstall, director, university galleries, Myers School of Art, The University of Akron
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ORLANDO CARABALLO
Amanda Koehn
Age 25 • Lives and creates University Heights Learned BFA in drawing with printmaking emphasis from Cleveland Institute of Art By Amanda Koehn
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or Orlando Caraballo, it all begins with gathering. Gathering snippets of drawings, poems, thoughts and themes that eventually, in no rushed manner, become vivid, emotionally-driven artwork. Caraballo’s art, most recently focused in digital prints, offers both a window into his familial, religious, grieving and emotional experiences, and an entry for viewers to connect their own experiences and self. As any one Caraballo piece may be digitally comprised of different “puzzle pieces,” it may also offer seemingly opposing emotional elements, he says. “A lot of my work tends to have ... this duality between something sort of anxious and sort of like frenetic with something calm or hopeful,” he says. The resulting works aren’t planned, but rather at some point, the sketches, writings, life experiences and memories come together. “All of that is materials,” he says. “And the moment of creating is when it makes sense.” Growing up in the West Boulevard neighborhood of Cleveland, it was an honors English class at St. Ignatius High School that set Caraballo on his path. Although he says he was an artistic kid – “it was always a part of how I communicated even to myself” – the shift happened when a teacher pulled him aside after reading one of his papers. The teacher, Dennis Arko, told Caraballo, “You’re an artist ... I need you to see it all the way through.” Arko recommended Caraballo look into the Cleveland
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“Almost May” (2021). Archival print on Hahnemüle Photo Rag paper 308 gsm, 16 x 20 inches. Photo courtesy of the artist.
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Above: “…and we both sat alone” (2021). Archival print on Hahnemüle Photo Rag paper 308 gsm, 16 x 20 inches. Photo courtesy of the artist. Opposite page: Orlando Caraballo holds “Almost August” at the Cleveland Print Room. Institute of Art, where his daughter went. And although Caraballo once saw himself as a psychologist, he went on to graduate from CIA in 2018. Starting with his Bachelor of Fine Arts project, Caraballo began deeply exploring his lineage in his work, focusing on his late father and grandfather, what they left behind and their Puerto Rican heritage. Starting to come into his confidence as an artist, he changed the project’s focus – with less than a month to redo it – to better hone in on his family history. But, he’d been gathering the parts for years at that point, he says. Starting with his BFA project, the story of “The Little Prince” often shows up in his work. Caraballo sees himself as a “little brown boy” version of the prince, or an avatar for traveling to different times and places through history, he says. “It’s sort of a lesson of what you can learn from revisiting your youth and revisiting that childlike wonder for the world and that innocence as an adult,” he says. “I think a lot of my work is about lineage, but also bringing back that useful intelligence into that new life, like your older life.” Asked about his successes thus far, Caraballo notes a show he was part of a few months ago at the Morgan Conservatory, “Cross Generations: Bridging the Gap of Artists,” held jointly with the Museum of Creative Human Art. There, Caraballo says a school principal bought one of his prints to hang at her school. “They put it there so that students from that school can know there are brown artists who are making work – that can be a viable thing. … That was awesome to me,” he says. Shows like that also offer an opportunity to connect in
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person with viewers of his work – something that was lost during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Caraballo isn’t looking for compliments, but rather if others can respond to his work, he explains. “I’m constantly putting the time in – there’s always technical things to be better in, but that comes with time,” he says. “But the thing that I’m always interested in is, is it emoting? Are you connecting?” His job as education director at the Cleveland Print Room also has helped his practice become more socially engaged. It helps him naturally meet the right people and continue to do meaningful work, he says. Now, he’s in position to do some gathering on a different level. Although digital printing was relatively accessible during the pandemic, he’s hoping to get back into mediums that offer textural elements. He sees a new phase for his work that incorporates the layered emotional and spiritual aspects he’s known for, but adds literal layers. He’s also become increasingly concerned with using “discernment” to evaluate potential opportunities. “I think discernment is huge, especially for younger artists, because there are a lot of people in the arts who are looking to benefit themselves,” he says. “As a young artist – especially as a young brown or Black artist during this time – there are a lot of people who are seeking to, like, use us as material without really respecting the craft.” He cites shows bringing together artists of color with no specific vision other than making work that fits into a narrowly defined category – like brown, Black or Asian art – and doesn’t necessarily benefit the artists. Noting these “politics of the art world,” especially during this time increasingly focused on equity and inclusion, he says defining art too finitely can end up preventing real creativity and individual-informed work. He says he’s taking opportunities with a “slow and steady approach.” The gathering process is not to be hurried or conform. It’s about true connection and identity. “There’s an expectation of a box that you should fit into, and so when you make something that doesn’t fit that, they don’t know what to do,” he says. “That’s the challenge. How does one stay true to their vision without falling into the trap of ‘This is what people want of someone like me. That’s how I can make money fast or have some notoriety or attention.’ ... I think that can be soul crushing.” “Two adjectives emerge for me when I think about Orlando as an artist and a human being: connection and curiosity. In Orlando’s macropractice as the Cleveland Print Room education director, he works to weave the socially engaged art model first written about in Paulo Freire’s ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’ in 1968, into an everyday practice drawn from his ‘backpack’ of personal life experience. Through this work, he strives to improve community conditions by his innovative use of relatedness with others in group settings, and by engaging individuals in an ongoing dialogue that challenges our place in the natural order. It is through Orlando’s practice that the personal and the political mesh.” Shari Wilkins, co-executive director, Cleveland Print Room
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KATIE BUTLER Age 26 • Lives and creates Akron Learned MFA in painting from Kent State University; BFA in painting from The University of Akron By Amanda Koehn
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tep into Katie Butler’s Akron studio and you hear NPR playing, see a palette covered with paints and feel drawn into the large still life paintings on the walls that hint at something more dangerous. The artwork, mostly of fish gutted and partially eaten on dinner tables, are part of a series addressing current sociopolitical issues. She points to one painting, “A Seat at the Table,” which remarks on the phrase she noticed being thrown around when President Joe Biden was nominating cabinet members earlier this year. “I kept hearing on the radio, ‘you get a seat at the table,’” Butler says. “And that’s great, but the table is still flawed. So, I wanted to just make a painting about the phrase. ... And so, what if the tablescape is really kind of disorganized and impractical, and maybe a little bit dangerous?” And what if the table itself is disoriented – historically a vessel of a patriarchal and unequal system trying to weave in very slow changes? Put simply, Butler makes what she calls “still life political paintings.” Noting they typically begin with wanting to depict a phrase she’s heard in the news, they are crafted into contemporary allegories. “I look a lot at Dutch still life paintings and pool from that compositionally and subject wise,” Butler says. “I am trying to kind of lift that and subvert it technically to talk about contemporary issues. So (works in the studio) are allegories that reference current events in American politics and
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“The After Party” (2021). Oil and acrylic on canvas, 48 x 72 inches. Photo courtesy of the artist. commentary on power dynamics.” She notes another painting called “Three Martini Lunch,” commenting on wealth inequality, abuse of power and specifically the tax break for corporate meals (and drinks) former President Donald Trump successfully urged lawmakers to include in one of the COVID-19 relief packages. Another references a New Yorker article called “The After Party,” which is about the GOP post-Trump. The painting shows two half-eaten fish – heads intact – a knife, the article and lemon slices on a gingham tablecloth. The tablecloth is nostalgic and perhaps innocent, but everything else is ominous.
