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As typical for our winter issue of Canvas, in these pages we share profiles of a handful of Northeast Ohio’s emerging artists.
The annual Who’s Next series is one of my favorite features we publish each year, focusing on five early-career artists living and making art locally.
During my process of interviewing the artists we selected – thanks to nominations from local art schools and others in the community – I also had the opportunity to cover the Cleveland Arts Prize ceremony (which you’ll also read about in this issue). Cleveland Arts Prize recipients range from early career to lifetime achievement award winners.
One thing I noticed writing about and photographing the CAP event was its focus on the artists’ individual stories. Each winner was introduced by a colleague who shared what the award recipient uniquely brings to our arts community, and each gave an acceptance speech. These speeches were all thoughtfully written and allowed the audience to really get a sense of who they are and what they do. For example, while I can’t say I’d given any thought to the art of playing the bassoon previously, hearing about mid-career artist winner Dana Jessen’s ability and craft was fascinating. And though I’m not well-versed in rock ‘n’ roll photography, learning about famous photos Janet Macoska, the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, took of rock stars like Paul McCartney, David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen, I could barely wait until I got home to google the photos she referenced.
In our Canvas features and profiles, we also get into the stories of the people and process behind the art. We aim to not only cover exhibitions and news in the local arts community, but to dig deeper into the backstories reflected in the work. I think this issue may be especially “behind the scenes.”
In our 2023 Who’s Next series, you’ll meet Alyssa Lizzini, Crystal Miller, Nolan Meyer, Sarah Esposito and Nicole Malcolm. They are vastly diverse in terms of their styles, mediums, backgrounds and exact places in their artistic career, but each has drawn from their own experiences and captured something personal, true and specific in their work. I hope when you read their stories, you feel connected to the subjects and themes within their work, even if some are foreign to you.
Similarly, we check in with the Cleveland Museum of Art, diving deep into the stories behind exhibition development – taking you through their complex process that begins with a curator’s idea and extends to opening the exhibition years later.
We also talk with some local theater companies about how they go about selecting shows to perform, and how they make decisions about performing controversial or daring subject matter. Once again, sharing a story that’s a little behind the scenes.
Additionally, we preview an exhibit coming to the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland this winter that aims to draw awareness about dangers facing Lake Erie and the Great Lakes – a project that combines art with activism.
And as usual for our winter issue, we offer details about upcoming holiday art walks, bazaars and markets. This year, we did this a little differently – instead of having a separate calendar and story about supporting the arts during the holiday season, we combined it all into one feature sharing the times, locations and details about events (also conveniently listed in order of date), as well as commentary about the importance of supporting local creators and why it leads to the best gifts.
All of us at Canvas wish you a wonderful holiday season, and we look forward to sharing more stories with you in 2024. To stay connected with us and local arts happenings until then, please follow us on social media and continue to read this e-newsletter!
Amanda Koehn
Editor
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Shopping within the local arts community year-round allows patrons to both support artists and select one-of-a-kind creations, and there’s no bigger and better time to do so than the holiday season. Canvas compiled a list of holiday art markets, walks and bazaars from around Northeast Ohio to streamline the shopping process for our readers.
Read the full list of events here.
Hope Hickman of Small Pond Ceramics will be at Summit Artspace during its Artists Sunday market on Nov. 26. Photo courtesy of Summit Artspace.
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2023 Avon Winter Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 25
WHERE: Emerald Event Center, 33040 Just Imagine Drive, Avon
INFO: This art and craft show will feature artists and crafters selling their original handmade items. Admission is $3 to the public, and children under 12 are free. It will also have a full concessions stand on site provided by the venue, and a portion of proceeds will benefit the local nonprofit, Smiles for Sophie Forever.
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WinterLand
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 25
WHERE: 5th Street Arcades, 530 Euclid Ave., Cleveland
INFO: WinterLand is downtown Cleveland’s kickoff to the holiday season. Hosted by Cleveland Bazaar, it will feature local and handmade gifts and more.
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Summit Artspace Artists Sunday
WHEN: Noon to 5 p.m. Nov. 26
WHERE: Summit Artspace, 140 E. Market St., Akron
INFO: Artists Sunday, celebrated the Sunday after Thanksgiving, is a national campaign to encourage shoppers to purchase from local artists and give unique artworks as gifts. Summit Artspace, Akron Soul Train, Akron Bazaar, Northside Marketplace and more downtown Akron arts organizations and businesses are partnering to encourage visitors to shop downtown over the weekend. The event at Summit Artspace will feature a variety of handcrafted gifts with 25-plus local artist pop-up vendors, in addition to its 25 resident artist studios, on all three floors of its building.
