The Art Roots
“A space devoted to supporting the creative arts of people of color,” David states. “The central purpose of this space is to showcase and highlight artwork.” This space began as a seedling of an idea that took root once David and company found a location that had been various spaces for community needs. David created a relationship with the owner and explained the idea of what they wanted to create. After hearing his plans, the owner, Dionne Thomas, gave them the keys the same day. Construction began in the fall of 2018 and Ramsey got the space up and ready within nine months. From forest green walls and gray tiled floors, the space was transformed into white walls that created a bright space with hardwood floors – walls ready to feature artists.
Grow Deep in Central
The Deep Roots Art Experience aims to support the creative arts of people of color. India Pierre-Ingram Photography // David Ramsey
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ccording to an investigation conducted by arts news outlets In Other Words and artnet News, only 7.6 percent of art exhibited in the top 30 museums in the Country from 2008 to 2018, including our very own Cleveland Museum of Art, came from black and African-American artists. The abysmal number is evidence of a continuing trend of museums and galleries not acquiring or presenting black artists.
“The goal is to revitalize an area that has always been supportive of and available for black artistry.”
To David Ramsey, this deficit is an opportunity – and he knows the right space. The Deep Roots Art Experience, owned by David and a silent partner, is an arts space that sits at the corner of East 79th Street and Central Avenue in the Central neighborhood on Cleveland’s East Side. An extension of the non-profit HigherArts, the gallery is dedicated to exhibiting artwork of youth of color and black and brown artists. The Deep Roots space was once a grocery store, a campaign space, and a day care. Now the location has now been upgraded to serve the community as an art gallery after David and his business partners worked to make the space what it is today.
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Deep Roots’ first exhibition was titled SheArt and featured artwork entirely by black and brown women. The first show curated by Asia Amour, Deep Roots’ lead curator, and David, featured artists both from Cleveland and from outside of the region. “There is a huge wave of [women of color artists] being recognized, but specifically in Cleveland... Cleveland didn’t really have that,” Asia says. “It was important to showcase the black and brown women in the community.”
With Deep Roots’ first exhibition it was important for them to center the people who helped the most in renovating the space, including helping with construction, which were black and brown women, some of whom would just come in after passing by the space. As stated, there is a dire need for spaces where all artists feel welcomed and valued, but there is a particular need for spaces that welcome black and brown artist aesthetics can thrive. “Anywhere where that black artistry had become popular, there were locations that were dedicated to supporting those arts,” David says.