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Above: “Three Martini Lunch” (2021). Oil and acrylic on canvas, 62 x 42 inches. Photo courtesy of the artist. Opposite page: Katie Butler in her Akron studio, with “A Seat at the Table” to her left. | Canvas photo / Amanda Koehn “I thought about this dinner party and when the dinner party is over, you’re left with this big mess you have to clean up,” she says. “And it feels like we have a big mess to clean up right now.” Her shift toward addressing politics (her second top interest) in her paintings (her very top interest) came just last year during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and amid the chaotic 2020 election cycle. She was in graduate school at Kent State University at the time. Butler grew up in Canton and graduated from The University of Akron with a bachelor’s degree in painting a couple years before deciding to pursue graduate school. Though she’d been interested in still life painting as early as high school, during undergrad she moved more toward abstract work, “which I think seems to be something that most people go through at some point,” she says. Prior to attending Akron, she had never seen art as a
ON VIEW
“New Narratives,” featuring work by Katie Butler, Herman Aguirre, Max Markwald, Erykah Townsend, Omar Velázquez and Antwoine Washington, is on view through Dec. 30 at Abattoir, 3619 Walton Ave., Cleveland.
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career she could have, and which she got more serious about during her master’s program at Kent. A first-generation college student, she says her family was always supportive of whatever she wanted to pursue in college, and it was there she started to find mentors that opened the door to creative work. “More toward the end of undergrad, that’s when I started to realize, ‘oh, I can maybe get a job that’s painting-adjacent,’ and then I can keep making paintings on the side,’” she says, adding she later became a graduate teaching assistant at Kent, which opened her eyes to a joint teaching and art-making career. “And then in grad school, I realized, ‘well maybe I can make paintings most of my time.’” At Kent, she was encouraged to explore her continued interest in still life, but was hesitant. “I thought, who makes still life paintings anymore?” she says, laughing. “But ... it can be a good vessel to talk about things that I care about, so I came to embrace it again.” In September, several of her works were shown in her first out-of-state exhibit, Spring/Break Art Show in New York City. Her friend and fellow Kent MFA graduate Catherine Lentini had suggested to Butler that her work would fit well in the medievalthemed show, seeking works that lifted traditional aspects of mediums and turned them contemporary, Butler says. She and Lentini, who curated Butler’s works for the show, applied via a blind application. The last few months have been busy for Butler locally too. She had work shown in the “Fish Fly Fur” show at YARDS Projects in Cleveland, which was on view through Nov. 20 and featured work depicting animals in various forms. This month, another exhibition, “New Narratives,” opened at Abattoir gallery in Cleveland, featuring her work and that of several other young artists. It highlights painters with representational styles, each addressing different social issues. Butler also works as an adjunct instructor at Kent in painting and drawing. And right now, she’s making a lot of work, which she says she hopes continues to evolve. “I just feel like every painting I make now, I just want it to be better than the last,” she says. “How can I keep this going?” “Knowing Katie for the past few years has been very rewarding, first as her professor in Kent State University’s painting MFA program and now working alongside her in her role as an adjunct instructor. Her ambitious work ethic in the studio is unparalleled and she approaches Photo / her practice with an equal dose Anda Manteufel of research and intuition. Katie’s paintings are well versed in art history and contemporary approaches to painting. Her recent work deconstructs the still life taking on scenes that both formally and symbolically investigate subjects of unease, instability and sociopolitical turmoil in the everyday household. Life seems more and more surreal these days and Katie’s paintings refreshingly represent that precariousness. Her artistic vision and natural ability as a teacher are major contributions to Northeast Ohio’s thriving art community.” Shawn Powell, assistant professor in painting, Kent State University
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ARIELLA HAR-EVEN Age 30 • Lives Shaker Heights • Creates Seville, Ohio Learned BFA in jewelry and metals from Cleveland Institute of Art By Amanda Koehn
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n Ariella Har-Even’s world, jewelery is an interactive bridge connecting one’s body and spirit to the physical world. As wearable art, it can connect historical beautification and modern life, showing patterns that both reflect on and add to one’s human experience, emotions and thoughts, she explains. “That idea of using history or using anthropology, things like that, to investigate what it is that really is at the core of who we are,” she says, “it’s something that I do a lot. I really focus on ... this idea that the power of jewelry kind of lies within its inability to be disconnected from the body itself.” A native of Jerusalem, Har-Even’s path to becoming a jewelry and metals artist was wholly unexpected. As an alternate service to Israel’s mandatory military service for young adults, she worked with children with severe disabilities. She thought she would stick with that field, calling it “one of the most amazing and incredible jobs I’ve ever had.” Her work being physically and emotionally demanding, she sought something creative to do for herself in her free time. Someone suggested trying jewelry making. “And honestly, as cheesy as it sounds, the first time in the studio, the first time holding a torch and sawing metal, I was really hooked for life,” she says. “So it kind of changed my entire life.”
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Top: Ariella Har-Even wears “Listen” kinetic shoulder piece (2019). Patinated bronze and copper, sterling silver, leather cord. Above: “Altar/Alter” funerary mask (2017). Enamel on copper, gold leaf, sterling silver, fine silver, pearls and fake eyelashes. | Photos / Sydney Givens. Her father and his family are from Cleveland, and at the time she had relatives here, which made choosing to study at the Cleveland Institute of Art a relatively easy decision –
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Above and right: “Let Me Count the Ways” brooches (2019). Enamel on copper, fine silver, copper and nickel silver. | Photos / Sydney Givens. especially after she saw work by alumni, she says. As opposed to fine jewelry, Har-Even focuses on art jewelry, or “things that are not designed necessarily for an everyday wearing experience, but rather using jewelry to communicate a larger concept,” she says. One ideology Har-Even works within is the Jungian psychology concept of archetypes, or symbols or patterns that originate from our collective unconscious. Fascinated by a course on the subject she took at CIA, she connects her work to the theory of human thought and behavior. “When I’m working archetypally kind of means that ... I aim to highlight the connective tissue between historical adornment and our contemporary 21st century life, kind of using jewelry to find those patterns and focus on the human emotion, the human experience, human thought process,” she says. Working out of a studio in Seville, Ohio, she stayed local after graduating from CIA with her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2019. In addition to her personal artistic practice, she works in the library at the Cleveland Museum of Art and co-founded an educational initiative called Commence Jewelry, which supports and highlights work of recent graduates in the jewelry and metalsmithing field. One challenge thus far in her career has been trusting herself and skill set, she says. And graduating less than a year before the COVID-19 pandemic, adaptation has been key. At the same time, she’s says she’s fortunate to have had opportunities to connect with others in the field. In November 2019, she attended her first New York City Jewelry Week, referring to it as “one of the most transformative events” in terms of meeting new people in the
ON VIEW
Commence Jewelry will host an exhibition at New York Jewelry Week through Nov. 21. More information is at nycjewelryweek.com.
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art jewelry field beyond her alma mater. “That’s kind of another reason why I felt so strongly about starting and running Commence – to help other people in a similar place in their own practices feel connected,” she says. Fittingly, at this year’s NYC Jewelry Week – which takes place through Nov. 21 – she is being recognized as an honoree for its 2021 One for the Future platform, recognizing emerging talent in the field. Commence Jewelry is also the official educational partner of NYC Jewelry Week and will host an exhibition featuring work of recent graduates at the event. In addition to the NYC Jewelry Week honor, she was also awarded a graduating scholarship for travel from CIA, for which seniors from all different majors compete. And last year she was part of an international enameling exhibition through the Enamel Guild North East, in which she won a first place juror award. “I was just overwhelmed to be included in the exhibition with other professional artists, and so then to actually be chosen for the top juror award meant a lot,” she says. Building more and more confidence in her skills and connections, she’s starting to explore ideas that are more deeply personal. An area she’s become interested in involves the archetype of death. Focusing on funerary rituals and adornment, she’s researching their connection to memory, legacy and specifically victims of the Holocaust. “I’m the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors,” she says, adding that after surviving the Holocaust, her grandparents, Frank and Edith Ross, settled in Cleveland. “... It’s a slightly new direction for me just because this work is much more personal.”