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Little Italy Holiday ArtWalk
WHEN: 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 1; noon to 9 p.m. Dec. 2; noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 3
WHERE: Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood shops and galleries
INFO: Galleries and shops in Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood will host their holiday art walk, where passersby can find artistic gifts and also enjoy dinner at the array of local restaurants the neighborhood has to offer. Physical copies of ArtWalk maps will be available at Little Italy galleries, merchants and restaurants during the event; digital versions will also be available.
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Cleveland Institute of Art
WHAT: Student Holiday Sale
WHEN: 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 1; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 2
WHERE: Cleveland Institute of Art, 11610 Euclid Ave., Cleveland
INFO: Shop for creative, handmade gifts made by CIA’s students. Choose from glass art, necklaces, earrings, ornaments, ceramic cups, bowls, scarfs, shirts, tote bags, stuffed animals, posters, prints, greeting cards, stickers, bookmarks, zines and many other unique gifts. In 2023, nearly 80 students – majoring in craft and design, sculpture and expanded media, illustration and more – will have items available for sale.
cia.edu/holidaysale
WHAT: 100 Show + Sale
WHEN: 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 1; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 2
WHERE: Cleveland Institute of Art, 11610 Euclid Ave., Cleveland
INFO: Works of art by CIA faculty, students and alumni will be sold for $100 each (or in denominations of $100) in this student-organized show and sale. Patrons can select a work and take it home. All proceeds go toward the annual spring break student trip to visit galleries and museums in New York City or other cities. In 2022, more than 200 paintings and drawings by 30 CIA students, alumni and faculty members were available.
cia.edu/100show
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Bazaar at Lake Affect Studios
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 2
WHERE: Lake Affect Studios, 1615 E. 25th St., Cleveland
INFO: Join Lake Affect Studios and Cleveland Bazaar for an east side holiday shopping event. In addition to local and handmade makers, resident artists will have their studios open. Food, drinks and more will also be available.
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Christmas in Zoar
WHEN: Starting at 10 a.m. Dec. 2
WHERE: Historic Zoar Village, 198 Main St., Zoar
INFO: Historic Zoar Village will be decked out for the holiday season, with self-guided tours available. Extended shopping opportunities can be found at the Zoar store, Bakery, Bimeler Museum, Gartenhaus Shop and the Stars of Zoar Co-op as well as some privately owned shops.
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The Butler Institute American Holiday Arts & Crafts Show
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 2; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 3
WHERE: Butler Institute of American Art, 524 Wick Ave., Youngstown
INFO: The Butler’s American Holiday show features over 70 artisans in handcrafted jewelry, woodworking, glass, fine art and photography, chocolates, cheeses and many other items. From noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 3 there will be fine art appraisals by the Bonfoey Company in the Western Collection gallery, second floor. And from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 1, the Butler will host a preview; members receive an invitation in the mail, but non-members can call for information. Admission is $5, children 12 and under are free.
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Artists at the Twist’s 35th annual Holiday Show and Sale
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 2; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 3
WHERE: Cleveland Twist Drill Building, 1242 E. 49th St., Cleveland
INFO: The Artists at the Twist’s 35th annual Holiday Show and Sale will feature 55 artists in a variety of disciplines, including wood, glass, jewelry, visual arts, clothing, accessories and decor. Free admission and parking on site.
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“Here’s The Deal” (2020) by Jeff Suntala. Photo courtesy of Suntala and YARDS Projects. | |
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YARDS Projects
WHAT: “The Cleveland Show”
WHERE: Worthington Yards, 725 Johnson Court, Cleveland
WHEN: Opening reception from 5:308 p.m. Nov. 30. On view through Jan. 6, 2024.
INFO: More info here
Defamiliarization is a technique where artists present common things in a strange or new way, altering viewers’ perceptions. “The Cleveland Show,” presented by YARDS Projects, reimagines Cleveland as if you are seeing it for the first time. Co-curators Cheryl Lynn Craver and Chevy shape this exhibit by looking beyond the city’s iconography and seeking out the unfamiliar, beautiful and challenging people, places and events. It features painting, printmaking and photography by Northeast Ohio artists including Karen Beckwith, Jeff Benedetto, Tim Callaghan, Tim Herron, Ingrid Hoegner Leek, Jesse Rhinehart, Vivica Satterwhite, Joan Satow, Jeff Suntala and Dawn Tekler. The show’s opening doubles as the launch of “Octopus Hunting,” a book by Richey A. Piiparinen of new essays that explore the economy of the Rust Belt and Cleveland, with illustrations by Liz Maugans, director of YARDS Projects, and published by Red Giant Books.