“Adornment has been a constant in human development and Ariella shows how jewelry as an archetype connects not only people to one another but to spiritual and psychological concepts. Her consummate research continues to provide seeds for the innovation of her ideas. Ariella is an individual who is advancing the importance of wearable art within our culture by focusing on the human experience.” Kathy Buszkiewicz, professor of jewelry and metals, Cleveland Institute of Art
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COLLECTING (POP) CULTURE
District Gallery solidifies itself as contemporary art haven By Carlo Wolff
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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” comes to mind when one enters District Gallery, a welcoming, 1,500-square-foot enterprise at the Van Aken District in Shaker Heights. The phrase is the title of a short story by Ernest Hemingway, a writer who believed in trimming language to its essence. Like Hemingway’s prose, there’s no fat in the District Gallery, which opened in August 2019 at 20076 Walker Road. Rather, there is decidedly contemporary art, spanning paintings by the clear-eyed and celebrated American Alex Katz, the tactile resin blocks of Venezuelan native Alejandra Nuñez Advent, and the pop pointillism of Gavin Rain – a South African like Richard Uria, one of the gallery partners. While the space is about more than pop art, it is all about pop culture, targeting collectors from sneakerheads to connoisseurs. And it’s doing really well, according to Uria, who owns the gallery along with retired pharmacist and philanthropist Bob Roth and Roth’s niece, Karen Chaikin. Uria, who is also a philatelist, is in the lumber business. Chaikin’s background is journalism. All three are art collectors. How they came together is a trip – literally. A friend familiar with Roth’s collection introduced Uria to Roth some 10 years ago, when they first discussed opening a gallery, Roth says. He resisted. “I honestly don’t think galleries do very well in this city,” Roth says – though, he admits, he’s happily been
Resin blocks by Alejandra Nuñez Advent in the 2021 Cleveland Women’s Show at District Gallery. Photo courtesy of District Gallery.
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proven wrong. Talks continued over the years, and what finally sealed the deal was a long flight from Johannesburg back home to the States about two years ago, when Uria and Roth sat next to each other, talked art non-stop and agreed to give a gallery a try. Once “we had the whole concept in place,” Uria says, “Karen became part of the journey and she became our partner.” “We all play a role in what we acquire,” he says. “As partners, we discuss artists that we want to work with, artists that we want to consider representing, and artists that we want to bring to Cleveland to show their exceptional work. “The gallery is a passion and an incredible business that’s really taken off very well, but my full-time business is the lumber industry,” he adds. A DIFFERENT KIND OF SHOWPLACE Chaikin says the three chose to locate in the Van Aken District because “the vibe just felt so comfortable.” “We really liked the sense of community, we liked the clientele, and it just felt like a really good fit, and it has been,” she says. “We have a really nice partnership with the district. We have done joint events together. They’re super supportive of our presence here, and we have some of our artwork throughout the district.” Prices at District Gallery run from $75 to $25,000, reflecting its target
market: collectors, from beginners to veterans. “Our belief is that anyone and everyone can be a collector, and you don’t have to spend a lot of money to start collecting art,” Chaikin says. “We’ve seen from sneakerhead culture that young kids are starting to collect sneakers that have value, and they’re buying and selling them. That generation is starting to look at the art world. … For example, the athletes are all buying art; their people love collecting. So we see this as an opportunity to bring that type of collector to the mix, in addition to showing really fine art and representing some very established artists.” The gallery has already engaged with Xhibition, Robert Rosenthal’s high-tech, high-fashion (and high-ticket) store a few steps away, and hopes to collaborate at some point: Some Xhibition customers have expressed interest in District Gallery art that hangs there, Chaikin says. She and her partners also are working with an influencer DJ helping the gallery with social media and “connecting to that clientele.” “We are constantly getting in new work and our walls are always fresh, being switched up every month or so,” says Carolina Kane, a District Gallery artist and the gallery’s manager. “We give clients and visitors stories to tell once their art is at home. We are all about making art accessible and attainable to everyone.”
LOOKING AHEAD Although plans have not solidified, “2022 will bring many exciting things for District Gallery,” Kane says. “We will be doing a winter show featuring all new work by our artists,” she says. “We are also working on collaborations with our artists that will target the sneakerheads and athletes, as they are fast becoming great collectors. This collaboration truly fits into the part of our mission about how anyone can become a collector regardless of age or economic status.” And not only does District Gallery aim to connect to Northeast Ohio’s larger art community – and beyond – it’s working its way into the Van Aken District, a creative variation on a suburban mall with unique offerings in fashion, food, clothing, wellness products and a sense of community all its own. “Whether you’re buying a $250 print or a $21,000 original painting,” Chaikin says, “we want to help everyone, and we want this to be a comfortable space to do that.” That space can be actual, virtual or even at the customer’s home. The COVID-19 pandemic led to improvisation. “We had to pivot the way we went to market,” Uria says. “We did a lot of virtual art placements for clients in their homes, and we did some virtual art programs for clients. We actually continued to operate very well, but it was virtual and by appointment only until we fully opened again in the latter part of 2020.”
Left: Carolina Kane, District Gallery artist and the gallery’s manager, at the gallery, where a Gavin Rain painting hovers to her back right. Right: Karen Chaikin, a District Gallery owner, holds artist Neill Wright’s very big cheese. | Canvas Photos / Carlo Wolff
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Winter 2021 | Canvas | 27
Roth
Uria
A scene of District Gallery during its 2021 Cleveland Women’s Show, which ran through early October. It featured work from local artists Leigh Brooklyn, Amber N. Ford, Paula Grant Rubinstein, Carolina Kane and Alejandra Nuñez Advent. Photo courtesy of District Gallery. GALLERY OUTREACH Chaikin, Uria and Roth are, above all, art lovers who learned about art through collecting. Chaikin suggests she and Uria enjoy communicating that love to their clients (Roth plays more of an advisory role). Being personal arts shoppers – visiting homes to advise customers on what art they should buy and where it should go – has been “a huge part of our business,” she says. “Very few people come in and buy a piece of art off the wall,” she says. “We go into their home, we talk about what speaks to them, we look at their taste, and we will often bring several pieces to the house and hang them to see what they like. But we also have a program on the computer that allows us to virtually hang pieces on people’s walls.” In addition, corporate business is growing fast, Chaikin says, citing a client of Uria’s who is in the metals business and wanted a triptych for his company’s wall.
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Uria commissioned a District Gallery artist to create a lenticular, personalized work including the client’s logo and other business signifiers. The gallery also is working with a local cheese company seeking to fill its corporate headquarters with art. It has connected that company to its artists, told the artists what the company stands for, “and had our artists do commissioned pieces that speak to their brand and what they produce.” The three partners see corporate business as “very low-hanging fruit,” developed by marrying artists to companies that know what they want to communicate about their culture and values. Cleveland artist Lauren Mckenzie Noel was commissioned to create a huge mural about community for the front area of the cheese company. Chaikin shows a giant, stylized wedge of cheese destined for the lobby. South African artist Neill Wright made it of acrylic and resin. Don’t bite into it.
Local artists who have shown in District Gallery since it opened in August 2019: • Leigh Brooklyn • Jeffry Chiplis • Amber N. Ford • Austin Halpern (Born in Cleveland, currently lives in Telluride, Colo.) • Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jónsson • Carolina Kane • Liz Maugans • Alejandra Núñez Advent • Norm Paris (Born in Cleveland, currently lives in New York) • Marc Ross (Born in Cleveland, currently lives in Columbus) • Paula Grant Rubinstein • Judith Salomon • Julian Stanczak • Don Stuart • Michael Weil • H. Spencer Young (Born in Cleveland, currently lives in New York)
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Winter 2021 | Canvas | 29
BECOMING THE THIRD COAST CSU’s quest to be Northeast Ohio’s motion picture training hub
By Bob Abelman
H
umble beginnings. There is no better way to describe the School of Film & Media Arts at Cleveland State University. CSU had no film program until the fall of 1977, when one faculty member was hired to teach a few courses in film history and film appreciation for the Department of Communication. It wasn’t until the early 1980s that an additional faculty member was hired to teach some basic small-format production courses on very limited equipment in a very finite studio space with a very restricted budget. By 2005, the department became a school and, over time, its film sequence
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became one of the most popular programs. Today, the new School of Film & Media Arts, with tracks of study in writing/directing, cinematography, writing/producing, post-production, interactive media and acting/directing, calls a 36,000-square-foot space on the sixth floor of Idea Center in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square district its home. With two new 2,000-plus-squarefoot sound stages with 24-foot ceilings, state-of-the-art teaching laboratories, digital editing bays, professional production equipment and a viewing room/theater with 7.1 surround sound and a commercial theater-quality projection system, the program is the only stand-alone, degree-granting film
Lahey
Schwarz
school in Ohio. At the Idea Center ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new school in 2018, Greg Sadlek, then-dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, had this to say: “With the solid growth of the film industry in Northeast Ohio, this
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new school may just make it possible for CSU to become the most important film program in the Midwest.” “We want to be prepared to say ‘yes’ – not ‘have you checked out Pennsylvania?’” said Ivan Schwarz, then-president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission. He noted at the ceremony he was hoping the promise of a trained student workforce “will attract more film companies to the area and help build the Cleveland film industry.” Humble beginnings and huge expectations. AND … ACTION The School of Film & Media Arts was Schwarz’s idea. The mission of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission is to build a year-round, sustainable film and television industry. That means attracting out-of-state production companies to Northeast Ohio, which would create jobs and bolster the local economy. One prong of the plan was to create “something new and shiny – a
flagship film production program that will create a skilled and well-educated workforce,” recalls Cigdem Slankard, the Film & Media Arts program’s interim director. “I chose CSU over other schools in Northeast Ohio because it’s in Cleveland, which offers a wide range of shoot options,” Schwarz says. “But also, all the top film programs in New York and California are housed in four-year institutions, which can not only offer the technical training required for production but deliver the higher education needed to produce well-rounded content providers like screenwriters. And CSU has a proven track record for growing professionalgrade applied programs.” After meeting with state legislators to secure $7.5 million in funding to grow a high-profile film program, Schwarz met with CSU’s movers and shakers to discuss whether they wanted it. As inspiration, he, Sadlek and then-CSU President Ronald Berkman took a road trip to California to visit film schools at the University of Southern California
and Chapman University. “When you actually see a successful film program in action,” Schwarz says, “it becomes real and viable.” In fact, the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman, located in Orange, Calif., would become the template for CSU’s own film school. In 2017, with funding appropriated from the state of Ohio and a $1 million gift from Lee and Ageleke Zapis and the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation, the existing film program – with its small core of faculty and invested students – was extracted from the School of Communication, bolstered with a new curriculum and became its own entity, the School of Film & Media Arts. Frederic Lahey, a prominent scholar, writer, director and former head of the Colorado Film School – which Lahey built from the ground up – was hired by CSU to be the film program’s inaugural director. In fall 2017, 65 new students were admitted. In fall 2018, the fledgling program moved into its new Idea Center facility
Above: Jordan Leverett, a senior in the acting/directing track at CSU, facing forward, and Michael Schlosser, back to camera, also a senior in the acting/directing track, perform a scene from Michael Mann’s “Heat” for their acting reels. Alex Biedenbach, a senior in the cinematography track, is behind the camera. Opposite page: Cleveland State University film students at work in the studio. | Photos / Cleveland State University.
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Winter 2021 | Canvas | 31
The Idea Center ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new CSU film school in 2018. | Photo / Cleveland State University along with an additional 111 newly admitted students. According to Lahey, there are currently 383 matriculating majors, with the goal of enrolling 500 students in the first five years of the program. THE CLEVELAND FILM SCENE Over 300 productions – commercials, documentaries, independent films, studio feature films, music videos, public service announcements, television shows, video games and web series – have been filmed in Ohio since 2007, according to the Greater Cleveland Film Commission. Some of the most notable films made in Cleveland include “Band of Brothers,” “The Fate of the Furious,” “The Bronze,” “Draft Day,” “Bad Grandpa,” “The Kings of Summer,” “Fun Size,” “Unstoppable,” “The Soloist,” “Spiderman 3,” and “American Splendor.” More recently, “Cherry,” “The Enormity of Life,” and the Oscar-winning “Judas and the Black Messiah” have used Cleveland as a backdrop. As was noted in a feature story in cleveland.com, the producers of two superhero movies from the Marvel universe spent a combined $80 million on goods and services while on location in and around the city. “The Avengers” was filmed here in 2011, blowing up 20-some cars along East 9th Street in the process. And homegrown directors Joe and Anthony Russo used Cleveland to shoot “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” in 2013, which featured a fight scene on the West Shoreway. The Greater Cleveland Film Commission estimates that, over the past decade, film industry activity has resulted in more than $1.1 billion in economic impact on the state level, most of which was in Northeast Ohio. Through this activity, 6,192 fulltime equivalent jobs in Ohio were created, with most situated in Northeast Ohio. A major reason film studios have come to the state is because of the Ohio film credit incentive program, created in 2009. The Ohio Development Services Agency offers refundable credits to film companies for up to a quarter of what they spend in the state and 35% for Ohio resident wages,
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with a cap set at $5 million per film and $20 million per year. The credit was increased to $40 million at the time the new film program was put into operation. As studios come to Cleveland, CSU film students are finding employment. Most notably, three recent graduates were hired for positions on the locations team for “Wheat Germ,” an original movie by Netflix. Bill Garvey, the film’s location manager and the new Greater Cleveland Film Commission president, noted that “CSU has produced good kids.” For film program graduates who did not have an opportunity to work on a big studio production during their education, like Elyria native Gregory Elek and Vermilion born Eric McGuinn, they have found little work in Cleveland and have taken their talents to Los Angeles and Cincinnati, respectively. Still, they have nothing but good things to say about the CSU program. “We made a lot of productions in our classes, which were great learning experiences,” says Elek, “but I learned the most from discussions with faculty who were also practitioners. This insight allowed me to hit the ground running in LA” McGuinn says, “The technical elements of production that I learned at CSU directly applied to the commercial shoots I helm for a creative agency.” GROWING PAINS COVID-19 has served as an interesting litmus test for the film industry in general and the growing CSU film program, and the results have been mixed. Slankard and her faculty have worked hard turning a virtual education experience into an adequate placeholder for in-person learning. Adding a degree of flexibility to the curriculum allowed students to pivot and make different kinds of movies than they had originally intended. But the CSU program is not yet in the position, technologically, to make the same kind of accommodations as, say, the film program at Chapman University, which converted one of its storage spaces into a state-of-the-art virtual production studio. This allowed