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Lou Camerato “Windows From the Ukraine,” 20 x 16.5 x 2.75 inches, assemblage. Courtesy Massillon Museum. | |
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Massillon Museum
WHAT: Stark County Artists Exhibition
WHERE: Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way East, Massillon
WHEN: Opening reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Nov. 30. Awards will be announced at 7. On view through Jan. 14, 2024.
INFO: More info here
The Massillon Museum’s 2023 Stark County Artists Exhibition is open annually to current and former Stark County residents and to those working in the county, 18 years and older. MassMu’s Aultman Health Foundation Gallery will include 75 works by 52 artists, starting Nov. 30. This year’s jurors were: Cleveland artist Davon Brantley; Melissa Stallard, associate professor at The University of Akron; and Steve Mountz, artist/art instructor in Salem. They selected artwork to be included in the exhibition and the prizes.
Read a 2020 profile of Davon Brantley from Canvas here
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Beck Center for the Arts
WHAT: “The Nutcracker 2023” performance
WHERE: Beck Center for the Arts’ Oatey Recital Hall (in the Music & Dance Building), 17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood
WHEN: Dec. 2-9. Sensory-friendly performances at 9:30 and 11 a.m. Dec. 8.
INFO: More info and tickets here. RSVP for tickets to the sensory-friendly performances to Kelsey Heichel at kheichel@beckcenter.org.
Beck Center for the Arts will perform its dance education production, “The Nutcracker 2023,” choreographed by Melanie Szucs, associate director of dance education. The ballet follows the traditional beloved classic form and showcases 70 youth, teen and adult Northeast Ohio dance students. Clara will be danced by Audrey Willmer, age 11 from Westlake, and the Sugar Plum Fairy will be danced by Audrey Boetger, age 17 of Rocky River. In a twist on tradition, this “Nutcracker” features a battle for the cheese between mice and soldiers. Beck Center dance education has been presenting this holiday ballet biannually since 2003.
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818 Studios
WHAT: “Zelenka & Van Rooy – Fluid and Fixed” show
WHERE: 818 Studios, 818 Jefferson Ave., Cleveland
WHEN: On view through Dec. 3
INFO: More info here
818 Studios is showing glass works by Michael Zelenka and new paintings by Anthony
Van Rooy. A light and airy showing of Zelenka’s glass mobiles alongside Van Rooy’s new
contemporary work will usher 818 into its sixth year of operation as an art gallery in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood. Both renowned Cleveland artists, each have been creating for 40-plus years. Their art careers have run parallel to each other, resulting in a unique friendship. Their work can be found in art galleries and collections around the world.
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Nydia Blas (2022). Archival inkjet print on paper, 24 x 30 inches. | |
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Abattoir Gallery
WHAT: “The Silver Woman: Becoming Afro-Latina” by Nydia Blas
WHERE: Abattoir Gallery, The Hildebrandt Building, 3619 Walton Ave., Cleveland
WHEN: On view through Feb. 10, 2024
INFO: More info here
Abattoir presents the first photography exhibition at the gallery: prints from a new body of work by Atlanta-based photographer Nydia Blas. Born and raised in Ithaca, N.Y., Blas holds a BS from Ithaca College and an MFA from Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts. Her first significant project, “The Girls Who Spun Gold,” resulted from a Girl Empowerment Group that Blas founded after observing a lack of space and community for teen girls of African descent in Ithaca. In 2021, she was commissioned by the Johnson Museum at Cornell University to create a new body of work in response to the collection of family albums of Black families from the 1860s to 1980s held in the Cornell University Library. She is currently assistant professor of photography at Spelman College in Atlanta.
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Identify this artwork by its title, location or the artist(s) by replying to this email or emailing editor@canvascle.com, and you could win a Canvas prize pack. More details here. | |
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The image from our last newsletter is "Fox," a collaborative mural designed by Matt Miller, and painted by children and families at 2018's PorchRokr Festival in Akron. It was finished by Mac Love. It is on an exterior wall at R. Shea Brewing at 1662 Merriman Road in Akron.
If you’d like to submit images of street art for other readers to guess, you may also email them to us (including identifying information: the title of the work, artist(s) and where it is located). We will give you a shoutout and send you a Canvas prize pack if we use the photo.
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IN PRINT
Read the digital edition of the latest issue of Canvas
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Canvas is a periodical supplement to the Cleveland Jewish News and Akron Jewish News, and published by the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company. | | | | |