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Winter 2021 | Canvas | 33
Behind the scenes of “The Avengers,” shot in Cleveland in 2011. | Photo / Greater Cleveland Film Commission students to continue production projects by filming against an LED wall that simulated hyper-realistic environments rather than risk actual location shoots. And while some studios are returning to Cleveland for post-pandemic production, the comparatively limited financial incentives that Ohio offers to filmmakers have proven to be a handicap. Georgia, for example, has an uncapped tax incentive for the film industry and, in 2017 alone, out-of-state studios spent $2.7 billion. Ohio’s current credit of $40 million is not nearly enough to be competitive, and while efforts are being made to increase the credit to $100 million, there has been very little headway. Fewer productions mean fewer job opportunities, resulting in fewer students staying in or moving to Cleveland. New student enrollment for CSU’s film program has dropped over the past two years. And, says Lahey, it has been “challenging to attract faculty with an MFA and professional experience for our parttime ranks” and grow the program. Because the pandemic is requiring the entertainment industry to install COVID-19-related precautions during production, new conversations about the harmful and unsafe work taken on by freelance filmmakers during typical productions – including 18-hour workdays with no lunch, low pay and unsafe conditions – have flared up. While that may not seem good for film school enrollment, a deal was finally reached between the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees – the union that represents 150,000 behindthe-scenes workers and, now, some CSU graduates – and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers,
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representing major studios. It’s possible that news, leading presumably to better pay and better work conditions, will encourage interest in the field. But according to Schwarz, COVID-19 has actually been a missed opportunity for the Cleveland film industry. He says he believes that other states have better positioned themselves to accommodate studios that are looking to reboot. He cites actor/director/producer Tyler Perry’s ingenious creation of “Camp Quarantine” at his sprawling studio in Atlanta, which has the sound stages required to continue producing episodes of four TV shows, including BET’s “The Oval” and “Sistas,” during the pandemic. “With some forward thinking,” Schwarz says, “Cleveland could have had a sound stage and technology campus for studios to work in. The last two ‘Avengers’ movies really wanted to shoot in Ohio, but we didn’t have the infrastructure or the incentive in place.” “If you build it,” he adds, with reference to the CSU film program, the state’s tax credit and a sound stage in the footprint of the city, “they will come.” Ironically, the quote is from the movie “Field of Dreams,” which was shot in Iowa and provides no tax incentives to lure filmmakers. Instead, says the state’s film commissioner, Liz Gilman, “we offer friendly communities and beautiful landscapes, require no film permits and have the lowest costs for doing business in America.” Iowa is also a right-to-work state. That’s certainly another way to build a local film industry.
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classes | gallery | gift shop Classes for all ages, abilities, and mediums.
Explore Art with us! Registration begins November 28. valleyartcenter.org 155 Bell St, Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
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13015 Larchmere Blvd Shaker Heights, OH 44120 www.loganberrybooks.com gallery@logan.com 216.795.9800
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Winter 2021 | Canvas | 35
ERY G L L I A F G T S Tips for picking the perfect artful present By McKenna Corson
Wood bowl by Reinhold Friebertshauser, $250. For sale at Artisans’ Corner Gallery in Newbury. uying art for yourself can be difficult. But buying a piece of art for someone else? That can feel impossible. An artistic piece’s medium, its content or message, the artist, the desired feelings or memories a piece evokes, where it will be displayed – the list is endless and particular to every eye. However, local experts from Contessa Gallery in Lyndhurst, Artisans’ Corner Gallery in Newbury and Koehn Sculptors’ Sanctuary on Green in South Euclid advise against turning away from gifting art out of fear it won’t match someone’s taste. “Art is something that when somebody sees it, it reminds them of a place, a person or a time. It has this deep inner meaning,” says Monica Glasscock, gallery coordinator, manager and framer at Artisans’ Corner Gallery. “But art is a little difficult to buy for somebody. It’s nonreturnable.”
36 | Canvas | Winter 2021
The first place to start is deciding whether the gift will be a surprise for the recipient or not, says Steve Hartman, the owner, founder and curator of high-end, Fine Art Dealers Association member Contessa Gallery. “I think both work very well, depending on the personality of the giver and the personality of the recipient,” Hartman says. “It has to be a match of how well does the giver know the recipient? There’s a lot of personality involved in that.” Victoria Koehn, owner of Koehn Sculptors’ Sanctuary on Green, suggests the gift giver think about any experiences they’ve had with the intended beneficiary, taking note of the recipient’s personal taste demonstrated through the interior design of their home. Before deciding on a piece, Koehn encourages they picture it on display in the other person’s home, really seeing if it fits. Does this person prefer more simplistic works, or do they enjoy more ornate artwork? Are they traditional or are they modern?
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Above: “Subway,” (2020) by Mr. Brainwash. Mixed media on aluminum, plywood and Plexiglas, 60 x 205 inches. Price: $495. For sale at Contessa Gallery in Lyndhurst. Koehn stresses that while it’s a piece to the art gifting puzzle, art doesn’t have to match the giver’s personal taste. “Buying things out of the box and things that just you like, I’m not sure that’s the best way to purchase anything for somebody,” Koehn says. “It has to be what you like, but you have to be able to imagine that person experiencing that piece with the same amount of pleasure.” If the gift giver doesn’t trust their art buying skill for another person, Glasscock offers the equally meaningful idea of purchasing a gift certificate from an art gallery or vendor, and then shopping together with the recipient. “That way, it gives you a great adventure that day,” Glasscock says. “Time well spent with your friend, and they get exactly what they are looking for.” If the gift giver decides on the surprise route, the next step is finding a gallery or vendor with extensive knowledge of their wares and expertise in art from a curatorial and value standpoint, Hartman says. The gift shopper can have their questions answered, connect with an artist or get suggestions for pieces that best match the recipient. This also means the gift giver steps into the recipient’s shoes to purchase a meaningful present. Glasscock says it’s essential the art buyer makes sure the receiver is reflected in the piece – whether it features a favorite color, suits a room in their home, symbolizes a shared memory or experience, or highlights a particular hobby or interest of theirs. “There’s always some type of art that’s going to fit that, and there’s definitely something in all price ranges, styles and genres,” Glasscock says. “Think about something that would just make them happy, smile every time they look at the gift and think of you.” To Hartman, a good, artful gift is one that transcends superficial value. “It’s something they think would resonate with the recipient,” Hartman says. “It should be beyond just the visual level. It could be something that they think would touch the recipient, either emotionally, spiritually, philosophically or even physically.” Even with an eagle eye scanning galleries and vendors, happening upon the perfect gift cannot be forced. It can be completely coincidental, and “just the way the stars and the moon line up that you see that piece,” Koehn says. But when you find that exact artwork – whether it’s an elaborate sculpture, decadent oil painting or elegant light catcher – there’s no doubt. “When I select a gift, I think of that person,” Koehn says. “If it speaks to me, I get that sparkle – a feeling like I know I found the perfect gift.”
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Above: “Tree of Life,” by Victoria Koehn. Steel. Price: $98. For sale at Koehn Sculptors’ Sanctuary on Green in South Euclid. Below: Necklace by T. Hickey, $17. For sale at Artisans’ Corner Gallery in Newbury.
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Holiday Gift Guide
Presented by:
ARTISTS BRIAN JACOBS Artist P: 216-702-7107 : brian-jacobs.com “Mars Violet Evenings,” a new novel by Cleveland artist Brian Jacobs, is available this winter as an e-book and also in paperback. As the main character, Marc Clemens struggles with his love life and creative vision. Can he use an artist’s observational skills to uncover the misdeeds of the administrator antagonists who bedevil him? Irreverent, enigmatic and distinctly imaginative, “Mars Violet Evenings” examines resilience in creativity and love while exposing the hilarious though maddening dysfunctions of a local art scene. Coming soon! See brian-jacobs.com for publication date and options for purchase and to learn about the painting pigment known as Mars Violet. Artist Brian Jacobs
GALLERIES
MUSEUMS ARTISTS ARCHIVES OF THE WESTERN RESERVE 1834 East 123rd St., Cleveland P: 216-721-9020 : ArtistsArchives.org : facebook.com/ ArtistsArchivesoftheWesternReserve Nov. 4 – Dec. 18, 2021, The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve presents “Kindred Objects: Ceramics & Glass from the Western Reserve,” a regional group exhibition of both emerging and nationally recognized artists curated by Kent State University faculty Davin K. Ebanks and Peter Christian Johnson. The artists are: Sommer Bonfiglio, Katie Burkett, Kristin Cliffel, Stephanie Craig, Benjamin Johnson, Brent Kee Young, Eva Kwong, Benjamin Lambert, Jennifer Leach, Andrea Leblond, Todd Leech, Alberto Veronica Lopez, Jennifer Masley, Zachary Miller, Marc Petrovic, Gabriel John Poucher, Kari Russell-Pool, Brian Sarama, Timothy Stover, Michelle Summers, Alicia Telzerow and Brinsley Tyrrell.
MASSILLON MUSEUM 121 Lincoln Way East, Massillon P: 330-833-4061 : massillonmuseum.org : facebook.com/massillonmuseum A cultural hub where art and history come together! See the “Stark County Artists Exhibition” (through Jan. 16, 2022); “Susan Byrnes: The Viscosity Series” (through Jan. 26, 2022); “Flu and Football” (through Jan. 9, 2022); Paul Brown/Tiger Timeline; local history, fine and decorative arts, photography galleries; and the Immel Circus. Free admission. The Museum shop is stocked with artwork by local makers – jewelry, pottery, wooden jewelry boxes, soap, greeting cards; history- and art-inspired books; and Massillon Tiger team spirit ephemera. Paint sets and activity kits for all ages can be creative stocking stuffers or gifts.
ARTISANS’ CORNER GALLERY 11110 Kinsman Road, Newbury P: 440-739-4128 : artisanscornergallery.com : facebook.com/artisanscornergallery Artisans’ Corner is Geauga County’s premier gallery featuring Ohio and regional artisans. This spacious gallery is only minutes east of Cleveland on SR 87, Kinsman Road in Newbury, Ohio. Offering 3,200 square feet of original works of art, unique gifts and custom framing. Enjoy new artists and inventory every time you visit. On Dec. 3, “A White Elephant Christmas Party” – 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. For additional information on special events or workshops, please visit our website or call 440 - 739 - 4128. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. For the Holidays, Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“Balance” (2021) by Kari Russell-Pool. Blown and flame worked glass, 13 x 15 x 12 inches.
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Holiday Gift Guide
Presented by:
GALLERIES CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART 11610 Euclid Ave., Cleveland P: 216-421-7000 : cia.edu/events : @cleinstituteart Two beloved shopping events will return to CIA this holiday season: the Student Holiday Sale and the 100 Show + Sale. At the 2021 Student Holiday Sale, shop for creative handmade gifts in glass, metal, ceramics, photography and other media – all of which will be made by CIA’s talented students. During the 100 Show + Sale, works by faculty, students and friends of CIA will be sold for $100 each. Select a work and take it home! Both sales take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3 and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4.
CLEVELAND PRINT ROOM 2550 Superior Ave., Cleveland P: 216-389-8756 : clevelandprintroom.com : facebook.com/ClevelandPrintRoom The Cleveland Print Room wants to advance the art and appreciation of the photographic image in all its forms by providing affordable access to a community darkroom and workspace, gallery exhibitions, educational programs and collaborative outreach. Cleveland Print Room Off The Wall Members Showcase at the ArtCraft Holiday Sale! Photography makes a great gift! 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, 2021; 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021; 11 a.m. 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. Free parking. Masks are required when visiting the Cleveland Print Room.
KOEHN SCULPTORS’/ SANCTUARY ON GREEN 1936 S. Green Road, South Euclid P: 216-691-1936 : sanctuaryongreen.com : facebook.com/sanctuaryongreen Celebrating our 42nd Annual Open House & Christkindlmarkt from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, through Dec. 27. We are Northeast Ohio’s destination gift shop showcasing thoughtfully created sculptures from our studio, and gifts and ornaments from around the world – an unparalleled shopping experience. We feature: exquisite ornaments of wood, blown glass and metal; German nutcrackers, smokers and pyramids; candles; giftware; toys; handmade jewelry, scarves, purses; nativities, angels and everything imaginable for the holidays. Year ‘round you’ll find jewelry, clothing, purses, cards and stationary, yard decor and distinctive hand-carved sculptures. We invite you to enjoy a personalized shopping experience in our century home. “Dancer” (detail) by Norbert & Victoria Koehn. Bald cypress wood, 80 inches tall.
LEE HEINEN STUDIO 12402 Mayfield Road, Cleveland P: 216-921-4088, 216-469-3288 : leeheinen.com : leeheinenstudio Lee Heinen paints in oil. Her most recent works are florals, loosely painted with palette knives and graced with a few Pollack-like spatters. The image shown here, “Fleur,” could be viewed as a contemporary version of a Dutch floral. It is available as a print on archival paper 22 x 22 inches for $225 or on aluminum 24 x 24 inches for $650. The original oil on canvas is 24 x 24 inches and priced at $2,800. This is a working studio in Little Italy, so it’s best to call 216 -469 - 3288 or email leeheinen@gmail.com. Lee Heinen was awarded an OAC Individual Excellence Award.
TRICIA KAMAN STUDIO/ GALLERY School House Galleries in Little Italy 2026 Murray Hill Road, Unit 202, Cleveland P: 216-559-6478 : triciakamanboutique.com : facebook.com/ TriciaKamanStudioGallery Give the gift of a limited edition Giclée Fine Art Print this holiday season. Giclée is an archival printing method using pigmented inks on acid-free paper and canvas to produce stunning images that last for generations. Your favorite painting of Tricia’s can be made into a Giclée print. Gift certificates are also available. Contact the gallery at 216 -5596478 or email triciak@kamansart.com. Studio workshops at the Tricia Kaman Studio/Gallery may be scheduled upon request. HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE with Giclée Raffle: 12 - 9 p.m. Saturdays, Nov. 27 and Dec. 4; and 12 5 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 28 and Dec. 5.
“Fleur” by artist Lee Heinen. Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches.
“Sunflower with Glads” Giclée Fine Art Print by Tricia Kaman.
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Uncommon ART 134 N. Main St., Hudson P. 234-284-9019 : uncommonarthudson.com : facebook.com/uncommonarthudson Uncommon ART brings you an eclectic mix of handcrafted jewelry, mixed media art, functional ceramics, artist-made journals, and specialty gift items from three dozen Northeast Ohio artists. Our gallery is located right on Historic Main Street in Hudson, Ohio. We look forward to welcoming you and showing you the collection! We also offer a convenient online webstore, curbside pickup and private shopping appointments. Whether you visit online or in person, you’re sure to find an inspiring treasure to give as a gift or display in your home! Artist owned since 2016. Holiday hours: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday Saturday; 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Thursday; and noon - 5 p.m. Sunday.
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LISTINGS MUSEUMS
VALLEY ART CENTER
MALTZ MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE 2929 Richmond Road, Beachwood P: 216-593-0575 : maltzmuseum.org
The Maltz Museum introduces visitors to the beauty and diversity of that heritage in the context of the American experience. It promotes an understanding of Jewish history, religion and culture, and builds bridges of appreciation and understanding with those of other religions, races, cultures and ethnicities. It’s an educational resource for Northeast Ohio’s Jewish and general communities.
GALLERIES ARTICLE/ART IN CLEVELAND 15316 Waterloo Road, Cleveland P: 440-655-6954 : facebook.com/artincle Article/Art In Cleveland gallery, studio and classroom in the Waterloo Arts District provides local artists a supportive community environment for creative growth and artistic development. Visit our gallery shows and open studio evenings each first Friday of the month during “Walk All Over Waterloo.” Check our Facebook page for gallery openings and art activities. Artist studio spaces now available. Holiday Art Show & Sale from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3. HUNTINGTON CONVENTION CENTER OF CLEVELAND
300 Lakeside Ave., Cleveland P: 216-920-1449 : clevelandconventions.com
Located in the heart of downtown Cleveland, the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland connects meeting planners to over 410,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including exhibit halls, meeting rooms and two ballrooms. Managed by ASM Global, the Huntington Convention Center is connected to the 600-room Hilton Cleveland Downtown. LOGANBERRY
13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights P: 216-795-9800 : loganberrybooks.com
Loganberry Books Annex Gallery features a monthly rotation of local artist exhibitions, with an opening reception on the first Wednesday evening of the month.
155 Bell St., Chagrin Falls P: 440-247-7507 : valleyartcenter.org
The hub of the visual arts in the Chagrin Valley, providing local communities with art classes, exhibits and fine art shopping for almost 50 years. Each year, we offer more than 400 classes, workshops and summer camps for students, from children to seniors, beginner to seasoned professional.
MUSIC & PERFORMING ARTS BECK CENTER FOR THE ARTS
17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood P: 216-521-2540 : Beckcenter.org
Beck Center for the Arts is thrilled to produce, live on stage and in-person, “Elf the Musical.” Running Dec. 3 to Jan. 2, 2022, based on the hit holiday film, this show is sure to be a celebration with your entire family. Use promo code BUDDY to save $5 on adult/senior tickets at beckcenter.org/ shows/elf. CESEAR’S FORUM
2796 Tinkers Lane, Twinsburg Kennedy’s, Playhouse Square 1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland P: 330-405-3045 : cesearsforum.com
Cesear’s Forum will present Joan Didion’s “THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING,” featuring Julia Kolibab. Following the loss of her husband and daughter, the work about coping in this time of pandemic is distinctly resonant. Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Nov. 5 through Dec. 11, with two Sunday performances at Playhouse Square. 2021-22 SEASON • Nov. 5 to Dec.11: “The Year of Magical Thinking” DANCECLEVELAND
13110 Shaker Square, Suite 106, Cleveland P: 216-991-9000 : dancecleveland.org
Join DANCECleveland for breathtaking modern and contemporary dance at Playhouse Square! The 2022 season includes the extraordinary illusions of MOMIX; a stunning interpretation of Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” by Pam Tanowitz Dance with pianist Simone Dinnerstein; and the return of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Subscribe and save – packages start at $40!
M. GENTILE STUDIOS
1588 E. 40th St., 1A, Cleveland P: 216-881-2818 : mgentilestudios.com
A personalized art resource for individuals, collectors and businesses. We offer assistance in the selection and preservation of artwork in many media. Our archival custom framing services are complemented by our skill in the installation of two- and threedimensional artwork in a variety of residential and corporate settings.
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Listings are provided by advertisers and as a courtesy to readers.
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LISTINGS FRIENDS OF CANVAS CLEVELAND ISRAEL ARTS CONNECTION Jewish Federation of Cleveland E: israelarts@jcfcleve.org : jewishcleveland.org/israelarts
The Cleveland Israel Arts Connection Fall/Winter 2021-22 Season features the finest in Israeli film, documentary, theater, dance, music, visual art and literature. A digital copy is available at jewishcleveland.org/israelarts. Please join the Cleveland Israel Arts Connection Facebook page for additional opportunities to experience Israeli arts. ROBERT & GABRIEL JEWELERS FOR GENERATIONS
5244 Mayfield Road, Lyndhurst P: 440-473-6554 : robertandgabriel.com : facebook.com/ RobertandGabrielJewelers
Our family-owned store is the ideal destination to find beautiful jewelry and giftware. Our selections include traditional and contemporary items from national designers, or we’ll help you create your own unique design. We also provide excellent watch and jewelry repair. We’re proud to serve our customers for over 95 years! Listings are provided by advertisers and as a courtesy to readers.
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2021 Holiday Happenings Markets | Art Walks | Bazaars
Nov. 24-Nov. 30 • Shop Local Weekend: From Nov. 24-30, Coventry Village in Cleveland Heights, fb.me/e/1dyXL9JzJ Nov. 26-27 • Larchmere Holiday Stroll: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 26-27; 12730 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland, larchmere.com Dec. 3-5 • ArtCraft Open Studio & Sale: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Dec. 3; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Dec. 4; 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. Dec. 5. ArtCraft Building, 2570 Superior Ave., Cleveland, facebook.com/artcraftstudiosalecle Dec. 4 • The Wine Spot 2021 Holiday Show and Buying Event: 1-4 p.m. Dec. 4; The Wine Spot, 2271 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, ages 21+ only, bit.ly/3bEJdOf Dec. 4-5 • Christmas in Zoar: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 4; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 5; Historic Zoar Village, fb.me/e/1XcFcFzLZ Dec. 11 • North Union Farmers Market Holiday Market: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 11; the Van Aken District, 3401 Tuttle Road, Shaker Heights, fb.me/e/Qc70mmQK • Solon Hometown Holiday Market: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 11; Solon Community Center, 35000 Portz Parkway, Solon, fb.me/e/2a5YkPf5e Dec. 11-12 • Cleveland Bazaar Holiday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 11-12; 78th St. Studios, 1300 W. 78th St., Cleveland, bit.ly/3CNsgNC Dec. 18 • Avon Winter Avant-Garde Art and Craft Show: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 18; Emerald Event Center, 33040 Just Imagine Dr., Avon, fb.me/e/3ln1fZcNL • Beachland Holiday Flea: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 18; Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, bit.ly/3bEKxRe • North Union Farmers Market Holiday Market: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 18; the Van Aken District, 3401 Tuttle Road, Shaker Heights, fb.me/e/Qc70mmQK – Compiled by Meghan Simon
CJN.ORG/BOKERTOV @CanvasCLE
Winter 2021 | Canvas | 41
CURATOR CORNER “The Fountain of Life” by Cristóbal de Velasco By Becky Raspe
F
rom first glance, one could be drawn into “The Fountain of Life” by Cristóbal de Velasco for its striking colors, intricate details and varied textures. Moving through the levels, sections and specific groups of activity, you get snapshots into moments part of a larger scene. But on further inspection, viewers are taken into a larger narrative – JewishChristian relations in the late 1500s. Featuring Torah scrolls adorned with Hebrew texts, the painting serves as a commentary on Jewish life in Spain. On the left lower level of the painting, Christian worshipers can be seen as calm, cool and collected, juxtaposed against the movement and disarray of the Jews depicted on the other side of a baptismal basin filled with coins. Down the center is the artist’s rendition of Jesus Christ, pictured with a lamb, referencing his title as the Lamb of God. Painted over 400 years ago, one is confronted with the antisemitic tropes displayed in “The Fountain of Life” that still permeate society today. Alexandra Letvin, assistant curator of European and American art at the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College, explores the harmful ideologies depicted in the painting, how it provides a snapshot into the lives of Spanish Jews at the turn of a century, and how modern Jews and Christians can explore it as a means to confront religious differences.
CANVAS: What makes this piece noteworthy? LETVIN: From a visual perspective, it is a stunning painting. The level of detail – of the architecture, the individual figures’ expressions, the textiles and even the plant life – is spectacular. It draws viewers in and rewards close and sustained looking. I would encourage viewers to begin by orienting themselves to the composition, considering, for example, how the tripartite structure of the architecture divides the scene, and how these three different zones of activity relate to each other. From a historical perspective, the painting is significant for several reasons. It is related to a much earlier work dated around 1440-1450 and attributed to the Netherlandish artist Jan van Eyck and his workshop that is now in the Prado Museum in Madrid. Both the AMAM and Prado paintings present a complex message about Christian salvation based on the differences between Christianity and Judaism, person-
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ified as church and synagogue in the lower level of the painting. Made 150 years apart, the paintings, however, speak to two different moments in the history of Spanish Jews. CANVAS: What response does this painting invoke? LETVIN: A viewer might step away from the painting awed by the artist’s use of color and handling of paint, or overwhelmed by the painting’s complex composition and theological message. But its depiction of Jews is also harmful and upsetting. In comparison to the orderly, calm Christians on the left, the Jews are shown as blind and bumbling. This reflects a common trope at the time that Jews were blinded by an only physical, or literal, understanding of the Old Testament, unlike Christians who were able to move from a literal to a spiritual understanding of the text. CANVAS: What was happening in the art world, or world in general, at the time that might have influenced the work? LETVIN: The Prado painting was made at a time of growing antisemitism in Spain, following the 1391 pogroms and culminating in the 1492 edict of expulsion. The AMAM painting coincides with a later moment, in which there was a growing interest among intellectuals and elites in learning to read Hebrew as well as Greek and Arabic. The clearest sign of this shift in attitude in the AMAM painting is that the Hebrew text on the scrolls held by the Jews is legible and identifiable as passages from the Psalms that were understood by Christians as references to the Eucharist. In the Prado painting, in contrast, the text is illegible. This is perhaps not surprising, as the AMAM’s painting was commissioned by García de Loaysa y Girón (1534-1599), archbishop of Toledo and tutor of the future King Philip III, who would have been able to read Hebrew. CANVAS: What makes this painting relevant today? LETVIN: To me, a central question in discussing this painting is: how can we take a harmful image like this and use it to advance a more nuanced understanding both of the historical context in which it was made and religious difference and conflict today? It also opens up conversations about
“The Fountain of Life,” 1590. Cristóbal de Velasco. Oil on panel. Allen Memorial Art Museum, R.T. Miller Jr. Fund, 1952.13. the role of images in constructing and reinforcing stereotypes, something particularly relevant with our passive and active consumption of images online and in the world around us.
ON VIEW
“The Fountain of Life” Artist: Cristóbal de Velasco (Spanish, 1588-1617) Year: 1590 Details: Oil on panel, 72 1/16 x 45 1/16 in. (183 x 114.4 cm.) Acquired: Likely hung in the cathedral of Palencia in northern Spain in the 18th century; then was seized by French troops during the Peninsular War (18071814); by 1952, it was in a private collection in New York and then sold to the Allen Memorial Art Museum by a New York gallery. Find it: The painting is on view in Nord Gallery, alongside other European works from the 1300s to 1600s.
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Creativity Takes Center Stage at Hawken Given that Hawken School has always been a haven for creative minds, it’s no surprise that opportunities for students to participate in the arts abound. While many other schools are forced to cut funding for the arts, Hawken’s programming continues to grow and thrive, enabling students to participate at various levels no matter what their age or experience.
A designated arts wing on Hawken’s Lower and Middle School campus featuring four classrooms designed for exploration, creation and performance represents a physical manifestation of Hawken’s commitment to the arts. Beginning in early childhood, music educators work with students to reinforce a love of music and to provide a basis for the development of musical concepts and skills. In third grade, students are introduced to the soprano recorder; in fourth and fifth grade, students select a string, woodwind, brass, or percussion instrument for musical study; and from third through fifth grade, students can opt to participate in Lower School Choir, which presents an annual musical production. In the Middle School, chorus, strings and band are offered as part of the curriculum. Students also have the opportunity to be part of the Jr. Hawken Players’ Society through participation in the annual musical either on stage, behind-the-scenes, or in the pit orchestra. At Hawken’s Upper School, students can select from a wide variety of music, dance and theater courses including Acting Fundamentals, Advanced Acting, Chorale, Concert Band, Creative Movement, Jazz Band, Global Rhythms, Stage Craft and String Ensemble. Outside of the academic day, small performing groups like Hawken Harmony provide additional opportunities for students interested in musical performance. One of the most popular clubs at Hawken is The Hawken Players’ Society (HPS), which produces at least one play and one musical each year. Open to all students at both the Mastery School of Hawken in University Circle and the Upper School in Gates Mills, HPS productions are largely studentdriven. Under the guidance of adult mentors, students are given the latitude, tools, and responsibility to take full ownership of their role as an artist, whether in set design and construction; props, costumes, or makeup; marketing and graphic design; acting, singing, dancing; and even assistant directing. Hawken students have been the recipient of numerous Dazzle Awards from Playhouse Square over the last several years; most recently, a senior won the Best Actor award for his performance in Hawken’s COVIDsafe, live-stream musical, Songs for a New World, by Jason Robert Brown.
Hawken School also places great value on the visual arts, often in collaboration with the performing arts department. An annual Early Childhood Art Show, a Visiting Artists Program, the annual Evening of Art and Music, the creation of artwork to accompany the fourth and fifth grade musical, middle school set design, and the Biomimicry Art and Science Forum mark just a number of the many highlights of visual arts programming on Hawken’s Lyndhurst campus. Visual Arts offerings for Upper School students include Art Fundamentals, Art and Design Principles, Graphic Design, Drawing and Painting, History of Western Art, Photography, Sculpture, Ceramics, AP Studio Art, Animation, as well as several advanced courses in these subjects. Stirn Hall academic building at the Upper School campus, with its Media and Communications Lab and Fabrication Lab, has opened up a whole new world of creative, interdisciplinary possibilities. The Creative Movement class has worked with Groundworks Dance Company on a collaborative project, which took students to Playhouse Square to perform. In addition, numerous classes including the Design and Engineering and Comedy classes have utilized the new spaces for creative, hands-on projects. The Goldberg Innovation Lab on the Lyndhurst campus provides even our youngest students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the art of creative design. Visit hawken.edu to learn more about the full menu of arts options available at Hawken. To learn more about visiting our campus, go to hawken.edu/admission or call 440-423-2955.
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We are offering in-person individual family tours and virtual tours for all campuses. To schedule, call 440.423.2950 (Lower & Middle School), 216.251.2321 (Birchwood School), 440.423.2955 (Upper School), or 440.423.8801 (Mastery School).
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